Tummy Time

Calvin likes a hammock all to himself.

Vivienne does too

But their next door neighbours like to cuddle three at a time in a hammock. I can't tell if the same one gets left out each time. They all look like tortie tabbies to me even though their names are Clementine, Cornelius, Claudius and Cordelia.

3 C's in a hammock plus 1

Joni's kitten Taylor got adopted. I don't think she is too sad about that. She sits at the front of the condo now and doesn't hiss.

Joni

 And Thelma and Louise are out of hiding.

Thelma/Louise

There is a new Billy where Chi Chi was. That lady did come from the Blue Mountains to collect her.

Billy

Ruby and her kittens are still in the play place. They make a mad dash for the door any time you open it. So I stuck a ball on a rotating toy whose feather has been chewed off and they were distracted long enough for me to collect all those dishes.

News of Rebel in foster with Mariko. They are doing well. He is just a tad spoiled.

Rebel in his delux teepee

We continue to be in parvo-ville. Restrictions will continue for another week.

Good News

 The good news is that somebody rang from the Blue Mountains to ask for Chichi. They had taken one cat from the home of several (?5) cats that she came from but couldn't take more at that time. Now they can take another. They promised to come tomorrow. So this is the happy photo:

Chichi not excited yet

The bad news is that two of Roxy's kittens succumbed to parvo overnight. We have lost 7 kittens so far. But we have RAT-like tests and various cats have been moved out of Isolation. (Luckily, for the testers, the test sample is poo rather than a throat swab. Imagine trying to get a nasal swab from any sized cat!) 

The lucky negative cats are:

Donatella and McQueen who are in the 3 wheeled stand alone just inside the door: Later in the afternoon they were having a wonderful game of "king of the castle" but. . .  by the time I figured out how to video them on the Safe mobile phone, they had stopped playing.

The small stand alone is reserved for the C kittens, whoever they are. Their neighbours are  Calvin and Vivienne.

Calvin

Vivienne and Lola: not on the best of terms

Milo was delivered on Thursday. He was the second cat that Safe rehomed. That was before we had our current premises. So he is thoroughly discombobulated at being put into a stand alone (which used to be Winnie and Demi's). If he wasn't such a mature cat, I would say that he is sulking.

Milo

Biscuit tested negative and moved out of Incoming into the Better Row. (Don't take the stuck-out tongue as a comment on Better Row. That is just the way his tongue lies.)

Biscuit

And Alfredo tested negative so has been moved to the Boarding row on the highest condo. He is a chatty cat. When found he had a flap of flesh hanging from his neck. A good Samaritan found him, took him to a vet who stitched him up. He still has shaven bits and lengths of thread hanging from his neck but he is very chatty and REALLY wants to make friends.

Alfredo on high

 

 

Traffic chaos

 I was very late today because all the traffic from the beaches had been channeled into Mona Vale Road. We crawled up the hill. I could have walked faster. But it was rather nice to have the time to examine the rock walls and the ferns and the waterfalls cascading down the man-made drains. 

 

Nevertheless, I got to SAFE before the garbos had come so got rid of lots of poo bags. There had been a clean out of the junk room/store room over the weekend which generated bags of old towels, mattress covers, etc, etc. I binned some of them too. Some I put on the shelves which are now full. Others I gave to a vollie who is about to become a WIRES vollie and the price of that membership is some old towels, pillowslips, cloths, etc. She went off very happy to have found a source.

 

The clean out of the store room is because it will become the Isolation Room when we get John's play room just to the right of our front door. This is supposed to happen in 7 days. Imagine!

 

The cleaning crew got through their work in record time. Not being able to play with the cats makes it much faster. I got my kitty cuddle by having to move Ginger George into the main cat room because he is now available for adoption again. We both enjoyed the cuddle.

Ginger George

He is in Chikka's condo because she was adopted this morning. (I wasn't aware that she was available until she was gone.) She went with an older woman whose cat has recently died and she can't be happy without a cat. 

 

On Sunday Demi and Winnie were adopted. Their stand alone was set up to receive Paul tomorrow at 11am. I understand that he was the second cat that we adopted. It must have happened before we got these premises. There is no record of him on this blog. His name has been changed to Mr Milo.

The condo cards say that there are 9 tiny kittens where Yin and Yan used to be. I didn't see them. So far they well. We need to keep strict parvo protocols to ensure that they stay uninfected. Chanel will be coming back soon as she is much improved but some other kittens in Incoming are not well.

