Mr Popular today

His name is Peanut.
I moved him to a wheely cage so he can get used to being out and about more. And sterilized his condo because it was grubby. With any luck and he gets a home this afternoon, that is done.

There are two lots of folk coming this afternoon to look at him. They would have prefered a kitten but he is the smallest one we have available except for the shy Diana and Danielle (not suitable for small children). He is still a teenager.

Peanut plays with Rod

Peanut when he arrived

 But he is also Mr Problem. Remember when he arrived last year, in October, he was picked up from the streets of Brookvale, without a microchip. So his owner couldn't be contacted and the vet can't tell if he has been desexed. By the look of him, and his behaviour, he has been desexed: he hasn't developed the big, booffy head that late desexed males grow and he hasn't sprayed anywhere. But we don't have a desex certificate for him.

The Liverpool mother cat had 2 kittens (at least) on Monday night. She is doing a purring good job. This is not her first litter.

L mum and ? 2 kittens

Nala/Neill is looking more relaxed

Nala/Neill

And Dorito is feeling better.

Dorito

With Peanut in the wheely cage, Sootie modesty clothed, Taylor snoozing behind her partial modesty cloth, Penny doesn't have anybody to watch except for Kit Kat and Maggie who only move when there is food on offer.

Penny

PS. Had a phone call from the mother who adopted Angelo and Alex last week. She asked if it was normal for them to be hiding behind the washing machine from her children who are home from school. . . . . smart cats!

Some good news

Liz reports:

All 5 kittens in the stand alones were adopted yesterday: Mozart, Angelo, Alex and the 2 remaining F kittens. And the pregnant mum gave birth last night but Tim unable to see whether she has had 2 kittens or 3.

Mozart

Alex and Angelo

F kittens

Sandy reports:

Have got a couple of friends interested in Taylor so have suggested they foster two adopt so that I can drop her off to them in Mona Vale on Friday. Hope it’s a successful match.

Nails trimmed

The traffic to Arundel Park to pick up the litter load was easy peasy. And I got a full tank of petrol for $1.09 per litre!

All quiet back at Safe Haven. I cleaned out Blossom's condo then talked to a couple of cats. I noticed that Taylor's claws had got caught in her bath mat. Trimming her left paw was quite easy but the right paw was awkward. I ended up sitting in her condo with her on my knee to do it. She was perfectly polite throughout and has a delightful purr response to caresses. It would have made a good photo too.

I stroked Jewell while she was under her bed. She didn't shudder. But when she came out to see who was manhandling her, she promptly gave herself a thorough wash.

Penny doesn't do that. She just begs with her eyes for you not to stop.

Mozart

We haven't heard that the Petstock adoption for next Saturday has been called off. So Tim plans to go ahead and we should be able to convince at least 6 people that a kitten is the best antidote to being house bound and at least two more that an adult cat would be even better (Peanut and Taylor should be able to cope being in the shop).

Angelo

Alex

Co habiting

I decided to install the new hammocks before the weekend rush. Perhaps some folk will decide that if they must be quarantined at home for a fortnight they may as well get a kitten to keep them company.

Alex and Angelo

Annabelle looks very fetching in her Elizabethan collar.

But Tim decided that it had been long enough since she was desexed and she could go back in the stand alone cage with her brothers. Her brothers (especially Alex) were not convinced. They had one hammock each. And who was this cat with a funny neck.

When I installed a third, triangular hammock they settled down.

Annabelle, Angelo, Alex

Mozart loved his. It might have spun his head some.

Mozart

And the F's had a ball.

F kittens

I enticed Taylor down to nose level with sweet talk and pats. She is such a pretty cat and loved to be patted.

Taylor

I moved to Elsa who had upended her food bowl in her bed. So I had some food rewards for pats. She obliged. Quite liked it in fact. When I took my hand away, she reached out for it with her paw.

Elsa

Then, moving to the next grey cat, I kneeled before Olivia. She hissed at me. After 5 minutes all I got was a couple of blinks but no softening. Next time, perhaps.

