Fifty barrier broken

I counted noses this morning. There are only 49 cats in residence! As I was counting, I saw that Buddy and Petey's door was open. They were sitting primly in their condo, side by side, as though butter wouldn't melt in their mouths. A little while later I went back to their corner and Silky's door was open! She looked at me as though to say "I just made it easier for you to feed me." Her sliding bolt could be a cm longer. But since Friday's clearance "sale" the following cats have been adopted: Bridie, Sabrina, Bobby, Candy and Apricot. James, who hasn't been in since last Wednesday was shocked. So I gave him this blog addy so that he can keep up, kind of. Welcome James. And Daisy, the pregnant cat has disappeared from Incoming. In her place is the marvellous Sir Dudley.

And the miniscule Billy who only does meals in bed.

Megsy is still with us but wants to break out of condo confinement. He lead Robyn a merry dance when she tried to clean his condo.

Another of Santa Maria's kittens ventured out of the box this afternoon. She is pretty. The two who are out most of the time (five kittens do not fit into one Purina box) are very friendly. I got kisses on my forehead.

Another still in hiding one is named Ginger: no prizes for guessing what colour he is. And out back, Honey, she of the two yummy kittens in Boarding last month or so, is back. She has had her flank shaved. There is a little cut with no stitch. I can only guess that it was a tubal ligation via keyhole surgery. But why shave such a swath of fur? She is not in the best of moods and bit Joy who was just trying to be friendly.

Tom and Jerry and co are in the play place. They were having a lovely time when I arrived good and early but then slept the rest of the day until I enticed them with milk. A trainee spent some time with them and only the fluffy boy would play nicely with him. The rest rested:

Phantoms and angels

When I arrived, early, the phantom streaker was singing in the shower. I can now report that he is a male to match his long footprints. The angels arrived throughout the morning to fill in and help out. Thankyou especially Catsie and Ros. Because of all of you, I was about to take it easy and leave on time with the cattery looking tidy as well as clean. Riley thought the ghost of Christmases to come had caught up with him when a decoration got caught around his neck. We cut it off and he relaxed.

When I arrived Harry and Harley had been in the play place overnight. Somebody else's turn. So I wheeled their stand alone cage into the play place, put their breakfast into it and waited until they were busy eating to close their door. During the day Bobby and Doel had a turn. Bobby loved it. Better yet when somebody sat with him so he could get more attention. Doel seems to resent the amount of attention he gets but was quite happy to be patted.

Harley the girl, had a lovely time and welcomed company of patters. But Bridie didn't like it although she did put up with cuddles to compensate.

There are new cats in incoming including five big kittens only one of which is on show. You can see another guarding the entrance to the communal box.These are the kittens of Santa Maria who is very shy and is in Incoming as well. She didn't eat at all today.

There is George (ginger) and Lechusa (tortie) where Bobby and Doel were. She stays mostly in one box or the other.

There is a family of four kittens who have moved to where Mia and Bella were:

Because Mia and Bella have been adopted. Their people returned the dog carrier they borrowed to take them home. It seems the cats have decided to hide under the buffet . . . . in a space smaller than a mouse. I gave them a feather toy to entice them out. If that doesn't work I gave them the left over chichen necks from today. If they had been in residence there wouln't have been any left overs. And Mimi was picked up this morning. She went into their carrier without any fuss. (Admititedly, I had not given her any crunchies at breakfast time but scattered some in their carrier. It might have helped). So it has been a fabulous weekend for adoptions with homes found for Anthony and Cleopatra, Cooper, Miyuki, Lillian (foster home), Lily, Mia, Bella and Mimi. Roll on the lockdown.

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.

Quarantine rearranged

The condos from in front of the desk have been moved into the "front office" to be quarantine accomodation. The stand alones/wheely cages have been moved to their space. I understand that we will get more shelving for the For Sale carriers.

Marigold, Gracie and Bridie have been moved with their condos into quarantine even though they are not in quarantine. . . . confused? I cleaned the condos that had been occupied by Candy and Collette, Daphne (who was adopted by the person who came to met Sprinkles but fell for her instead) and Apricot. Next time I will bring my head torch with me to see the grubby bits clearly. It was a good thing that I cleaned them because Buttons, the smallest of Belle's kittens failed her desexing today. She has flu. Because they have all been in the same condo (above Ashleigh, out back) Terry and I decided that they should all go into quarantine to see who sneezes or not. Honey's kittens are getting more adventurous. One of them kept going downstairs, finding him/herself all alone and screamed. (I bet he is a boy).

