Fig leaves and happy endings

 It is very nice to be greeted at 9am with joyous cries even though it is only cupboard love. And even better, there was space for our 6 bags of garbage in the bins on the street.

We have new cats:
Adam and Eve used to live in a Nursing Home/retirement village. But now that they are 8 months old they are deemed a "trip risk". Adam is quite friendly but Eve is nervous. So perhaps their life amongst the oldies was not that pleasant.

Eve

Adam

And we have Peggy who was surrendered. I don't know her history but she is right pissed off.

Peggy

I saw Ashleigh's kittens out of their carry cage for the first time. One has very mucky eyes. I don't think they are as skittish as their mother so some lotion might clean her up.

They are obviously both girls. . . . A? and A?

After the cleaning had been done I went back there to find Octavia's door wide open. Those little sliding locks are not very secure. Luckily she was sitting on her shelf. I rewarded her with crunchies.

Octavia

Shortly later Willow's door was open too. And she got the same reward. Her eye looks mucky too.

A Japanese couple came to adopt Haley and Harold. They are about to move to Haymarket so won't pick them up until next Tuesday. I explained how much they love each other and what a long time it will take for them to love the people. But feeding them will help enormously.

Harold and Haley in a clinch

Yesterday, a supremely suitable person came in and adopted Jewel. Fingers crossed that it works this time.

When I spoke to Tim yesterday to catch up before arriving today for my Boss Cocky duty, he said that he was worried that Lily's kittens were going to fall off the high shelf where she had them because they are getting much more active. So we talked about building box walls to keep them in, putting the slant board to break their fall, moving them down but will Lily just carry them back up. When I arrived they were upstairs so I assumed that he had tried but she had taken them back where they belonged. But, Tim had left a not to say that he didn't move them because she was feeding them when he tried. 

So I moved them down around 10am. They were still down when I left after the night feeding. Where will they be tomorrow.

Lily's kittens

And a woman phoned to say how happy her family is that they adopted Bailey. He is their perfect cat.

Bailey

Second time lucky?

Jewell has been taken back by the folk who returned her earlier this week. I don't know if they were asked to pay a second adoption fee. They should have been asked!
Whatever. . . . her condo needs sterilizing again and her bed went with her.

And a young couple in an apartment came today to look at Blossom. He had had cats in his youth but she was a dog person. He seemed more tentative than she. Sue gave them Blossom's history (of biting an 80+ year old, twice) and they were apprehensive. I strolled over and started to brush Blossom and talk about her history. While I was chatting to them and patting her, the man became bolder and brushed her cheeks (a sure winner with Bloss) and the woman relaxed and told Bloss how lovely she was (another way to her heart). They went off to have a discussion. Came back and adopted her.

We lent them a cat carrier. I put a dark green towel in it for Blossom and said that we don't want it back. When Blossom sits on it and looks up at them they will see how heavenly green her eyes are. Both Sue and I asked them to call us if they have any problems and to let us know how they get on. They will have to return the carrier. Fingers crossed there won't be a Blossom inside it this time.

Chester is out of his carry cage which has been beautifully sterilized. (Thank you Sandy? Irene?)
He is a very lumpy cat. LOVES his soft food.

Chester

I believe this is Grayson. He dominated both double food dishes at the afternoon feed until I moved one down for Grace on the lower level. He was first in the hammock with a full tummy.

Grayson: white stripe on nose

Giselle and Grace

 Midnight has a sign "Save for Vanna" who is a friend of Sue's. She is off medication for her eye.

Midnight

Bumpabet

TIm is back at work . . . . just. He croaks and looks like he needs more sleep. But the cats are happy to have him back. Even Sootie ate all his breakfast.

I asked him if he knew who was who amongst the G's. He thinks that the tuxedo is a girl which will make one of the tabby's a girl and the other a boy. The tuxedo is definitely a lower ranked girl and the tabby girl is usually roughhousing or grooming with the tabby boy. So I propose (by what right?) that the tuxedo be "Grace" and the tabby "Giselle". If I remember my ballet stories, Giselle got up to trouble with the prince.

Giselle, Grace, Grayson

My guess is that Grayson moved as soon as I pointed the camera at them. Which means that he has the white line down the middle of his nose. We shall see in the fullness of time.

I tried to devise a cover that small kittens could use to climb up our stylish wooden ramps. The velcro is not strong enough to support the weight of a kitten on the carpet like pads that the manufacturer sticks to the front and back of it.

I used some of the quilted mattress covers that we were overwhelmed with at Ingleside and put extra bumps so the kittens could climb up it. It is secured with ties that can be tied into bows.

 It took Jaffa's kittens 10 minutes to untie the bows. And they jumped up from the lower to the upper level in a single bound. . . . . . back to the drawing board.

Jewell was returned because the person who adopted her had unrealistic expectations about the amount of time it would take for her to settle in and become a lap cat. Luckily the person returned her bed which she is happily hiding under. She does appreciate a covered cuddle.

Jewell

And Pepi is back and NOT HAPPY.