I peeked into Candace's condo but she wasn't there. She was downstairs snoozing with Bonnie. Their communication door has been left open for the past few days. Bonnie is due to be desexed on Tuesday. As soon as she has recovered, Tim hopes that she and Candace will go together to a woman who is keen to have them.

Bonnie and Candace

 At lunch time Ginger appeared to bury his face in his food. Look at that round belly!

Ginger

Cuddle time

The Friday morning crew finished up early and had left by the time I arrived at 12:30. Or perhaps it was the smell that drove them away. I talked Tim into turning on the fan. The worst smell might have come from the A kittens. I replaced the dirty white sheet that "protects" the dreaded painting.

Angelo and Annabelle 

(who deny that anything was going on)

I decided to spend time with the shy cats.

Bonnie loved her pats especially if I stroked her with her small mouse.

Bonnie

Milly wasn't keen to be touched but was soft eyed and blinky. And she was very interested in what was going on with the other cats she could see with her doors open. Kit Kat and Maggie demanded, and got, extra food. I always thought that they were both girls. But KitKat is a boy. He has the straight line of white up his nose. Her line wobbles.

KItKat

Penny was keen. She looked heartbroken when I stopped. Olivia did not want to be touched. Or even looked at, thank you.

While I was stroking Candace, who loves it, Elsa managed to knock her food bowl from her ledge. It must have given her a surprise as well as everybody else. She was probably leaning forward watching me pet Candace. I fed the escapee crunchies to her sisters who appreciated them (having eaten their own HOURS ago). And gave Samantha a box which she immediately got into. Tim suggested that she might like it better than sitting in her litter tray. She is not easy to see in the box.

Samantha

Taylor seems settled in a condo away from Buffy (who loves her venison soft or crunchie). But Taylor hadn't eaten any of her crunchies. She ate them when I put them under her nose, one by one. But not out of the bowl. . . . cats!

Taylor

Still with us

I got to Safe Haven early-ish because the tennis group folded early because we were one person short, one person with a bad back, one person with a chest infection. Enough already, we said after 2 sets.

So Sandy and Joan were just finishing up and Tim had taken cats to the vet:
         Kit Kat (or Maggie) was checked out to be better than expected.
         Buffy is on antibiotics. Her skin is looking better.
         The D kittens are still off their food. But obviously not REALLY sick.

Sandy and Joan were worried about Freda who is off her food too. She was due to be picked up by her foster-to-adopt person. Her bum was a bit red and sore looking. But she ate her lunch (when Tim got back) and was still passing formed stools. So perhaps it is just a reaction to having been vaccinated on Tuesday.

The family who is to foster to adopt Ginger plus Freda came. The mother loves cats and had them as a child. The husband doesn't know cats so is worried about hairs on everything. The two little girls are just thrilled with the idea of having a kitten. They are about 5 and 7 so if Ginger and Fred go home with them, we will never see them again!

While Freda was having her lunch (she ate well and he polished everything off), Bailey performed fabulously for them. He let them pat, brush and love on him. Personally, I think that he would be a better match for the family but having F & G in a foster home would be better for TIm. They went away, catless with instructions to call on Sunday to see how Freda is and whether she is well enough to leave Safe Haven.

Bailey

My friend Gina was supposed to visit but she couldn't get a taxi in time. I will pick her up at home next week on my way! I think Bailey will be perfect for her too.

I spent time organising stuff.

I put labels on the wheely cages. Tim remembered where the blue labels were so I added them, later.

Angelo inspects the label

And I spent time socializing:

        Blossom: she is much more relaxed since her thyroid is appropriately medicated.

Blossom

Bonnie: who is off her food. She managed to eat two dental crunchies and some mouthfuls of breakfast wet food.

 Bonnie

Candace: who, if you give her enough time, really likes to be patted, stroked and generally loved on. She, and Bonnie, will be desexed next week. Tim and Chris (the vet) hope that the assigned day will be a good one for them because they both still are flu-filled. Candace's purr is deep and rumbly. She wouldn't pass a Corona virus test!

