A Konfusion of Kittens

 Well, Irene knew what she was doing this afternoon. But I couldn't keep track. 

As a result there are lots of kittens for Terry to adopt tomorrow. And more to be desexed for the following weeks. 

Oreo and Gingie cuddled together (first time I have noticed them doing that). 

Oreo and Gingie

 But it might have been because Marmalade and mate were moved from Incoming to the stand alone next door that Lina has left. (She was picked up early!) They have rather short tails. Irene says they should be called "curly tailed" because of the shortness. But I think that sounds like a dog. Not like a cat!

Earl has been sent to a foster home with the young girl and her father who visited some months ago. I doubt we will ever see him again. When asked for a name for a grey kitten that had been popped into Lola's old stand alone, the lass said "Blue". And Blue he/she is.

Vollies stayed late and cuddled cats. Chip was tested for friendly-ness and was found very willing although rather HEAVY to cuddle!

Chip

 A new tower was donated. It had an instruction to erect it so that it could be photographed (?for sale). Lola moved in.

Too Tall Tower. . .but not for Lola

 I was asked to go to Safe early today to do the morning feeds. So I delayed the meeting between between Aslan and PC whom I picked up from his foster home yesterday because they are going away for a week. He didn't enjoy the last half of the drive home from Wollstonecraft to Avalon Beach. (I don't blame him). We will have to work out some way to break up the return trip next week.  Poor PC has been shut into his room all day. My return was delayed because I had to go to VetO in Manly Vale to get some more eye drops for him en route home. But shortly after they had their dinner I opened his door. 

Mutual ignore

As their diets are not identical, there will continue to be feeding time separations. But I hope they can get to remember that they were buddies at Safe.

 

Not Seasoned

 The escapee Salt or Pepper is still at large. Tomorrow the cat trapper extraordinaire is to come to do her magic. 

Seasoning set-up (as viewed from our balcony)

The unescaped seasoned cat is getting tamer by the day. Perhaps he should be called Salt and the escapee should be Pepper.

Last month we adopted out 43 cats and kittens (or was it 42. . . . either way it was brilliant work!)

Today the couple who adopted Othello came back for a companion for him. They think he needs a friend. So they chose Octavia. The husband loved her on sight and cuddled her happily. Meantime, the wife looked at the cat in the next stand alone, Biscotti (I think. This kitten came from a foster home and is very chill). She fell in love. They couldn't agree on which kitten to take home to Othello so decided to take them both.

On the way home, it turns out, Octavia had a funny turn. They took her to Pymble vet (after they got home) and we will get the bill.

So I cleaned those two stand alones and, as instructed, moved the L kittens from Incoming. Let's hope they have left their sloppy poos way behind them. These three girls were delighted with their more spacious accommodation and played and played. 

Larissa, Lyra and Liana: the dark torties

We also have a Lina in a stand alone.

Lina the calico

Poor Tsuki is all alone in his double condo.

Tsuki

I expect he will be moved by Friday.
Rory is not looking well. He is on eye ointment which cats hate.

Rory

And we have a new tiny kitten, Earl who is not eating properly. You have to put the food into his mouth before he will try it. This afternoon I rearranged his condo so that his food bowl was at the same level as he was sitting on his hottie. Earlier the food needed to be reached down to and I don't think he was confident enough to try that. We will see if he has nibbled on his small patches of different foods overnight.

The mum and her 5 kittens is now Mum Fae plus 4. When I arrived this morning her kittens were rolled up in a rug and she was out of the sleeping box. . . . probably wondering where she had stashed/buried them.

Fae + 4

 Note to Sharon: When Lucas and Gary get into a serious rumble, one shot from a water bottle at Lucas calms him down.

Friends Lucas and Gary

 

 

Adoption Tails: Rachelle, Charley and Champ, Shadow, Ursula and Earl, Magnus and Sterling

Rachelle = June

Rachelle, now June

1 day: The owner has renamed Rachelle to June. She is doing great, settled in very quickly. She frequently sticks out her tongue.

1 week: The owner had a few concerns about June who has some eye discharge in the mornings and doesn't eat her dry food. They've been reassured about normal vs abnormal eye discharge. Other than that, she is great. June is now very comfortable around the house and with the owner.