I made friends with Chester, the 20year old cat surrendered along with his doggie friend last Friday. His person can no longer look after them. The dog is in foster care.

Chester is affectionate but smells. So I got a brush and that interested him. I doubt he has been brushed for years. I could only do his face and cheeks  and when I felt down his flank there was damp. Tim says that he has ulcers all over. Poor, old guy. But he has come to the best place to get some loving attention.

Chester

Catsie and I have devised:

The Bumpabet

We started with an EB = elbow bump, moved to an FB = foot bump. What about the rest of the alphabet?

AB = Adult Bump, only to be done by consenting adults, in private

BB = Baby Bump, which there will be a lot more of in 9 months time

CB = Cat Bump, they can catch it from us but we can't catch it from them so try not to sneeze on your cat

DB = Dog Bump, they don't seem to be able to catch Covid-19 so let them slobber, you need it.

GB = Grandparent Bump, best done over the phone/email.

HB = Hug Bump, what we will do when the pandemic passes

IB=         Ignore Bump. Ignore all attempts at bumping.

JB = Jump Bump. Equivalent to Hi-5, jump up, don’t touch.

KB = Kiss Bump, only if you live with them anyhow

LB =  Long Distance Bump, for faraway friends and family

MB = Mother Bump because all kids need hugs from their own mum

NB =  No Bump. Don’t want to know about bumps.

OB =  Oldies bump are not too hard, they may fall over

PB = Papa Bump because all kids need hugs from their own dad

QB =  Quiver Bump: an exciting bump, indicating a desire for more

RB = Rather Not Bump because we have learned to respect personal boundaries.

SB = Sole Bump for those who are sitting down. The soles of your shoes can't get much dirtier.

or SB = Shout Bump: Don't do it. The louder you talk the more droplets are spread and the further they go.

or SB = Smile Bump: contagious but in a good way

TB = Tickle Bump to be performed on babies by their close family members only

UB = Underarm Bump: only to be attempted by teenagers but NOT NOW.

VB = Virtual Bump: must be an emoji for this

WB =       Wobbly Bump: beware, unsteady bumper

XB =  X-rated Bump: the after-dark bump, for very close friends

YB = Why Bump for pandemic deniers

ZB = Ze Bump pronounced with a phoney French accent

Share it with your friends rather than sharing the virus. And send us more B ideas.

Win some, loose some

The excitement was over by the time I arrived. One of Jaffa's kittens, the grey one, had got out of their upper condo. Initially she couldn't be found and Terry and Joy were contemplating clambering up to see if the kitten was on top of the condos. Then Joy saw a grey ball of fluff move under the food shelves. A happy ending but it delayed breakfast which didn't please the rest of the crew.

Jaffa's grey kitten

Blossom is back and not happy (eating). Evidently she bit her old lady . . . . twice.
After I rearranged her condo to the way it had been before she settled down to breakfast.

Jewell is not there. Her condo has been sterilized. Has she been fostered or adopted?

There is a new dark tortie called Midnight in Peanut's condo. She is friendly but shell shocked. Has she been surrendered? She has the loveliest green eyes. She settled down to her breakfast after a few pats.

Midnight

Another one who needs encouragement to eat is Katie. She really needs hands/brush stimulation to eat.

Katie

The mums have names and Joy has taken some lovely photos of them and their kittens.

Jaffa and three kittens (of 4)

Tessa's kitten (1 of 4)

Tessa

Willow's kittens (3 of 4)

Willow

Giselle, Grace and Grayson 

Terry might take Milly home to foster. His wife came in today to help with the decision.

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

Stellar weekend

Eight cats were adopted this weekend. Plus the dog, Ella.

Ming went to a family who already has a cat. So he will be happy rumbling with his new buddy. (Shivers has been upgraded to his condo. Tim tried to add Peanuts but they didn't like sharing digs).

A family came for a pair of kittens but took Tortie and Kitty instead. . . sensible people.

But, all three of Jewel's son's were adopted. So little Jilly is left by herself. . . . not for long: she is so cute.

Next door to her are four new kittens not yet ready to desex. They are all tabbies. Three are spotted and the fourth is a mackerel tabby with ginger fur. She must be a tortie and will be a dramatically gorgeous adult. Perhaps we should auction her to the highest bidder! This is a lousy photo but kittens will not stand still to be photographed, even if they look fabulous. Perhaps Joy will get an appropriate shot.

On the other side of Jilly is Bonnie who hasn't had her kittens yet! But she has had an ultrasound to prove that she is pregnant. Evidently, a queen can be pregnant from between 7.5 and 10 weeks. She is somewhere in there and holding on.

 Bonnie

Her sister, Candace hardly looks bigger than her kittens who are getting bold and playful.

Candace

Tilly was also chosen! And her condo has an new shy occupant, Olivia.

 Olivia

We have a new 6 year old, JImmy in Kimmy's condo. 

 Jimmy

And Jack, a disgruntled ragdoll who will accept pats, in Torties' condo. Where do they all come from?