Honey, being the perfect mum that she is, would go down to calm him/her.

leaving the sibling in the carry cage upstairs.

Eventually I got sick of the scraming and moved the carry cage and sibling downstairs and Honey followed. She can jump up to her litter tray from some peace and quiet. Another scream came from Coco and Mason's Palace. Mason said "It wasn't me. It was him" But the tuft of brown hair dangling from the side of his mouth tells another story.

As is drinking

In his excitement to get a bit of BBQ chicken this afternoon, Magnus knocked over his (full) water bowl. Perhaps he was trying to wash the salty-ness of BBQ chicken down. His downstairs floor was flooded. I don't think it diminshed his enthusiasm for chicken. The bandage on the end of his tail is off. He went to Dr Chris to have it looked at. All is well. The eye needs a specialist appointment. But before that, when I arrived, before touching any fluey cats, I wanted to give Tara lots of love. She hasn't been eating her crunchies and only eats her wet food slowly. So I took the brush to her which she thoroughly enjoyed. She even let me brush her tail (which had knots) and purred throughout. We had a lovely time. She wouldn't eat a bit of chicken that I gave to her as a "thanks for the cuddle" but, I noticed that she had eaten it when I came back later. I came back because a young, red headed couple came in looking for a kitten. They work from home so want somebody to be a lap cat and play thing. We have a lot of cats available at the moment. Olsen/Olsanne is available as are Candy and Collette (but not on the website yet).

I can't get a photo of them together because Candy doesn't like Collette and Collette is more interested in running than people. Starmoon is available. And Amber, Opal and Jet will be up soon. I think they need to be separated to be "humanised".

Bridie isn't, yet. But she is prepared to have pats, and chicken.

The young couple looked at everybody. They liked Christopher until we got to Tara who turned on her purr and charmed them. They think that she sounds like a frog. Of course, they have to get permission from the strata body to have a cat. The landlord is willing. They know that Tara will sulk for weeks, if not months, at the change of venue. But it looks good to me. I put Mia and Bella in the play place. They rather liked it. . . Mia more than Bella. But the liking was associated with chicken and cat milk. Mia was easy to take back to her newly redecorated wheely but Belle had to be extracted somewhat forcefully from her hidey hole. They are to go as a bonded pair. Perhaps a dependent pair would be a better description.

Octavia has left the building

It happened yesterday. Tim said that the man who had adopted her and had such a struggle with his body corporate to accept that he should have a cat, finally won his case. When time came to parcel her up into a carry cage, Tim said that she turned herself inside out to love on him. So it was really easy to pop her into the carry case. Her new owner was watching so now knows that she can be a bundle of loving. I remember that I named her Octavia because she was "8" months old when she came to us. She had a sister, Quattro who was "4" months old when they arrived in June last year and was adopted promptly. Lily next.

Today was a busy day with boarders going home, vollies coming and going and sneezing cats all over the place. There are only 5 condos left occupied by boarders. We were full over Easter. We may have to rearrange everybody so that the sneezers can be confined to one area so that they don't infect the rest. Daphne is much better but her kittens came down with the flu.

The girl (who I call Dianthus) is quite well. She will eat her Baby Cat from a bowl. One of her brothers (with more white) will eat it from a spooon. But the other brother needs it to be squirted into his mouth just like we used to do to baby cats at Peggy Browns. I had forgotten the technique but it came back to me. Let the kitten chomp on the syringe, slip it behind the canines and gently press the plunger so that the milky food trickles into their mouth and they swallow rather than choke. But it takes time. I didn't have any time left over to take photos. But Joy did. The pregnant mum, Rosie who was taken off to a foster home kept trying to escape from there so was brought back, kittenless yesterday. During the afternoon after her redelivery, she popped 2 kittens. Overnight she popped another 3. . . we think. It is hard to count when peeking quickly so not to disturb her.

Matty had an adventure on Sunday night. He escaped from his and Maddy's condo at dinner time. Helen could not entice, force, coerce him down from the top of the air conditioner. So she left a litter box, his dinner, some water near his condo. By morning he was back with Maddy but hadn't eaten the offerings.

Bridie still doesn't like new people even if they are as nice as Joy.

