Adoption Tails: Cheena and Bubbles, Dibbles, Eric and Lucy

Cheena and Bubbles 

1 day: They’re settling in very well. They’ve both been coming out of their hidey hole to explore their safe room, play and eat/drink. They’ve definitely stepped into the litter tray but haven’t used it yet. 

Cheena and Bubbles 1 week

 1 week: They’ve been renamed Vera and Olive. They were interested in exploring the house a few days ago, but they were getting really scared if their owners would move or walk past them. They’re going to keep them in their safe room until they’re less scared of their owners. They seem to be gradually getting less scared. They stretch out in their beds when their owners are in the room with them, purring and sniffing the food they gave them. They’re still eating well and are using the litter and their owner thinks they’re feeling safer by the day. They’re warming up to the house but are still wary of their owners. In the evening, Vera (formerly Cheena) let them feed her treats and she nuzzled her head into their partner’s hand. Both cats ate in front of them which they hadn’t done before. 

Vera, 1 week

 1 month: They’ve seen a lot of changes. They’re both doing very well and seem much more comfortable around their owners. They tend to watch them warily when their owners walk around, but both come close when they’re sitting and relaxing. They’ve slowly moved the litter box to the bathroom and they haven’t had any issues. Olive is still wary when her owners are nearby, but she’s slowly getting braver. She doesn’t really like to be touched, but she starts relaxing and purring after a few gentle strokes. They’ve been exploring every room for a few weeks. They even snuck into the bedroom closet and started bumping around when their owners were asleep. They both seem really happy, and they’re very playful with each other at night and when their owners are around.

Dibbles

The follow ups weren't put into the tasks so we didn't do the normal 1 day and 1 week follow ups

Dibbles, 2 months

2 weeks: He is definitely settling in well. He loves exploring and climbing and is getting more courage to explore outside his safe room. They’re keeping his name.

1 month: He is out and exploring. He went to the vet for some antibiotics and antiseptic treatment but his behaviour was unaffected.

2 months: Dibbles is fully settled in at home.

Dibbles

Eric

1 day: Eric is lovely. So friendly! He’s using his litter tray, eating and drinking. They will keep his name. He is being kept separate from the resident cat and will be slowly introduced. “He’s the absolute best.”

Eric 1 day

1 week: Eric is doing very well. He has started to explore the apartment. They think he is settling in very nicely. “He is the best. We cuddle every night.”

Eric 1 week

1 month: Everything is going really well. “He is an absolute sweetheart”

Eric, 1 month

Lucy

1 day: She is still hiding in the carrier during the day but ate all the food left in the bowl last night. She escaped from her safe area overnight and was quite stressed out from that. They are keeping her name. She left the carrier in the evening to sit in her new bed.

Lucy 1 day

Lucy 1 week

 2 days: Lucy went back to her carrier and has been staying there. She ate all of her dry food and used her litter box.

1 week: Her owners bought a playpen and think she’s adjusting well.

Lucy 1 week

1 month: (No response)

Lucy 1 month

What happened to Linda's whiskers

 I put Linda and Yoko into the play place today. I wanted to give them a good brush. It worked last week when I brushed Bubbles (but not Cheena). They got adopted over the weekend. So I am hopeful that the brush will work its magic on L & K. Sammy and Cypher were adopted over the weekend too without any help from me. On one side of her face, Linda has a crop of short whiskers. The other side's whiskers are long and graceful. What happened?

Short ones with a few long ones

We tried Kiki in the Top Cat. She finally figured out how to get down, after I leaned the stratchy pole against her condo but wasn't very happy. She was much happier this morning playing soccer with a ping pong ball while lying in her carrier.

Long way down Kiki

Mia was happy as long as she was being cuddled. There are plenty of volunteers for that job. Mia is where Pluto was. Pluto has been adopted.

Mia with Sandy

Taylor also played soccer with his ping pong ball but he was bouncing about behind his igloo. I've never seen him so active in all the time he has been with us.

Taylor

Wanda has got over her horrors at being back in the institution and is the sweet mum cat who adopted two stray kittens along with her own and then had Midsummer added to the litter later.

Wanda

Lobster was adopted today to a family who missed out on Duke. They will probably change his name to Charles. He will come back as a boarder to delight his fans at Safe Haven.

No Danger in Dan

 This morning when I arrived Cypher was on top of the main room row of condos. He waited patiently for me to pick him up and put him back into his condo where Sammy sat. I had to remove the litter bin that had been propped against their door to open it. The litter bin was there because on Sunday night they both got out and had a poop party. They tore up multiple bags of crunchies that we had hoped to sell to new owners. Hence the litter bin to keep them in. But it didn't work on Cypher. Somehow???*

Because they have too much energy, I decided that they should go into to the play place to use some of it up. Easy enough. They were both in their doorless carry cage. And I added Thumbelina and Bambi because they are from the same litter and same foster home. Within no time,  Thumbelina was in with the boys. 

Thumbelina

Soon Cypher was out of the carry cage looking for some fun. 

Cypher

 Sammy happily stayed there to "protect" his sister.

Sammy

Bambi hid in full view away from everybody else.

Bambi

I took the opportunity to match their microchip numbers with their photos.

 There is a new ginger boy from a well tamed colony called Danger who is in the condo below Mia in Boarding. Mia has been with us for a week but is still in full savage, unhappy cat mode. Compared to her, "Danger" is a pussy cat. So I suggest that we rub out the -ger and call him Dan.

Dan(ger)

He is next to Cheena (of the middle ear infection) and Bubbles (the shy one). This afternoon they were "sharing" (ie maneuvering for more space each) a small bed. 

