Adoption Tails: Juliette/Jane

 Life after Romeo

Jane, now Janey

Juliette/Jane

 1 day: The owner will be changing the name from Jane to Janey. She has not eaten and not used her kitty litter yet. She did not meow on the way home whilst being in the car, "she must be frightened, poor thing." On arrial at home yesterday, she hid under the dresser but had moved to a kitchen table seat when the owner woke up this morning. She spent most of the first day in the bedroom under the dresser with the room door slightly opened. She had since found comfort by being on the dining room chair under the table as it is quiet, secure and a good hiding spot. The sliding wardrobe in the spare room is slightly opened so she can also hide there. The owner has the cat carrier with Janey's towel on top and blanket inside but she has yet to go back inside it. The owner is confident Janey will settle in, just takes time. 

 

1 week: Janey is eating, drinking and toileting very well. She is still quite timid which is to be expected but the owner is sure she will come around in her own . She likes to hide by sitting on a tucked in chair by the dining table to watch the owner while she’s in the kitchen or sitting on the sofa.

1 month: Janey is settling in well. She is incredibly timid and hides most of the time, but does have her zoomies in the wee hours of the morning which the owner is happy about. She has attempted to get close to Janey but is not well received so she lets her be. Janey is a great eater which makes the owner happy. When she is home in the evening, she does walk around albeit cautiously. The owner is confident that it will take a long time but Janey will get there. "She is wonderful and I love her". The owner has tried to play with Janey but she shied away and didn't seem interested. She also doesn't seem to play with the cat toys around. The owner will consider some sort of treat puzzle to engage with Janey.

One left

 Rufus Maxwell went today. I got a phone call at about 1pm from a family driving home from Coff's Harbour. Evidently the daughter of the family had spotted Rufus on our website earlier in the week. Mum managed to stop phoning us until they were on their way home. She was delighted that he was waiting for her when they arrived at around 2pm. They didn't pop home to Allambie Heights to get their cat carrier. I loaned them a kitten sized one that they will return. Rufus will have two dogs to get used to. These dogs like cats already. They will love Rufus.

So that leaves Indiana Ginge with Cindy. Today I noticed that he has matching spots on the back of his ears and managed to get a photo while he watched Tim try to vaccinate Bassuria and Julie. (B yes J no)

Indiana Ginge

And perhaps you can see that Betty has been moved into the stand alone by the door. She was easy to move and settled in well.

Betty

Her kittens were feeling much better today especially Barry who just wanted to play and play. Blaze just wanted to eat and sleep.

The palace crew wanted to eat also. Feeding them chicken is a risky business (for my fingers). Geoff manages them well though.

Geoff and our new pile of litter bags (thanks Marissa)

DINNER!!!

Mia says they should wait their turn.

Adoption Tails: Jagger, Kate & Helena

Jagger, Kate & Helena, now Jagger, Peaches & Honey

1 day: They have yet to eat since Friday morning. The owner has cleaned out 1 poo and 1 wee from the trays ("never been so excited to clean out a litter tray"). The owner's brother mentioned that it was a little noisy overnight, scratching at the flyscreen and playing. The toys put into the room during the day were in different places the next morning. The owner suspects it is Jagger. Kate and Helena will be called Peaches and Honey, not sure which will be which until she sees them.

Peaches

1 week: The owner thinks the cats are going well. She does not think they are going to the toilet as much as they should be. It's hard to tell who is eating as she is not in the room with them but Jagger definitely is. He has used the litter tray in front of the owner and so has one of the girls. Jagger purrs a lot, he won't allow touches yet. All three cats do like to play and all three have been out playing. Jagger will roll on the floor and one of the girls rolls round on the cat scratcher. The owners will prop the door open overnight and see if any of the cats want to come out and explore the house whilst it is quiet and dark. They've got crimesafe screens in place and the hall door closed so the cats will only have access to their existing safe room, the owner's room and the main bedroom.

