Lockdown = Adoptions

Joy tells me that Coco has moved in and taken over her friends' Barb and David's lives and appartments. They can't believe that she is 9 years old. She is so active. Since she was adopted on Friday, Dudley, Luke and Rosie, Misty, Rosco, Sylvi, Sprinkles, Ken, Kosta and Murphy (today) have been adopted as well. A group of teenagers came (with parental approval) to get a small boy and Murphy chose them. It is amazing how much teenaged boys love kittens. But they have no idea how to hold them or cuddle them. I had to teach them. . . . its a hard job. Then an older couple arrived with their autistic, adult son. He had chosen Chloe from the web site. The parents thought they should come see. Chloe hid as far away in the play place that she could get, of course. Cooper was interested. After I went in and picked him up, cuddled, handed him over, he was quite happy with them. But the son was fixated on Chloe. So we looked at all the other young adults available. They took photos of the ones that he liked. They have gone away to think about it. Such a nice family group. Then an Indian family arrived looking for a dog/puppy. I told them to email Steph. Which got me to 3:30. I threw dinner at the cats and brought my sorry, cold infected bones home. With all the adoptions there have been movements. Lucky is below Ebony. She is not in the carrier, which is a surprise. And Joy said that she didn't spit when cleaned up.

Valentino is next door and wants to step into the arms of anybody who opens his door.

The lovely Riley remains in Incoming. He has lost his terror but is still a little shy. Joy has discovered that he loves playing with a ping pong ball.

Diagonally below him is a new young cat, Daisy who is a love. She has a suspicioulsy swollen belly.

The kittens in Quarrantine are Spot and Smudge. Don't know who is who as they both have spots. They have been in a foster home and are super friendly (and hungry).

Begone the other Coco

We got our Covid tests on Thursday morning and by Friday morning our results came back negative. But at Safe today, everybody wore masks. Including Joy's friend Barbara who came to choose a cat. Irene and I twisted her arm and she chose Coco who has just become available over Miyuki who tolerated being held by me but skedaddled to her upper shelf when Barb tried to take over and Peggy who was prepared to be patted by Irene but gave Barbara THE KEEP AWAY LOOK. (Peggy is available now too). It was a no brainer and they will live happily every after. We will get regular updates from Joy and in the meantime Coco (of C & Mason) is happy to be the only Coco at last.

Sandy reports that Ashleigh finds all the narrowest, darkest places to hide in her room. She will take a long time to realise how lucky she is now. Belle is looking much better. She is almost plump. I gave her a tiny bit of chicken this afternoon because she usually misses out. Let's see if it upsets her tummy.

And Apricot is getting friendlier. After her bit of chicken I picked her up and felt stitches. It is ages since she was desexed. So Tim removed them and let's hope that she cleans up the scar which looked a bit scabby. Chilli and Murphy had a great play in the play place followed by Sabrina's two. We decided that she would be happier to have their condo all to herself. She actually enjoyed getting ALL THE CHICKEN.

Masks on

I should be on my way to the SAFE fundraising performance of Blythe Spirit. But when I got home from SAFE this evening, hubby Jo sneezed and confessed that he has a "cold". He has been out and about in Sydney in the past 10 days and has had one AZ vaccination. We are not taking any chances and will stay at home tonight, get tested tomorrow and . . . . . . ? In the meantime, at SAFE today, a lovely young couple came in to find a friend from the 6 yr old cat that she adopted a couple of years ago from a shelter. He was repeatedly paired with a little kitten, had a lovely time playing with the kitten, then the kitten got adopted. She took pity on him. He was shy when he first went home with her but soon became a playing crazy. He needs a cat to play with. There are lots of cats and kittens available at the moment. They met them all and finally, assisted by a cup of coffee offsite, selected Haymitch. So the Googly Eyes kittens have all found homes. How nice is that! I had moved him into Baxter's condo first thing so that I could free up the play place during the day. There was a succession of feline frolics helped by Robyn's step daughter Kristie. In Incoming there is a cat named Cat. . . . after our Catsie? who also came to help clean and wash up. . . . she definitely earns angel points.

and a kitten called Riley who refused to eat Baby Cat or anything else, all day.

Marigold has been moved to where Mini was. She seems more friendly there. Mini is in the wheely cage. Tim noticed that she had not moved from the bottom layer. He transferred her water bowl down to that level. She drank for 20 minutes. Today, I put her food one layer above where I had tucked a towel. She jumped up for food! I think we should change Sooty's name to Soothy (with a lisp). Her tongue always shows. Maybe she doesn't have any front teeth to keep in in?

Harry and Harley usually lie together in their hammock. I struck me that they only have one hammock. They usually have a argy bargy about which bowl of food is the best. So I put in another hammock. They had a lovely time, one in each, batting and playing with each other. Watch and learn.