Lockdown

 I made a mistake on my last blog. Chanel didn't die. She is with the vet being treated for something, serious. But kittens in Incoming did die of parvovirus: the two smaller ones in the stand alone beside the Royal Canine stand alone and one of the ones with Venus in the stand alone across the room. It seems that parvovirus is running rampant in the western suburbs and goodness knows where these kittens came from. They may have brought separate bugs with them. The Royal Cannon stand alone was moved out of Incoming yesterday. But Roxy's kittens were not looking very energetic and not eating (!) this afternoon. So they were rolled back into Incoming. The cats, McGreggor and Donatella who were moved out of Incoming on Wednesday were moved back there. And it is a no-go zone for all but a few staff/vollies so that we can try to contain the source of infection. https://pets.webmd.com/cats/what-to-know-about-feline-parvovirus has lots of good information.

Tim has vaccinated all the cats that he can in the hope that we can stop cats getting very sick. Kittens are more vulnerable than adults. So there is to  be no more random cuddling of kittens and no cats are allowed out to run around to play. Phantom was not happy at being shut in this afternoon.

Phantom

And Opie complained loud and long.

Opie

Some cats couldn't give a . . . . . like Chessie: who would rather be alone. Perhaps we should have called her Greta.

Chessie

Demi and Winnie were not so upset by the lack of attention but the fact that they didn't cuddle together in one hammock. The tie of the upper hammock came undone and they were forced to find other places to sit.

Here in the process of getting back together after I tied the bow again.

And we have a new cat, Simba. Don't know where he came from and I couldn't give him a welcome cuddle because we are in lock down.

Simba

.

GGG is back

 Georgous Ginger George is back. Somebody in the family is allergic to cats. He was grumpy today. He swiped at (and damaged) a vollie. But when I went later to tell him how pleased I was to see him, he forgave me and let me take off the collar, with a bell and fluorescent stripes. He is happier now. 

Gorgeous Ginger George

And he has Salazar for a neighbour two doors up, Mia below, Rosie and Callie coming out of seclusion below left.

Rosie and Callie (in front)

There are new cats too. Couldn't get a photo of Charlie and Champ as they were hiding in their carrier. Don't know where Simon, Alvin and Ruby (the mum) came from. They are sticking together in the smallest space in what used to be Rebel's condo. Perhaps his grumpy aura lingers!

Simon, Alvin, Ruby

 Sydney has gone to foster with one of our fabulous vollies.

The wobbly scratchy pole in the Top Cat has been replaced by another of the humungous cat trees that sits by the front door. It fills the Top Cat and is a bit cumbersome to maneuver. But if you slide it around and put it close to the condo doors after opening them and then quickly put the Top Cat frame around it before the cat in the condo makes a bolt for it. . .  it works a treat.

Chika did come out when TDs tempted

The wobblers enjoyed it while it was in the middle before dinner time.

Tibby and Jolene at play

NB: If you let Phantom out while Tibby and Tabby's condo is open, put the food onto the upper level. He is not supposed to eat anything by ZD and Tabby sometimes leaves some crunchies for later.

And there are new big kittens in the "Meet and Greet" Stand alone. Didn't take note of their names. They are more friendly with other cats than with people.

Phantom and phrends

 

Chanel died of parvovirus earlier this week. So we are anxiously watching all the cats for symptoms. 

Late in the afternoon a very nice man came to adopt Aladdin and Jafar. Unfortunately, Aladdin had been adopted the day before. He really wanted two more male kittens to go with his male kitten at home (!) I tried to convince him that a girl kitten would be a good idea but he adopted Jafar and has taken him home. He will be back for another boy kitten when one is available.

Adopton Tails: Penwing, Diva and Scout, Gia, Earl and Dave

 Penwing, aka Angel

 They adopted JJ (Mia's kitten - now renamed to Cleo) and then adopted Penwing after she was returned to Safe.
 

1 day: The family loves her already - she is such a lovely girl! They will  change her name to Angel. She hasn't done a poop yet and only a little wee, being more nervous than Cleo was. They are taking it slow and Angel does play with them but also likes to hide away. She eats her food which is a good sign.

1 week: Angel is still in their daughter's room and Cleo goes in to play with her now. As Cleo is a bit more confident, playtime is still limited because Cleo can play a bit too vigorous for Angel. They are definitely becoming friends! Angel is aware of Lexi (the dog) but they are taking it slowly. “She’s a purry, beautiful happy girl. I’m smitten!!”