1 month: June is doing great. The owner has yet to register her as she needed to move as the owner was selling.

June boarded with us for about a month and went home on Wednesday with her lovely, relaxed person. She was a delight to have at Safe!

Charlie & Champ

1 day: Charlie and Champ are doing really well, all things considered. They've eaten (or at least the food given last night was gone this morning so one could've eaten both bowls or both of them ate) and they've used the litter tray. They have chosen under the owner's bed as their safe spot rather than any of the hidey holes (2 cat towers with hidey holes and additional one created by a blanket) set up so the owner moved a storage tub out from under the bed and put in their cat bed they had from SAFE. Charlie and Champ now have a soft place to lay down under the bed. The owner is camping out in the living room until they've settled in so that the bedroom can truly be a safe room for them. In the afternoon, the owner took in a treat pouch to give the cats for being so brave! They both licked some from the pouch when she reached it under the bed to them and to her utter surprise and amazement, both licked some from the fingers when offered! The owner is so happy that they aren't too spooked and felt safe enough to get some treats from the hand. She is conscious about not pushing them but felt it was special that they were so receptive to treats.

1 week: The owner opened the door to the bedroom (their "safe room") about 2 nights ago and they have spent all night exploring the living/dining room, hallway and bathroom. The owner was quite sick and ended up sleeping on a bed in her room rather than camping out on the sofa. Poor Charlie and Champ did not like the arrangement and stayed in the living room almost all night and not in any of the hidey holes. On a more positive note, the owner has heard them playing when she is not in the room. they both are accepting treats from the owners, even from her hands! Champ has given a few hisses if they're too close. Starting yesterday, both Charlie and Champ started to follow the owner into the kitchen to explore. "They are both just so sweet. I really hope they are happy with me."

1 month: Charlie and Champ are doing really well. The owner can give Charlie pats if he is laying on one of his many cat beds! She can't go near Champ unless she has a treat tube at arm's length but given time, she's hopeful he will get there. Charlie likes to follow the owner around and see what is going on, especially if he thinks there is food involved! They both spend the late evening playing and chasing each other have a favourite night time sleep spot together in the study. The owner has registered them both with the council and she is going to get creative to work out how to give preventatives to Champ considering she can't get close yet. All in all, they are both adorable!

Shadow

1 day: Shadow's been settling in really well. He's been exploring the apartment a little each day and has been using the litter tray and eating and drinking a healthy amount of food and water.

1 week: It's going really well! He's settled in perfectly fine and is now very comfortable with the owner and their roommate. It took maybe about 3 days for him to fully settle in since he was rather skittish for the first few days.

Shadow

 1 month: He's going really well! Great with guests around. The owners have had a few guests once every few days and he's always warmed up to them really well, taking about 20-30 minutes for him to warm up and then becomes super cuddly with them.

2 months: He's been playing a bit and settled in really well. They've had some guests over at some stages and he's always warmed up to them after 30minutes. His more playful side came out recently. The owner also gave Shadow a catnip toy for his upcoming birthday and he's having so much fun!

Ursula & Earl

1 day: They're both doing fine. Ursula leads the way in most things, she is a lot more outgoing, adventurous and playful but also quite protective of Earl. She would run back to cover him on the first day. Earl is very shy and reluctant. He is going to need a lot of time, patience, persistence and treats. He will show the owners where all the hidey holes are. They both eat and drink well and had no issue with the kitty litter. The owners will be changing their names but haven't decided on what will suit their personalities just yet.

1 week: They're ok. Ursula is settling in well but Earl still hisses a lot when approached. Loves his food though. The owners are hoping it will just be a matter of time for him to come around.

1 month: They are both settling in and starting to show their comfortable/naughty sides. The owners no longer have to spend hours looking for Earl's new hiding spot and Ursula is a very vocal kitten. Many nights now they've awoken to some loud bang or crash as they play throughout the night chasing each other around. Still quite jumpy and shy but definitely getting there with treats. The owners will keep working on them to make sure they are comfortable and happy!