Chicken lick'n kittens

I defrosted the chicken that I had not finished some weeks ago in the microwave. It has a "frozen dinner" option which I tried. Mistake. I checked it after 2 minutes and the middle was frozen and the edges were boiling. So everybody who had a nose knew there was chicken and had to wait. Kendra in the Boarding area is the furthest away from the kitchen and she was keen for food/chicken. Meanie me didn't give her any because despite being on a strict ID diet, her tummy is bloated to pregnancy size yet again. All her kittens are together again, out of isolation. They didn't get any chicken either, just in case.

Everybody out back loved their chicken. I gave Silky, Petey and Pearl a good pat and Ebony and Casper ate from the dish that I held (the first step)

Ashleigh would have done the same but she has gone. . . . home with Sandy who has a spare room just waiting for a foster cat. Lucky Ashleigh. The Hungergame kittens went wild for chicken. But they go wild for any kind of food. I took advantage of having chicken sticky hands to give them all a good cuddle. They then spent 15 minutes licking themselves and each other clean. While I was with them, Mimi, who has been moved to the corner on the other side of the door, wailed for her share of chook. When I gave her some she not only let me pat her but she purred. It is the chicken, not my magic touch.

Sooty and Tammy will not play the love chicken/love me game. And Marmalade would if only I was Tim. But Soxy loved both chicken and pats, as did Bridie. And Matty and Maddie only play give me the chicken or I will rip your hand off. They are going to a foster home tomorrow. The fosterer is coming on the bus. Irene has, I hope, arranged for a vollie to drive them all back home to Maroubra.

The one small containter of chicken didn't last very long which was good because I had to leave early to attend my nephew's daughter's naming ceremony at a synagogue in Woolhara. The container was scrupulously cleaned by Harry and Harley.

Tortie corner

Barb Webster gave us a cat clock. Today, I finally got around to installing it with Rod's help (after I dropped the one, tiny screw and we put the battery in the right way round). I put it over the feeding table so that the cats out back can enjoy it's wagging tail and sweeping eyes. Buddy and Petey were enthralled.

I also dangled feather toys from the ceiling in the outer office to give the cats there something to look at. They only like them when they move. There is a tortie corner there with a new Harley. As a tortie she is obviously a girl and by the look of her tummy, she was recently a mum.

Joy spent time smooching with Apricot, yet another tortie, who really does like to be loved on. (They both do!)

Don't know what happened to Max, son of Misty but there is a bonded pair in the perspex place. They are Bobby (friendly with a squinty left eye) and Doel (below).

Don't know what the outcome of Pearl's vet visit was. She is happy in her new condo and even happier with a new bed (sans poos and hair balls). Her nose looks a little less encrusted.

Rod gave Mixa a clean bed which he loved too.

No adoptions today but a Chinese family will be back with their 15year old son on Saturday to see if he likes Oscar as much as they did. The kid will fall in love.

Musical condos

Stop the music when Prue is exhausted. Because Pearl went to the vet this afternoon, Irene, with Tim's approval, instituted a major move of cats. All those who are available are out front, those who need more time are out back and only boarders are in Boarding, except for Kendra. Kendra and her kittens are on special diets. Kimmy was very flat today so was put into the sick bay in the outer office. She yelled so loudly that they brought Kate to keep her company. It perked Kimmy up.

The person who adopted Sage came back and adopted Sugar as well. How sensible is that! And a nice man came in looking for a black and white cat (not a kitten) and was talked into Sammy. So two wheely cages were free. I moved Roscoe into Sammy's and Whiskey and Socksie into Sage's. They were delighted to be out of the outer office. And first thing they did was to introduce themselves to their neighbours. Later Steph came, with lashings of litter, and spent lots of time giving them all cuddles which was exactly what they (both 2 and 4 leggeds) all needed.

And Coco the 11 year old Burmese arrived. She is in Celeste's condo. I don't know where Celeste is . . . . I hope in a foster home. Strange that we have two Burmese cats in residence and they are both called Coco. This Coco will not be with us for long, is my guess.

I moved Baxter into Roscoe's condo. Pearl went into Baxter's condo out back when she got home from the vets. I moved Misty into Pearl's condo and then Romeo and Juliette into Misty's condo (that was an exciting job as Romeo decided not to be picked up but did a runner from the carry cage that I had enticed him into with chicken. He ran into Myuki's condo mid sterilization and I cornered him into the carrier to deliver him to his girlfriend. Neither seemed very thrilled.) A lovely couple came and adopted Mako. He was posted on Facebook and Instagram and created a positive storm of interest. The new owners are experienced with shy cats and I think he will settle well with them. I moved Myuki into Mako's condo and then Anthony and Cleopatra into Myuki's condo. In between each move the condos were sterilized, of course. I am knackered. But I did manage to update all the sheets that tell which cat is where.