1 month: Angel and Cleo are totally settled into the family! “Couldn’t imagine life without them”. Angel is a little shyer than Cleo, but she’s not scared of Lexi anymore, and Lexi loves them both so much. Angel and Cleo definitely remember each other. They play fight, snooze together, and Angel likes to groom Cleo. “Angel is super loving, a total purr machine. Our family is complete, we just adore both our catties!” 

1 month

Their owner is very grateful for SAFE. "I just want to give them the best chance I can. Love them so much! And I'm so glad we ended up with them both, it's been the happiest outcome!"

Diva and Scout

1 day: They're doing wonderfully, super playful but also cuddly and sweet. They've used the litter tray and are eating and drinking pretty well. Scout is eating a bit less than anticipated but she's still had food.

1 week: They are going great. They rushed out of their safe room and have taken it as their domain. Diva has been renamed Piper and Scout’s name will remain as Scout.

1 week

1 month: They’re doing great! They’ve definitely grown a lot and have discovered the joys of exploring the higher spaces in the house. They’re so cuddly and sweet, both with each other and the rest of the family. They went to the vet for a checkup and they seem to be super healthy and progressing well. “We’re so happy they are part of our family”.

1 month

Gia

1 day: She’s in a room on her own and the owner’s daughter has spent most of the day near her. She appears to be eating and drinking a little bit. She has been in the litter box but has not used it, just kicked the litter around. She’s becoming friendlier and is happy to have lots of pats and is purring. She’s been moving around in the room but is still jumpy if they make a sudden noise or approach. They’re keeping the name Gia and her nickname is GiGi. 

1 week: Gia is eating, drinking and using her litter normally now. She’s still very nervous. Her owner saw her sleeping on the bed today but she jumped off as soon as she entered Gia’s safe room. They have a very excitable dog and a resident cat so they’re managing it carefully. GiGi got a fright from their dog the other day and she climbed up the timber window frame. She also met the other cat yesterday and it went quite well.

1 month favourite sleeping spot

1 month: Gia has settled in well. She had a big adventure the other day - she managed to escape out of the window on Thursday and returned Monday morning. She knew where she lived, returned in one piece, and was reasonably hungry. She has met the resident cat and they tolerate one another. For the most part, she remains separated from their resident dog. She does a great job “holding her own” versus the puppy who just wants to play.

1 month: not so favourite frog hat

 

Earl

 The owner previously adopted Dave in April 2022. He was a really tiny, friendly, black kitten.

1 day: Earl is doing okay but has been quite scared. Yesterday he huddled in his carrier and didn’t leave except to eat a small amount of dry food. He also had his vaccination yesterday so his owner assumes he was also quite tired. Today, he’s eaten both wet and dry food and has peed, but has not gone poo yet. He’s been exploring his safe room a lot more. He runs to hide if someone opens the door but they’re just being patient. He met the owner’s grandma and they snuggled together. “He’s so lovely and friendly!”

2 days: Earl is in his room and he’s significantly more confident. He even followed his owner down the hall to her bedroom (while the resident cat Dave was in another room) and explored the bedroom. Dave has been really curious about Earl and has been lying outside the door meowing. The owners got back from grocery shopping and Dave is lying outside Earl’s room where they’ve been playing footsies under the door gap. There have been no claws, no aggression, no hissing or anything. She put a towel in front of the door overnight and Dave slept on it and was lying next to the door all night.

1 week: He’s going well! Both cats were really eager to meet so they let them have time together. Dave was a bit standoffish at first but now, all they want to do is to be together. His owner doesn’t keep them together constantly. They like to play rough and roughhouse, and Dave can be quite rough with Earl. They both play-fight but Dave seems to take it a bit overboard. When this happens, they are immediately separated but Earl wants to play again and gets upset if he’s separated. Neither one shows aggression, but Earl might let out a hiss when Dave goes too far. His owner took Earl to their mum’s house to see how he coped. He was very wary at first but now loves it. Yesterday, he was playing, zooming around the living room and cuddling with everyone. He wasn’t as quick as Dave to adapt to the new environment but seems to cope quite well, to the point where they struggled to get him into the carrier. 

1 week and 1 day: This morning they were super grumpy. Their owner had to separate them because their fight got aggressive. Dave is letting Earl pounce on his tail now.