Magnus & Sterling

1 day: Magnus and Sterling are settling well. They've been eating, drinking and using the litter tray without issues. They're more active at night. The owner has noticed Sterling's breath as quite foul and even saw some blood in his mouth in the morning. They've been cleaning it with some baby wipes.

Magnus and Sterling

 1 week: It seems like Magnus and Sterling are not fully ready to explore beyond their safe room yet so the owners are taking it slow. The door is kept open to help them get familiar with all the different sounds. They usually sleep during the day and wake up around 5pm. Sometimes, they would venture out after dinner while the owners are watching TV. They pretend not to see the cats to let them explore on their own.

1 month: Sterling and Magnus are doing great and bring so much joy to the owners' days. Magnus is still quite sensitive to spaces outside his room.

LOVE THE BOX!

 

 

Adopton Tails: Penwing, Diva and Scout, Gia, Earl and Dave

 Penwing, aka Angel

 They adopted JJ (Mia's kitten - now renamed to Cleo) and then adopted Penwing after she was returned to Safe.
 

1 day: The family loves her already - she is such a lovely girl! They will  change her name to Angel. She hasn't done a poop yet and only a little wee, being more nervous than Cleo was. They are taking it slow and Angel does play with them but also likes to hide away. She eats her food which is a good sign.

1 week: Angel is still in their daughter's room and Cleo goes in to play with her now. As Cleo is a bit more confident, playtime is still limited because Cleo can play a bit too vigorous for Angel. They are definitely becoming friends! Angel is aware of Lexi (the dog) but they are taking it slowly. “She’s a purry, beautiful happy girl. I’m smitten!!”

1 month: Angel and Cleo are totally settled into the family! “Couldn’t imagine life without them”. Angel is a little shyer than Cleo, but she’s not scared of Lexi anymore, and Lexi loves them both so much. Angel and Cleo definitely remember each other. They play fight, snooze together, and Angel likes to groom Cleo. “Angel is super loving, a total purr machine. Our family is complete, we just adore both our catties!” 

1 month

Their owner is very grateful for SAFE. "I just want to give them the best chance I can. Love them so much! And I'm so glad we ended up with them both, it's been the happiest outcome!"

Diva and Scout

1 day: They're doing wonderfully, super playful but also cuddly and sweet. They've used the litter tray and are eating and drinking pretty well. Scout is eating a bit less than anticipated but she's still had food.

1 week: They are going great. They rushed out of their safe room and have taken it as their domain. Diva has been renamed Piper and Scout’s name will remain as Scout.

1 week

1 month: They’re doing great! They’ve definitely grown a lot and have discovered the joys of exploring the higher spaces in the house. They’re so cuddly and sweet, both with each other and the rest of the family. They went to the vet for a checkup and they seem to be super healthy and progressing well. “We’re so happy they are part of our family”.

1 month

Gia

1 day: She’s in a room on her own and the owner’s daughter has spent most of the day near her. She appears to be eating and drinking a little bit. She has been in the litter box but has not used it, just kicked the litter around. She’s becoming friendlier and is happy to have lots of pats and is purring. She’s been moving around in the room but is still jumpy if they make a sudden noise or approach. They’re keeping the name Gia and her nickname is GiGi. 

1 week: Gia is eating, drinking and using her litter normally now. She’s still very nervous. Her owner saw her sleeping on the bed today but she jumped off as soon as she entered Gia’s safe room. They have a very excitable dog and a resident cat so they’re managing it carefully. GiGi got a fright from their dog the other day and she climbed up the timber window frame. She also met the other cat yesterday and it went quite well.

1 month favourite sleeping spot

1 month: Gia has settled in well. She had a big adventure the other day - she managed to escape out of the window on Thursday and returned Monday morning. She knew where she lived, returned in one piece, and was reasonably hungry. She has met the resident cat and they tolerate one another. For the most part, she remains separated from their resident dog. She does a great job “holding her own” versus the puppy who just wants to play.

1 month: not so favourite frog hat

 

Earl

 The owner previously adopted Dave in April 2022. He was a really tiny, friendly, black kitten.