The charm of Valentino

We were down to 72 cats when I arrived this morning. And then Terry came to take Kendra and her four kittens to Mona Vale. And I took Apricot to Beaches Vet in Manly Vale because Tim forgot to take her yesterday. Down to 66 when I got back in time for breakfast.. . . except I was really LATE for breakfast according to the cats. Since last Friday only Bonnie and Sandy have been adopted so it must be the boarders going home that made all the difference. And today a lovely couple who live locally and just happened upon us adopted Button. They have a quiet older, black cat and a rabbit so wanted a younger friendly, chatty kitten to perk up the house which has three kids including an HSC candidate. It was the husband who made the decision. The wife would have taken the smallest kittens who happen to be Sylvi, Sylvester and Dudley (he has white on his face) who are in the stand alone cage next to Sugar. (Sage was taken home yesterday.)

During the day a woman rang to adopt Valentino. ???. By a process of elimination, I guess he is the ginger boy in the stand alone in incoming. He has a shaved area and a red spot on his jaw. Seems a sweet boy. She said that she knows him from his foster home and wants him. I told him to phone Tim tomorrow (my standard response).

Max across the way is just as good looking.

But the most charming, delightful thing I discovered to day was . . . . . the store room which is clean, tidy, with shelves. THANK YOU Irene and Peter and whoever else helped.

Caesar adopted

Thursday was a bumper adoption day. Caesar was adopted. As were Gale and Primrose. I thought that the nice couple who came on Wednesday afternoon came back to get Gale. But they wanted him as a companion for their 2yr old girl cat. And Gale and Primrose were adopted by the same people. So it seems unlikely that the couple would have adoped two kittens to keep their shy cat company. Never mind. There is still a black kitten from that litter in the play place along with a tabby girl. We hope for a record breaking Saturday with Terry. Belle's kittens were looking more frisky today. They hadn't eaten all their crunchies. But they weren't ID crunchies so perhaps they didn't taste right.

The Japanese kitten who was adopted last weekend came in to be boarded over this weekend. He cried himself to sleep after lunch but then revived for a game. Pity we couldn't put him back with his mum and two remaining siblings. His name is now Maxwell.

My afternoon of "improving cat behaviour" was disrupted by having to pick up the new cats in Incoming, Whiskey, Socksie and Max from Warringah mall where they had been sent for desexing and deliver Honey and her two kittens back to Clare in Dee Why. The fosterer who first "found" Honey (actually Honey found her when she just turned up on the doorstep) wants to adopt her and the two kittens. So we can stop trying to think of two H names. The kittens are both female. . . Haley, Holly, Honoria, Hester. . . . . And Tim recounted that the foster children had named Whiskey and Socksie. They don't know about Scotch. Plus, they called the kitten without the white socks Socksie. Whiskey is the one with the socks! I tried to get a photo of Lillian who smooches the glass when you walk by. But when you open her door, she backs off. And she doesn't perform if there is a camera pointed at her.

But Pearl is happy to knead her bed despite a camera in her face.

Incoming welcome

Now that we do not have any sick cats who need to be isolated, the outer office has an "Incoming" area. With occupants who must have come in last night after I talked to Tim at 4:45 pm. They are Whisky and Socksie (who should have been named Scotchie with a brother named Whiskey!) They take their job of welcoming seriously.

There were 81 cats in house despite the number adopted over the weekend. I had plenty of volunteers to fill in the gaps of Rod having to leave early to get his jab, and Katey arriving late because she has been worked hard housesitting dogs. But Catsie dropped by to help so everybody was happy. The Hungergames kittens (formerly the Gooey eyed kittens) are in the play place because all bar two of Silky's kittens are left and one of them, Sage has been adopted and will be picked up on the weekend. The Hungergames kittens are great purrers so should be snapped up quickly. A couple inspected each available cat/kitten this afternoon to choose a companion for their 2yr old girl cat and he liked Dale (Hungergame boy) but she liked the grey Japanese. So they went away to think about it.

Another couple came to get a little kitten. Any little kitten. The littler the better. The grey and white fluffy Japanese kitten appealed to her but he perhaps wanted something smaller. They may come back later. I did not show them Honey's kittens who are deliciously little. Barb Webster, who visited later, would have taken them home except that she knows how much work tiny kittens are.

Robyn had a lovely time with "her" litter. Button was not interested in eating today. But Belle is.

Just in case you wondered, Ashleigh is still with us. She looked perfectly relaxed on top of her carry cage this afternoon until I put the camera against her perspex to get a good photo. Too close, Prue.

And Mia and Bella still love each other despite the fact that they really need to be adopted. They would love each other much more if they had a little more space.