Splendid is the grass

Joan took home lots of the pots of grass that we were given last year. She gave up on trying to revive them and planted seed in other pots. It has grown and grown to very tall, tender, delicious grass. She delivered a box full this week and I took them onto Safe Haven and delivered them before breakfast. I had intended to take a before and after photo but, as usual, got busy. This is how good a pot looked after it had been chewed to at least a half of its original height.

The reason that I took it out of the condo of the cat who ate it is that he, Julio has gone home. He only came yesterday. He was surrendered because the mother of the family of young children has terminal cancer and it was decided that the cat had to find another home. But this morning the kids and an adult were back to take the cat back home before 10am. They couldn't cope without the fabulous Julio. (A vollie who arrived earlier than me had already fallen in love with him). Don't know what the de-surrender price was but, undoubtedly worth every penny. Also on the doorstep before 10am was the woman who NEEDED to adopt Gracie's tabby girl, Gabrielle. The deed was done. She was happy. Gabriella will grow big and fat and the rest of Gracie's kittens will get a better share of any food that is on offer. While this was happening the crew was cleaning the full house. The house now has an annex. Yesterday's crew must have worked themselves to exhaustion because quarantine is now in the new room which makes SPACE in the cattery.

And isolation for the flu cats. Which meant that everybody else was moved. Freya is in the main room. (That must have been a tense transfer). And Suki is in ex-quarantine. She is waiting to be just right to be taken home to foster care. Next door was a VERY pregnant cat who had a battered nose. She has been just trapped and delivered. A brave vollie came to take her home for the birth and tiny kitten period. Another vollie came to take home Bella's kittens. All five went to the vet on Monday but only 3 came back yesterday. We hope that they will do better now they have been set up by the vet to thrive. In the meantime, boarders kept arriving. Like Finn who is a bossy cat, according to his owners.

During the afternoon Tim interviewed a volunteer bookkeeper. Imagine! She is to job share with another vollie! She grew up on a dairy farm in NZ so knows cats. Peggy liked her. I sat her in with the G kittens.

The friend of Sue who has been fostering Apricot came to sign the adoption papers. She is very happy with Apricot who is very happy with her other cat. Apricot is still vary of strangers but hides in a place where her ears show, so that everybody knows where she is. And a woman from Hornsby rang at 2.45 to ask if she could come to adopt George but the shops are shut on Good Friday and do we have the stuff a kitten would need? Of course we do. She brought her two young kids and took their time (even grandpop turned up) to decide that Dash was a better choice for her kids. I may just have influenced that decision. Bridie came out.

because dinner was late.

Rita liberated

Rita was adopted today by the woman who came last week, or was it two weeks ago, with her "granddaugher". Their carer didn't want a boy cat. So Salam was rejected. And she didn't fancy Luna. So they said they would come back. They did and Rita was chosen. I hope the carer has the patience to let Rita adapt to a new environment of hugs and kisses. Poor little thing hasn't had much of that since she got ringworm after giving birth, eventually, to her three kittens. Who were her colony mates who came in at the same time? All pregnant. All just big kittens themselves. . .. . Star and Zelda? (The date on the photo is September 2020.

Her three kittens are now available as they have passed their ringworm test. They are Robbie, Roger (the grey tabby) and Roxanne (the black). Today a mum and daughter came in to check out Roger (mum liked grey) and Roxanne (daughter liked black cat). They coudln't decide so went home to have a family conference. They had planned to come back within an hour or two to take somebody home. But by 5pm, they still hadn't decided. And they were in Mosman. So I said, "Come back tomorrow". There is another person who is waiting anxiously for Roger to be posted on Facebook. Another grey cat lover. There may be a frantic rush tomorrow morning.

These folk spent some time with the kittens. As there were only two of them and three kittens, I had to cuddle the third. It is such a nice thing to do. I have almost forgotten how nice since all the "Don't touch a cat because you might give it a germ" policy that definitely was not in vogue at Peggy Brown's. And I realised that I am good at it which must be because of all that practice at Peggy's. The kitten I handed off to the visitor was relaxed while the kitten I got from them was tense. I put my skill into practice with our newest litter. Three blacks (2 boys one girl) and two tabbies (one of each). They have mucky eyes. So I had to clean their faces and apply the ointment. They are sweeties (and withour names.)

Our other new resident (75 in total today) is one that Irene picked up yesterday from the vet. She had been desexed and part of her tail had been amputated. Don't know why. But we decided that her name is Bridie. She seems a gentle, shy, very young adult.