1 day: Earl is doing okay but has been quite scared. Yesterday he huddled in his carrier and didn’t leave except to eat a small amount of dry food. He also had his vaccination yesterday so his owner assumes he was also quite tired. Today, he’s eaten both wet and dry food and has peed, but has not gone poo yet. He’s been exploring his safe room a lot more. He runs to hide if someone opens the door but they’re just being patient. He met the owner’s grandma and they snuggled together. “He’s so lovely and friendly!”

2 days: Earl is in his room and he’s significantly more confident. He even followed his owner down the hall to her bedroom (while the resident cat Dave was in another room) and explored the bedroom. Dave has been really curious about Earl and has been lying outside the door meowing. The owners got back from grocery shopping and Dave is lying outside Earl’s room where they’ve been playing footsies under the door gap. There have been no claws, no aggression, no hissing or anything. She put a towel in front of the door overnight and Dave slept on it and was lying next to the door all night.

1 week: He’s going well! Both cats were really eager to meet so they let them have time together. Dave was a bit standoffish at first but now, all they want to do is to be together. His owner doesn’t keep them together constantly. They like to play rough and roughhouse, and Dave can be quite rough with Earl. They both play-fight but Dave seems to take it a bit overboard. When this happens, they are immediately separated but Earl wants to play again and gets upset if he’s separated. Neither one shows aggression, but Earl might let out a hiss when Dave goes too far. His owner took Earl to their mum’s house to see how he coped. He was very wary at first but now loves it. Yesterday, he was playing, zooming around the living room and cuddling with everyone. He wasn’t as quick as Dave to adapt to the new environment but seems to cope quite well, to the point where they struggled to get him into the carrier. 

1 week and 1 day: This morning they were super grumpy. Their owner had to separate them because their fight got aggressive. Dave is letting Earl pounce on his tail now.

2 weeks

2 weeks: The boys have been making really good progress together. They still roughhouse a lot but now their owners let them tire themselves out, and they end up sleeping next to each other. They still sleep separately overnight. This week, their owner is going to leave them together for short periods to see how they go. They’ve also been sharing food really well. Their owners have never encouraged it but would find them randomly sharing their dry biscuits as they wait for the other to finish. They have two bowls but want each other's food.

1 month: on Catio

 1 month: They’ve both been really good! They’ve both settled so well. They love wrestling and still play rough but they cuddle a lot. Their owner set up a catio in their laundry area and they love it. Their owner wanted to plant cat grass but they sleep in the pot.

1 month: best mates

Cat watching

 There were some adoptions over the weekend: Benny, Earl, Gia, Schmo, Scout, Sesame and Smudge.

Our cats have been moved back from next door. Their condos have been cleaned. Our cats have been rearranged on Better Row. They all seemed subdued this afternoon.

Lucy, sporting new multicoloured hair tackled the dry food shelves. They are now neatly labelled and perfectly organised. I didn't take a photo. I will take one on Friday when she has installed the proper, typed labels. I didn't take a photo of the great wall of poo bags on the back deck either. . . . too disgusting.

Tiger and Phantom parallel played this afternoon.

Phantom and Tiger

But Tiger is really a desk cat.

Tiger

And Phantom is a chick magnet. Yin and Yang can't resist watching him

Yin, Yang, Phantom

Talking about being watched. Tibby was inspected by Ginger George and Max (who she must think of as dirty old men)

Ginger, Tibby, Max

.

Such nice customers

 Christmas brings out the best in folk. . . and brings them in flocks to Safe Haven! 

There was a stream of folk bringing in their cats to board. Sixteen condos were occupied with boarders this afternoon. Some have more than one cat in them. Madeline is back. She was immediately relaxed. Her people were happy to leave her with us.

The afternoon was crowded with morning vollies lingering to cuddle cats. Ginger George took advantage of any pats that were passing. But don't accept his offer to stroke his tummy even though he does roll over to display its delicious gingerness. New vollies need to be told to confine their caresses to above the shoulders of the vast majority of cats.

We had adoptions. One woman came to do the paperwork for two kittens in foster. She kept writing reminders for herself on her phone. Vander and Hercules will be well organised cats.

Penwing went home with the family who adopted JJ whom they adore. They have changed her name to Cleo but might change it to Alley (after hearing their history) to go with Penwing whose name will be changed to (Christmas) Angel.