Candace

Wendell adopted

He just needed the right stratchy pole to sit on to look super adorable to get adopted.
Emily also was adopted this weekend. I made new hammocks (as the others were hairy and there were no spares. . .. that huge pile at Ingleside has probably been recycled: they were all cotton so will rot and replenish the earth) So Eden has two new hammocks in his enclosure. He chose to sit on the pink one. The other is blue. In Victorian times, boys were dressed in pink and girls in blue.

Eden

 The A kittens got new hammocks too. But there is only room for three on two triangles. I will have to make some square ones. They should all be desexed by next week in time for the big Adoption Day at Mona Vale on Feb 15.

A kittens

A kittens

Elsa had an exciting night. Her litter tray was completely overturned. I noticed, when on the chair to talk to her, that she grooms her bed. You can just see, in the photo, the combed/tongued patches beside her head.

Elsa

Just before we left, a young woman came in and was impressed by Melody and by Peanut. I told her that he was the colour of her hair when he arrived (a slight exaggeration as she is redder than blond). Then Catsie told her what a lovely colour her hair was on her way out. She is to return with the boyfriend.

Happy Catmas

Yesterday afternoon, Catsie and I went to Safe Haven because we felt guilty that we couldn't be there this morning (Christmas Day). It was a good thing that we did because Rod, the volunteer, wanted to get away and Tim had to go to the vet in Brookvale.

So we entertained the cats and tried to figure out the kittens.

Boarding is almost full of adults: some vocal, some cross, some shy, some needy but all lovely.

There is a new surrender, Wendell who is definitely pissed off. He is in a kitten sized condo so doesn't have much room to vent his spleen.

Wendell

I still don't know who is Kit Kat and who is Maggie. They are 9 years old and very friendly.

 Angelo and Annabelle

These two are Angelo and Annabelle (according to the condo signs). Easy to tell from the rear.

Arnie is the spotted  silver and Alex is the spotted brown. Both are asleep after much fun and games. Not so easy to tell.

Arnie and Alex

 There are now four Melody kittens (again). The fluffy one has reappeared with a shaved rear end. We decided that he should be called Mikado. Monty has more ticking that Mozart and so is greyer. It is easy to pick the fluffy Mikado.

Melody's kittens

Shivers is back with us for boarding. But he is in with "our" cats. His coat is looking splendid.

Shivers

At home for Christmas Day the family had a lovely time around the table while the dogs played in and out of the house and the cat, Cody, was shut in the quietest, downstairs room available.

Jessie of the green smile is just a bit ball obscessed

? Correct Date

Sandy commented that the blog posts always have the wrong date. I don't know if it is a day earlier or a day later. As I am writing this on Thursday, it will be a test.

We were very busy at SH yesterday. By next week when we are full of boarders, it will be frantic. Tim had the day off (excellent) but had left instructions about moving kittens around. We thought it would be a good opportunity to name and photograph the kittens. First problem was to agree on their sex (three agreements out of four opinions was good enough). Then to decide what system to use.
Melody's kittens got musical names: Madonna, Mozart and Monti (for Montiverdi)
The kittens who came from Blacktown got A names (starting at the top of the alphabet as we don't know their mother's name): Angelo (for the heavenly mackerel tabby), Amanda, A..... I left the piece of paper on the filing cabinet because I was in a rush to get to a Xmas luncheon. To be continued on Friday.

One of Candace's kittens has lost a lot of weight so it is at home with TIm getting fluids and extra care. The other two don't look very well. Candace is still full of flu and has retreated to her bed box without the kittens to give her courage.

Joy thinks that this C kitten is improving in looks.

Joy also wondered if Elsa ever gets out of her cave.  . . . She does when it is time for the people to leave. If Tim is late, he often sees her. Plus stuff moves overnight. This morning her igloo was sitting, saturated, in a puddle of water. Luckily I found another teepee shaped one. I hope she likes it.

Elsa

Smokey got adopted. Of course. Pity grey hair is not so popular on people. 

Smokey