Jagger

1 month: The owner has worked out who is who after checking against the photos in the Shelterbuddy system - Kate (Peaches) and Helena (Honey). Jagger is a food monster and he will try to take Peaches' treats from her but she gives him a smack. The cats haven't come out to the rest of the house during the day yet. Peach is quite happy to walk past the owner to leave the room when she wants. "She is quite sassy." The owner is also sure Peach has walked over her in bed at night, doesn't stay but it's really positive. Jagger lets the owner stroke his feet gently while he is dozing and doesn't recoil as long as the stroking is kept short and sweet. He is getting more tolerant each time. He even came out and got up on the desk to sit by the window this morning while the owner sat on the floor. "I am very happy with their progress, it has been very quick in the last 3 days." Their room door is left open for them at night and if the owners are sitting on the lounge quietly, they come out and start running around, up and down the stairs, chasing balls, running through tunnels and generally making a racket all night. Jagger loves sitting on the cat seat on the balcony at night. Peaches is out there a lot too. The owner is pretty sure Honey comes out at night. She actually came out of hiding when breakfast was put out this morning while the owner was still in the room. The owner thinks all the hard work is really starting to pay off, she was worried but can see now Honey will be her sweet little girl and Peaches & Jagger are going to be challenging as "the ship has sailed for the two of them! They are already partners in crime, Jagger follows her lead."

Honey or Peaches

Jagger and Peaches

 

Adoption Tails: Marguerite

Marguerite was the mum to the M litter - Martha, Matilda & Martini (now Io, Exy & Gypsy). Their adoption follow ups here: https://safehavencats.blogspot.com/2023/11/adoption-tails-m-kittens.html

Marguerite, mum of the M kittens

1 day: Marguerite had a stressful trip home and pooped herself. The owners managed to clean her up but had to settle her in the bathroom initially with a cardboard box and some clean towels. She seems really settled today, wanting to explore the house (but not allowed yet) and taking pats and medication. The family plans on moving her to the older daughter's bedroom today so Marguerite can be more comfortable. Clyde the resident cat is curious but not fussed. Marguerite will be keeping her name.

1 week: Marguerite is settling in well. She has found her safe place on the eldest daughter's bed. M is also taking her medication well - the daughter gives it to her whilst she is curled up on the bed and doesn't need treats to entice her. She can be a bit of a goofball sometimes. The bed is a loft bed and she managed to trip at the top and tumble to the bottom. She is OK but the owner reckons she scared herself. Marguerite has been trying to play with Clyde (resident cat) but he is suspicious still and not yet having of it. They are hanging out together but not yet getting close at sleep times or when eating but the owner is feeling very positive about the interaction so far.

 

1 month: Marguerite is still figuring out how to get along with Clyde. Clyde is a bit scared of Marguerite so the owners are keeping a close eye on them but no major problems.

1.5 months: Marguerite's new home is with a family of four, with two teenage kids. Prior to adopting Marguerite, the family had 2 cats who were sisters and one passed away. They were all very worried about their remaining cat, an old lady named Clyde, who seemed very sad and lonely so they thought it might help to get a friend. The introduction period has been interesting as Margo loves to play and their resident Clyde is unsure, especially when she is deep in sleep and Margo chooses this time to pounce on her. However, Margo is working hard to make friends. This includes getting excited after nap time and running in for a kiss when she hasn't seen Clyde for a while or telling the rest of the family when Clyde is trying to get out of a closed bedroom. "As a family, we are all falling in love with her. She has started to really chill out and is making our space her own. She even comes to greet us now when we get home at the end of the day, which is very special. Thank you for your help with adopting Margo."

 

No bags again

 Thank you Tuesday. But I took the bags our vollies filled out before the Willoughby garbos came just to get rid of them. The first bin whose lid I opened did have some space. And also a rat. . . a live rat who scurried down into the bin's depths. Poor thing will get a surprise when s/he arrives at the landfill. But it might just be the perfect place for a rat to live.

Since last week Chilli, Mouse and Eric have been adopted. I wonder if the person who adopted Chilli was the one who initially wanted Jade. But Jade was adopted by a mum for her kids' holiday pleasure. That didn't turn out well because one of the kids developed a severe cat allergy within 2 days. He hadn't shown signs to other cats in his life. So it was just Jade. Jade is back with her fosterer. 

Pickle has been moved to Eric's stand alone. This afternoon we moved her to the play place because Cindy and Co had it overnight last night. They need a quiet night tonight.