And four lots of folk came to look at the cats. They take as long as the adoptions, if not longer because they linger. One woman who was brought in by her friend (male: always has had German Shepherds). She kept flooding with tears. Amber was a spouting spot.

Amber

And Feli (Felicies . . . perhaps as in Felix Navidad?) loved her on sight. More sobs. They went away to think about it.

Feli

A mum and her daughter had chosen Freya from the website. She behaved beautifully. They went home to talk dad into a kitten to go with their older cat, dog and horse! Freya's brother Earl had lots of attention from another couple who didn't make a rash decision. If they think too long he may be gone.

Freya and Earl keen to go

At 4pm another family arrived looking for kittens. Luckily I was up to my ears in dinner and chicken so Tim dealt with them. I had help with the dinners from Joy and Vi who came back to the site of the dreaded denture demise to cuddle the odd kitten (and pay for the stuff that I couldn't get the Square to charge on Wednesday.) One of Jasmine's kittens keeps on changing what he wants to eat. He regularly rejects Baby Cat pate! an unusual kitten.

Vi with a full smile

Busy being Sandy

 Today I was supposed to be Sandy in the afternoon but Catsie needed a lift to Safe so we went together early. We arrived before the Garbos and schlepped out all the poo bags. Thanks, Catsie. There were lots of volunteers which was a good thing because there was lots of work.

Catsie was put to work decorating Better Row where Boarders will go. The Naughty Row cats have all been moved next door to Dr Kim's. They liked the change last year. It will be interesting to see if they like it this year. Some may remember the change of scenery/venue (eg Melody). Catsie thought that she would be on light duties until she had a good look at the condos. Many needed a proper scrub (eg Melody's). But they all look clean and stylish now . . . Better.

Better Row

I moved one huge carrier to on top of the play place and pushed another into the space behind so that there is space for the boarder's carriers above the condos. I also tidied up the food shelves, again.

Joy had a distraction when home rang to ask if she had taken out her Mum's rubbish to the garbos. Of course she had. Unfortunately, her mum had tossed out her bottom denture plate with the burned toast. Joy managed to get her a first appointment for a replacement tomorrow. But Vi will be eating pureed Christmas dinner as it takes 4 visits to get a new plate made. 

Margot with Joy

One of our vollie's gym coach arrived to adopt Margot. She is a strong looking woman. I also would have said "Of course, you can adopt her". But with Margot in her arms, she melted. She has a boy cat who roams all over her two storey house and two boy dogs who live downstairs. Margot will queen it over all of them.

Dexter was adopted over the weekend and Freya and Earl are in his stand alone. Beans has moved into Margot's condo next to Phantom who is getting to be a bossy boots. He cries until you let him run around.

Amber cries too. . . . for attention.

Amber

Juliette has been renamed Jane, just in case Romeo tracks her down when she gets posted again.

Jane

We do have a lot of dark cats who look good with bright toys.

Nada

Libby

Chi Chi

LATE BREAKING NEWS

The plate was in Vi's dressing gown pocket all the time! Joy had to cancel tomorrow's emergency appointment. Vi may still have to eat pureed turkey on Sunday.

More sad and glad

Earl and co have moved from Incoming to the Palace and Midnight and his mum have moved to the condo above Honey. 

Pluto purrs on any lap and Penwing is back. He has gingivitis and is on meds so perhaps that is why he is back.

Penwing

One of our fosterers came in with more cats from the deceased estate that Opie came from. These are Lil Pete and Lil Sweetie. Neither is very little. Both are tuxedos. Lil Sweetie talked all the way in in the car but didn't say anything once she was out of that horrible carry cage. Coco and Chester came from the same house that had 16 cats, a dog, some rabbits and goodness knows what else.

Dora went back to fosterer Claire's and has settled in brilliantly. Her mum was adopted from there last week. And the other foster cat that Claire had, Amber, has moved to us.  Amber is 6-12 months (closer to 6, I'd say) and she had 7 kittens all of whom died. Way too young to get pregnant. She is where Sophia was.

Amber

Olga brought in another cat whom we have called Olga. She had her 3 kittens at the local primary school. This is the same school that kitten Mary came from, brought in by Olga. Only one of her kittens has survived.