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.

Ginger Express

There was a superfluity of day managers this afternoon: Tim, Irene, Katy and me. I busied myself filling the laundry shelves. They are full. I might have to relocate the feeding puzzles on the bottom shelf under the handtowels. . . . next week. Belle's kittens are no longer in quarantine. They are back where they were, above Ashleigh. While I fed Ashleigh some chicken, they tried to pat my hair with their paws. The idea is to get Ashleigh comfortable enough to take the food from my fingers, so I have to lean in to the back of her sleeping shelf because she backs herself into a corner. Which puts my head at the perfect patting place for Belle's kittens. They don't need to be enticed to be patted. Since Wednesday Skylar and Scooter have been adopted (the littlest kittens). We cleaned their condo and moved the Japanese family in there. They, being grey, will probably go over the weekend. Mimi won't have noisy downstairs neighbours for long.

Then I cleaned the quarantine condos, again. I really will put my headlamp into my glovebox for next time. Finished that job, I started to hand out chicken. Daisy wouldn't eat it. Mako wanted cuddles before chicken. Romeo ate it out of the bowl. I still haven't seen Juliet (or is it vice versa). I got around the corner and had a lovely head scrunching with Silky (!) and a stand off with Ebony (as usual) when Tim declared that he was off to collect cats. I'll go, says I. You have more important stuff to do. I picked up Magnus who has had his eyelid stitches removed.

He made a few comments on the way home. And Caesar who had three teeth removed including a canine. He will be on soft food for a few days. While I was gone, Daisy got adopted by the perfect woman for her. They will snuggle and love each other forever. Katy did the adoption. Daisy and her new owner are both camera shy.

Noses

I count noses when I arrive in the morning, just to make sure that everybody is where they should be and they all look pleased to see me (or whoever will give them breakfast). There were 80 today. And just one cat in boarding who may not be a boarder. She is Daisy. She is 13 years old according to her condo card. And she didn't eat dinner last night or breakfast this morning. Not happy Jan.

I am told that Sandy and Sammy are Lillian's kittens back from foster. They are a bit shy (as she is) and sort of like each other, at times.

I worked out how to tell the difference between Harry and Harley. Harley has black elbows.

Otherwise they both have white cheeks, a white area above their eyes, etc, etc. Joy is still on the search for a suitable cat for her friend. She wants an older, friendly, no fuss, healthy cat. Caesar?

Peggy?

Apricot?

After 4:30 we had a delivery from the cat catcher Clare. . . . . Honey and her tiny, plump kittens. I think there were only two in the carrier but wasn't prepared to explore too much.

Which means that we are now up to 83, or more, cats.

Chicken magic

There were only three vollies to do all the work this morning. They did a splendid job even though they had to use the old yellow bucket and mop. I stopped on my way from tennis at the Bunnings just off Eastern Valley Way (It is HUGH. Sandy said that people go there for holidays). I bought a new spinning bucket/mop. It doesn't work by pumping a foot pedal but by pumping the mop handle. With any luck, the mechanical bits won't rust and fail within 6 months. Despite being only three they didn't leave much for me to do so I happily pottered about my animal behaviour duties. Silky's four are happy to be patted if there is milk or chicken involved. I was rather surprised at how avidly all the new cats took to the chicken. Like they had eaten it every day of their lives and had missed it being with us. For example, Miyuki and kittens (in the far corner in boarding) fell on chicken. I can't figure out their names because all are listed as black and white or with a black face but one is definitely grey.

This is the BW kittens and mum eating chicken.

Sabrina and her kittens, Luke, Oscar and Rosie also went wild for chicken and tried to stare extra out of me after I had handed it all out.

Lillian let me hold her dish while she ate it. This is as close as she has let me come so far. Such a beautiful cat.

After giving Ebony her share, I was horrified to find Cleo and Ant alone in their condo. What happened to Caesar? He has been moved to the condo above Matty and Maddy. I don't know if he is missing his siblings or is shocked by the goings on downstairs! Matty and Maddy make an excellent impression of clothes being washed in a top loading washing machine when you approach with food, of any kind. Chicken just increases the tumbling speed.

I think Silky's kittens will be available this weekend. They got milk as well as chicken so are softened up for the adopting hordes.

An L of an Day

Two lots of cat schleppers: Terry arrived first, at 7:30am to take Daphne, Lillian and Skylar to Mona Vale Vets. Daphne was easy to pop into a carrier. Lily needed some coordination. Terry tried with the gauntlets while I held the carrier over the door to her bed chamber. She went into the darker space. And Skylar, who is one of Steph's latest litters, the one girl of a litter of 5 who had a collar. But she is fluffy and the collar was not easy to see in the scramble of hungry kittens. So we microchipped everybody and found her last of all. Then Tim arrived to take the rest of the boys to Pet O. Then Mona Vale vets rang to say that Skylar didn't weight 1Kg (should have used a heavier collar!) so wouldn't be desexed today. And thus it continued. Tim came back and showed around/entertained a pair of women from Pet Love. They raise money for good charities, I gather. We qualify. The vollies tried to work around them. We wouldn't wnat to get their pretty, high healed shoes dirty. Eventually a nice lady from Bayview came to replace her beloved cat who died quite some time ago. She had spotted Mixa on our website and wanted a boy cat. I showed her all the availables. She liked Marmalade, because he is a red head like she is. Then I introduced her to Lily and Lily liked her, curled around her hand, purred loud enough to hear across the room and generally acted like a bit of a slut. It worked. The nice lady changed her mind and took Lily. Hurrah! She is an experienced cat owner. I told her all about Lily's frustration at not getting her share while she had kittens. She stays at home, plays music and wants a loving cat companion. Purfect. I took this photo of Lily just before moving her into the carry cage to get out from behind bars forever.

A little later another older couple came in. They have always had cats. She is allergic to rats so wants somebody who will deal with them. He is happy if she is happy. They both rather fancied Peggy who would probably have been perfect for them. But, they chose Luna who was very affectionate with them. (Irene tells me that she was loving to the previous folk who adopted her but then hid for a month when they took her home). I hope that this couple will have lots of patience with her. Or that she will realise that she is being given a second life at a spoiled, comfortable life outside a cage. We have another Luna, whom I have dubbed Luna II (after the lander). She came with a group of 3 other large kittens but doesn't get on well with them. So she is where Starmoon was. (Incidently, Starmoon has been trapped by her owners). And we have a new big boy, called Sprinkles who was found with a colony but does not behave like an urban stray.

And a man surrendered the cats of his deceased parent. They are Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra. They share the condo below Ebony, peacefully, at the moment. But I hope they can be moved to the palace when Coco and Mason go home.

The Mum of Mum+4 was given the name Kendra.

We promptly named her two boys and two girls. Let's see if those names stick.

The couple who adopted Salt came in to find a friend for him. He loves one of them more than the other except at 1am when he NEEDs somebody to play with NOW. She thinks that if there was another kitten around Salt would let her sleep. I suggested a girl kitten and showed her Danielle (Daphne's). Danielle played up splendidly, of course. She is such a loving handful. But they rather liked Douglas who sat, calmly against their chests and teared up. Of course, it might be that he still has a bit of flu and his calmness is lethargy and his tears of joy are gooey eyes. We decided that they should call Tim tomorrow to see what his advice is. They live locally so are happy to come back.