Cindy, Rufus and Indiana (L to R)

Chilli's is empty. And Tim wants to move Yin and Yan into Mouse's condo. But they were perfectly happy to be stroked this afternoon in their separate hidey holes. Sue and I thought that they would regress if shut up in an airless condo. So we left them where they were.

And let Venus and Muffin have a night out in the Top Cat. They were delighted to have a good stretch and scratch.

Venus and Muffin

Miz and Riley came to us because their owner has a terminal disease. They don't need their privacy covering. Riley is very friendly now. Miz perhaps not so much but she will come around.

Riley above, Miz skeptical

Betty's kittens have been named Barry and Blaze (by Sue). They have ringworm and today had a ringworm treatment bath. They did not enjoy it (neither did Sue). But they rather liked being snuggled up in towels on top of fresh hotties.

Barry and Blaze

Each week Lola tries another spot. She is accepting greetings from strangers as well as vollies these days and does nose bops with anybody who feeds her.

Lola

Slow trigger finger

 Life at a cattery is full of "just missed it" photo opportunities.

This afternoon Lola was curled up on the couch with her head tucked upside down which cats do when they are really relaxed. By the time I grabbed my camera she was in the brick position with her head up.

Lola

Then I walked past Chad and he was curled up in the fleece lined litter tray that I have often wondered why is under the shelf in his condo. By the time I pulled out my camera he was on his way.

Chad

And on my way out I decided to say goodnight to Yin and Yang who were sharing a fluffy bed. Silly me to disturb them. They will probably worry all night.

Yin and Yang share an igloo

But the good news for the day is that Misty has been adopted. A man (Dutch and large) and his son (I assume) came in earlier in the week to look for an adult cat. They needed to confirm that their new apartment allowed a cat. Having got permission they came to decide between Gigi, Misty and Cindy (Clawford). I got to hold her two remaining kittens while they communed with her. . . it is a hard job, but somebody has to do it. Gigi was thrilled to see them again. And Misty was gracious. They chose Misty who must be the easiest cat I have ever put into a carry cage. Her new owner works from home so I predict that she will get fat like he is and live a long, happy life.

Misty

PS I tucked the red and white towel in the carry cage with her. It is covered with her hair and will comfort her in the place of new smells . . . . . and not clog up my washing machine!

Adoption Tails: Arlo and Annie

 Arlo & Annie, now Sparky & Mini

1 day: Annie is now Mini Moke (Mini for short) and Arlo is Sparky (inspired by Sparky at SAFE and because the owner's partner is a sparky). Mini is going to be a fatty and there will be no grazing for this household as she is eating/drinking well. The owner is not sure if Sparky has eaten though suspects has done so during the night. She is also pretty sure both have had a wee and there has been one poo. Unfortunately, one wee was in one of their brand new beds just purchased over the weekend. The other wee and poo have been in a cardboard box. The owner has since increased the ratio of the SAFE litter to the crystal litter. There are lots of hiding holes for Mini and Sparky though Mini did not come out of the carrier for the first night and Sparky hid in the wardrobe. Both are letting the owners pat them and there is no hissing. Mini is out having a wander around the room this morning and just a few feet away from the owner who didn't think she was the confident one of the two. "She keeps checking herself out in the mirror, if I was that cute, I would too." 

Mini

1 week: All is good in this cat den. Mini is already exploring and has explored most of the home over the weekend. The owner realised she was much more confident after Mini came home so this is not unexpected at all. The owner accidentally left the door open by mistake and Mini was down the hallway quite soon. She felt like she should've called Sparky Smoochie as he craves pats, regularly rolling onto his back and wants his tummy rubbed which is amazing as he is still quite timid. The owner would lay down on the floor with him and he snuggled up beside her and used her arm as a pillow (so cute). Sparky has had one small exploration across the hall to see what Mini was up to (eating resident cat Lemmy's leftovers). The owner does not expect Sparky to be out exploring for at least another week or two. 

The resident cat Lemmy has been exceptional and is just curious. He crouched (relaxed) on the other side of the closed door just last night for about 30minutes and again this morning. When the owner walked in, Mini was behind the door so the two have just been getting acquainted with each other's smell. 