2 weeks

2 weeks: The boys have been making really good progress together. They still roughhouse a lot but now their owners let them tire themselves out, and they end up sleeping next to each other. They still sleep separately overnight. This week, their owner is going to leave them together for short periods to see how they go. They’ve also been sharing food really well. Their owners have never encouraged it but would find them randomly sharing their dry biscuits as they wait for the other to finish. They have two bowls but want each other's food.

1 month: on Catio

 1 month: They’ve both been really good! They’ve both settled so well. They love wrestling and still play rough but they cuddle a lot. Their owner set up a catio in their laundry area and they love it. Their owner wanted to plant cat grass but they sleep in the pot.

1 month: best mates

Too sick for chicken

 One of the smaller pair of kittens in the stand alone in Incoming is so stuffed up with the flu that she breathes through her mouth and can't smell anything. She is not interested in eating. I couldn't get her to even try some delicious chicken juice. The kitten that came in with her had some. So did the older two who came in earlier. They aren't related. They just couldn't fit anywhere else. But everybody else told me that there is not enough chicken. I gave the plastic bag to Lola to lick and could probably have used it again it was so clean.

The family in the stand alone by the front door sort of liked it. Mum, Ruby definitely had had chicken before.

Ruby

One boy was keen, the other not so much. I don't know which is whom of Alvin and Simon. The boys have fabulous stripes. They have been in a foster home for a while.

Alvin and Simon

A woman came to get her pair of kittens vaccinated and the adoption paperwork done. She was able to take them from their first foster home in time for the kittens to be Christmas presents for her daughters. The kittens have lived with the family ever since and were now, after being given their last vaccination, finally ready to be paid for. She brought one of her daughters with her. The daughter was disappointed that Opey didn't hiss at her as he had the last time she visited!

Opey, IC lobby

One of our boarders did a perfect hand stand when he jumped down from his upper level to get some chicken. Of course, when I went back with the camera later, the hand stand was not quite so long lasting but then, I didn't have any chicken left! (Mine is not a fast, iPhone camera but a Canon really camera)

Tip

Having saved the best news for last:

Rebel has been fostered. By Mariko. And her 22 mice. All in separate boxes. In another room in her flat. 

I would put my money on Rebel.

At Last

 The verandah is empty. When I arrived at 10am the garbage men had not yet come. So I rushed to get the last bags from the verandah out to the bins. But there weren't any there. Helen came yesterday and took away a car full. When I went out at 1pm to collect our bins, they hadn't been emptied yet. So I rushed back to get all the morning's full bags to add to the bins. So the verandah and both bins were still empty when I left! (The bins were emptied some time in the afternoon). How good it that! And a car load of litter was delivered.

Empty

Jolene has been moved to the main cattery. We let her out for a bit of exercise this afternoon. She mostly hid under the shelves at the end but when Tabby and Tibby were let out too, she couldn't resist investigating their condo. Tabby was more interested in getting food out of Vicky. But Tibby inspected the visitor.

Jolene meets Tibby

This was all watched with interest by the other cats especially the supermodels who are getting to be big girls.

Helena and Kate

Also new in the Welfare area is Leon. I will find out why he isn't in Incoming on Friday. He certainly looks older than 2 years old or he has had a very rough time so far.

Leon

On Sunday there will be a big fuss made of Midnight because he was our 1000th adoption. Don't know if Pumpkin was 999 or 1001. Neither do I know if she is coming with her son and person to have photos taken, etc for posterity.

Adoption Tail: Betty White

 1 day: Betty White has been eating and using the litter. Her owner is unsure if she has had water until setting up a water fountain which Betty White happily drank from. She kept on meowing overnight and did not let the owner sleep but it is likely a case of stress from environmental change.

1 day

2 days

1 week: Betty is doing really well. She is totally comfortable at home. The owner is now teaching her not to scratch the carpet and not climb the bedpost. They are also working on setting up a routine where Betty does not wake her owner up at 5am for breakfast.

1 week

1 month: Betty is doing great! "I love her so so much". She still wakes the owner up at 6am but the owner has compromised by starting to sleep earlier so Betty is really acting as her little alarm clock. "She is my actual child!"

almost 2 months

Almost 2 months: Her owner is making plans for Betty's 2nd birthday party which is in July. They bought a thermal mat which she loves. It gets moved from the bed to the living room when her owner leaves her. She's usually lying down on it. "She is always hanging around me when I'm home"

3 months (almost)