Small bed + Cheena and Bubbles

So Sandy and I decided to give them a bigger bed.

Big bed for Bubbles

We have a new kitten, Domino from the fosterer who raised Trixie. He also came in a pullover which I promptly pulled off. . . . . kittens need to learn to look after their own fur. He is a purr machine and anybody's best friend, forever.

Domino

*There was also an "escape proof device" leaning against Max and Gus' door. It worked to keep them in overnight. But during the afternoon, when the front door and the balcony doors were open, I saw a Gus shaped slink moving from the main room to Naughty row. Gus puts his paw through a hole in the mesh and pushes down the door stop. I must fill in the mesh. Luckily, he is happy enough to go back to Max who doesn't put a paw out of place.

Vicky learns to do magic

Bubbles and Cheena have been moved back into boarding which only has one boarder and Theodore who is getting more charming (and less pongy) every day. Suki was visiting today but she doesn't count (until she does a really stinky poo). It seems that Cheena has a middle ear infection which is most unusual in a cat and is why she holds her head on an angle. She is on long lasting antibiotics. She loves to be stroked, even with a comb. Bubbles is not so keen but warms up if you are persistent.

Bubbles (L) and Cheena

 We have a new pair of cats, who arrived together and were put into the same condo (Dynamo's). They didn't appear to get on very well. One, black fluffy, is upstairs and the other, dark tortie, hides in a grey, square igloo. They are Lily and Shelly. . .. no clues about who is who from the names.

Shelly/Lily

Sammy and Cypher have settled down. They were enthusiastic about chicken. Because they got seconds, I asked Vicky who did the chicken delivery service today, to give Bambi and Thumbelina seconds as well. I am sure that they know exactly who is across the aisle from them and if they get special treatment from the days when they were all in foster care together.

Sammy and Cypher

Zac has been moved into Fern's condo (she has been picked up by her adopters). He was a bit shocked at first but the chicken did its magic.

Zac got seconds

Casper and Suzie missed out on seconds. They will remember!

Casper and Suzie missed on seconds

And here is Catsie's cat Tasha's reaction to her bruised temple:

Horrors!

 

Flu begone

 I arrived around midday to a busy scene: there were new vollies being trained, lots of regular vollies and Geoff trying to get odd jobs done before having to leave, Helen came in to be trained in the new computer system. We will all have to learn how to log on when we come to do our shifts. . . . yet another password to remember!

The coffee shop kids had been in the play place since the day before. I sat with them to have my lunch. The tuxedo, Bean, was very keen to share my salami. The others had to be tempted with tiny fragments. But when it came time for chicken, 3 of the 4 jumped into their stand alone to get their share. I had to carry the last, reluctant tabby and white one in. Will have to learn their names.

Now Caramel can have a turn. She is staying an extra day or two because her people's travel plans have been delayed. That's no trouble for us as she is a sweetie.

Caramel

We are fully booked for the school holidays which start next Friday. And every condo is occupied. Baby was moved out of the big stand alone in incoming. Her flu is much better. She LOVES chicken so she will get the leftovers today. Bubbles and Cheena have been moved in to her big one because their condo in Boarding was a mess of splatters. One of them has an ear that needs to be "drained".

Dymano is looking better but definitely not dynamic.

Dynamo

Diesel accepted seconds of chicken (Joy's instructions) without a sneeze. And Oreo, below him, is a girl. Our previous Oreos have been boys. Perhaps Orio for a girl. Or Oriette, Orea, Oray. . the possibilities are endless. One of the vollies spent so much time with her at the end of her shift that I was tempted to check her bag as she left!

Oreo-f

Suzie is looking much better too. So this has been a mild, albeit highly contagious strain of cat flu.

Suzie

Even the supermodel kittens have got over it. And, because of the extra attention and medications, they are much more friendly. . . . . or was it the chicken?

Cindy, Kate, Naomi

And Helena upstairs is more wary because she has had more stuff put into her eyes.

Helena

More Gingers

 Since last Wednesday, Gracie, Dumpling and Matteo have been adopted from Safe Haven and Suga and Hazelnut from foster. To counterbalance that outflow, we have new cats, currently parked in Boarding but soon to be elsewhere. Like Puma who is a young (6-12 month old) ginger whose fur reminds me of a Burmese's fur. But his face is all ginger DSH:

Puma

He is a loving armful and had a fine time in the play place.

Next door is Monika who most folk would call a boy because most gingers are boys.

Monika

But poor Zoe (not the old one but a new one) in Incoming went to the vet to be checked and came back a Zack and without any teeth. He is on soft food only at the moment. The old Zoe has gone to foster along with Archie and Beckie. I had a frantic phone call at 8:30am from her fosterer to say, on a very bad line, that she had found a paw in her carrier. I called back and learned that it was a claw not a paw so explained that cats shed their claw sheaths regularly. Peach also went to the vet and came back without any teeth. She has retired to her bed box.

Back to the new kids in Boarding. There is Yoko and Linda. Don't know who named them. Or who is who.

Yoko and Linda

And there are two new mums with kittens that Joy didn't get a photo of. Next time.

In the meantime, Cheena and Bubbles are settling down with us.

Cheena and Bubbles

And Wanda's kids are ready to move to the Cat Room and get adopted. . . . but only if those blinky eyes are not flu. . . . ..

Quentin, Bingo, Pickles, Squiggle

(Can we please change Squiggle's name to Squire. Imagine how undignified the cat will be as an adult being called Squiggle!)