Kitty litter front is all good too, there's only been the one accident from the first day (suspected to be Sparky). The owners will continue to coax Sparky out of his shell and won't be rushing the process as they really want a cohesive environment for all 3 cats. Mini started playing a tiny bit on about day 2 whilst Sparky only started playing yesterday which the owner is taking as a milestone. Neither have jumped up onto any furniture or the like, so the owner thinks that will be another milestone yet to be reached as they are in her home office which has many horizontal surfaces to be explored.

Sparky

1 month: They've definitely gone to a loving home. The owner wanted to make a video of Sparky smooching all over her. It's absolutely adorable and she's confident he's over the moon that he chose the couple for parents. Mini got an inflamed eye so was taken to the vet, the poor kitty was so traumatised that she exploded anal glands all over the two owners and has since regressed. They are working very slowly at building up her confidence again. Mini has just started to allow pats again so progress is being made. The owners are letting Mini all the time she needs to come out of her shell again. Lemmy the resident cat absolutely loves them both and just wants to be around them 24/7, especially Mini. The owner feels very much the same way as she heard them playing at 4am and by 4:15am, she just could not resist getting up to play with them. "I'm utterly exhausted but they are just too cute".

Adoption Tails: Sparky, Lucy and Junior, Max

 Sparky, now Sparkle

1 day: Sparky slept in the bed last night and broke the bedside lamp (which the owner did not like so "Well done Sparky". He has toileted and had some wet food which he quite liked. The owner is off to the pet shop to get some more essentials for Sparky and is keen to set up a direct debit for a donation.

Sparky

No 1 week response

1 month: The owner found out as he went into his local council to register Sparky that Sparky is in fact named "Sparkle" and this is what he will be sticking with. "Sparkle is a stellar champion!" The owner has been experimenting and settled on a diet that Sparkle likes. The owner will put the food down and turn around and the food will be gone versus tolerable/disliked food that will take all day or even go untouched. 

The owner plans to introduce a dog (Chihuahua and Jack Russell cross) named Billy who may become a regular visitor if Sparkle and Billy get along. Billy will be in a carrier for Sparkle to meet at home and the first few visits will stay this way until they become accustomed to each other. All in all, Sparkle is well settled in at home, coming up to the owner's ankle for pats and initiating games. "Truth of the matter is that Sparkle saved me."

 

Lucy & Junior, now Pepper & Ginger

1 day: They're doing great. Lucy, who the owners are now calling Pepper, is so affectionate and Junior, now Ginger, is pretty shy but has come out of the cat cage for food and water. They've both used the litter tray. They are both so sweet and the girls were up at 6am this morning, playing with Pepper. The owner even introduced Pepper to her team over a work Teams call as she was sitting on her lap. Ginger is taking a little longer and definitely prefers it when it's not so noisy (with the kids).

Lucy now Pepper

 1 week: They're both just gorgeous. Ginger is slowly getting used to the family and sits with them in the evenings now. Pepper is so cuddly. Naomi (one of SAFE's day managers) will visit the family soon.

Junior now Ginger

1 month: They're both doing so well. The family loves them. Ginger has totally come out of her shell and loves being picked up and having cuddles. Pepper loves all the attention and wakes everybody up first thing in the morning for breakfast. Pepper and Ginger like to sit outside on the verandah which is enclosed with pool gates so they can't get out. They get some outside time but they're not allowed out into the bush. "They're a fantastic addition to the family and we are all smitten."

Pepper and Ginger

Max

Max was adopted by Cherry's owner (adopted back in Nov 2021)

1 day: Max is doing well. He is in his own room and has been eating, drinking and using the litter tray. The owner has also been in contact with Tim for advice which they have been following. Max loves to sit on the owner's desk, especially during meetings.

Max

1 week: Max has settled in well, however he and Cherry (resident cat) do not get along at all. Cherry is still hissing and growling at Max and Max would chase her down. The family is still trying different ways to get them to play nice.

1 month: Cherry and Max aren't getting along unfortunately but they're both boarding at SAFE for the next few days so hopefully they have a chance to reset when they both return home and play nice with one another.

Highs and lows

 When I arrived early this morning Lola was stationed on the entry (her) table in a patch of sunshine.

Lola sunbaking

When I went to the verandah there were NO TRASH BAGS. Now I know how folk feel on Thursday after I have shifted all the bags elsewhere. It feels very good. Thank you.

The lows came when I got home, went to take the two bags of laundry and plastic bag of washed tins and kidney dishes for recycling out of my boot to discover that I had done a Rosanna. I took them downstairs. Dropped them in the loading bay. Went to get my car out on the street. And forgot all about them. I hope Tim spotted them on his way out. There were three clean bags of laundry to be put away today so there are enough towels for the weekend (I hope).

Irene's Peter brought in Amber. She looked very unhappy until I gave her an igloo which used to be on the merch shelves but was loitering by the clean laundry shelves so I claimed it for her.

Amber

We have new kittens in Incoming whom Joy photographed today . .  . . for the Safe record.

Jerry is hungry, tiny and cute.

Jerry

Toby is a big kitten and seems friendly.

Toby

Mouse is back. He is in Mickey's condo. Micky was adopted. (Let us hope that is not a black cat kind of omen).

Mouse

The five kittens in Isolation are on a special diet. but take us to the highs of cute!

Fingers crossed

 I was a bit early today. . . for a change. But I still didn't get to eat my lunch until a quarter to three. There were adoptions.

Salt was adopted, perhaps in the morning. Pickles is delighted to be all alone in a double condo. 

A couple came in to adopt Salt whom they had chosen from the website. So I showed them the other availables and they chose Little and Rory. I told them that it is a much better idea to get two kittens because they can play with each other at 4am without waking up their people. They believed me. I was so pleased that I gave them a litter tray (the green, wobbly one with curved edges that is a pain) and loaned them a carry cage to take the boys home in. Rowen will be devastated next Friday. They were his favourite cats being so easy to cuddle.

Then a woman came in to adopt Jade from foster. We filled in the paperwork. It is to be a holiday thrill for her children but she agreed that Jade should be in her own room so that she can have time away from the kids.

Then another woman came in, having been sent to us from Jiji's (the cat cafe on Eastern Valley Way). She checked the website and came to see Jade! Mostly because she wants a "tabby". So I showed her our tabbies. . . which come in ginger, grey and brown. She rather liked Eric who was being his shy, retiring self. She said she would think about it. 

Misty is a tabby

 So I feed the cats their chicken.

Lola has appointed herself the doorcat. Maybe she saw Marissa take her Azlan out to walk the corridor.

Lola

The new cats on Better Row, Miz and Riley seem more comfortable. What is their story?

Miz and Riley

Josie's kittens are getting big and bold.

Josie is the lowest face

While I cleaned up Sebastian and Peebles condo (they had knocked their water bowl into their litter tray in the excitement of seeing me with dinner coming towards them) Irene answered the phone. The woman who came in and met Eric wanted more details. She found the right person to ask. Irene could give her details that I had never heard. They chatted for ages, eventually in German! So I hope Eric has found his forever person.

Adoption Tails: Libby, Rosie & Callie

Libby

1 day: She remains as Libby. Eating, drinking and using litter. Did not need the safe room as soon as the cage opened and strolled out straightaway passed the owners and toured the whole unit . . not at all concerned. She is deaf though this is not a problem to her or the owners.

 

Libby

1 week: Libby is very adapted, cuddling with some of the owner's friends who came to meet her. She has started to play with toys and sitting on the flatmate's lap at night.

1 month: Libby is good, playful and eating well.

 

Rosie and Callie

1 day: They are very calm and are under the owner's bed in the bedroom. The owner has put some food and water in the room and hopes that they will be fine with her around (and won't stay under the bed forever...). Rosie and Callie already have a comfortable bed, lots of toys and are spoiled before the owner even picked them up!

 

1 week: Rosie and Callie only come out from under the bed at night when the owner is in bed (she is not sure how long they spend out there). She hopes they’re well and is doing everything for their comfort though she never sees them. Their food bowls were by the bed until just one day ago when she put them in the kitchen (which they went to and ate with no issues) They eat well, play and toilet… only all at night which is a little frustrating for the owner.

 

1 month: They're going very well, even Callie. The owner can be quite close to her even though Callie is still not 100% comfortable but much better than before. The two cats sleep with the owner in bed after 2 weeks of being home. The owner loves them so much! They are so happy now.