 Jack

Bonnie is pregnant

It is inevitable. It seems that she has two kittens in her womb. Tim is taming her by feeding her frequently and rubbing her head. Her auspicious name was chosen because she is the 200th surrender to SafeR.

Jewell will be desexed in a fortnight. She has been suffering from hypocalcaemia (three litters in a row will deplete your calcium stores). But after special food she is recovering.

We had a bit of a fright this afternoon. A woman came in asking for "Gypsie". Our Gypsie went to her new home on Wednesday afternoon. The person who surrendered Gypsie and Blink is now a volunteer with us. It wasn't her. The woman said "my Gypsie who is boarding". We sent her next door with the staffer from there who was giving Ming a cuddle.

Blink over Bailey

I moved Blink up to Gypsie's condo and Bailey into his condo below. So the B's are together. I wonder if that top corner condo is going to turn into the HOT BOX for adoptions.

I took two chicken necks in for the kittens. Cody didn't much fancy the one I gave him a month ago. I tried him again, and he is still not interested. So off to SH they went, each got cut into two and all were greeted with growls of delight. But the kittens still wanted their lunch.

J kitten meets chicken neck

Jewell's kittens have names

The only one we know for sure is the girl whose name is Jill. The other names are Jack, James and Josh. The vet knows. Tim suspects the gingers are Jack and James.

Lil Ging has had her name changed to Sienna. "But that is a girl's name", I said. "She is a girl", Tim said. . . . Really.

The mum with tiny kitten's has been named Candace. And her sister is Bonnie.

Bonnie

Shivers is in the wars again. He was desexed last week but this week he has had an operation to removed an abdominal "cyst". It hasn't stopped his purrs. And his coat is looking splendid.

Shivers

Rajah and Prince have gone to heaven on earth. . . . they are living with Lauren.

Rajah and Prince

Still here

Gypsie is on hold until her new person/family gets all the things that she will need delivered via the Internet. What she really needs it to be in a loving home. . . forget the accessories. . . . cuddles will do.

Gypsie

There is a tentative date to pick her up on Oct 30. 
In the meantime, she enjoyed her grass munching. 

I get the feeling on Friday afternoons after Sandy has done a splendid job cleaning everybody up, that the cats see me as a grass distribution mole. Blossom leads the chorus. She has a brush in her condo. While she ate her grass, I brushed two full brushloads of fur from her.

Blossom and brush

 The chorus of "Me, me, meow" by the Kitty/Kimmy/Scarlet chorus does not quite overpower the Charlie MEEEEEEEEEE.

Bailey was more interested in smooching than anything else. And Little Ging loves grass but is not still sure that people are worthwhile. His sister, Diva is all about the cuddles.

Peanuts is slowly getting to be a black and white cat rather than a cream and black cat. If we gave him a bath he would achieve tuxedo status quicker. Anybody want to give a cat a bath?

Peanuts

Jewell is very vocal. Tim and I decided that she is on heat. . . . AGAIN

Jewell

Welcome Joy

Joy came to help this morning. We certainly needed the help because it was busy. There are new protocols to stop the spread of cat flu which are posted on the condo near the door between boarding and adoptions.

The "brother" of the mother cat who came last week is a girl. She is below Blossom and behind curtains. Next door are Jewell's kittens who have been weaned. They don't seem to mind but Jewell is still demanding breast feeding rations.

Jewelettes

Elsa, from her previous litter, has emerged, somewhat. She now hides in full view in the cubic bed. . . just a matter of finding the right bed.

Elsa

We have a new cat for adoption called Pepi. He is still overwhelmed.

 Pepi

Initially it looked like it was going to be quiet so Tim decided to run some errands.

Jake

Soon Jake's family arrived to pick him up. Luckily Tim wasn't far away so he could come back to tell them how to reintegrate Jake and collect the boarding fees.

Then a family arrived to inspect the boarding arrangements. Luckily they want a couple of weeks at the end of November. It seems that Christmas is almost fully booked, already. I showed them around while Tim talked to Jake's family.

Then a lady arrived with a donation and wanted to see the cats. I walked her around.

Poor Joy was left doing most of the work.

Gypsie

As I was swabbing the floor another lady arrived to adopt Gypsie. She had been in on Sunday, brought her husband in yesterday and today she needed to discuss all the gear that Gypsie will need. She will be a very spoiled, much loved cat. . . and thoroughly deserves to be.

Liz away, we have fun

Liz was away today and there were five volunteers to try to replace her.

She missed the fun of the arrival of our latest litter. A friend of SafeR has been feeding a pair of kittens in Brookvale. She realized that one was about to have a litter so put out a dog carrier and feed her in there. This morning the cat was finally in the carrier when she arrived (the cat was in the process of having her babies!). So she shut the door and high tailed it to Safe Haven.
As soon as the carrier door was opened to put the mum into a condo, she hightailed it to the top of the condos, well out of reach. We didn't take long to "guide" her back to her babies. There are four of them. Mostly black with some white touches (just like Mum).They are well disguised in this photo:

 Across the aisle, Kitty, Scarlet and Kimmy were fascinated.
PS. The mini mama I picked up in Blacktown and delivered to Avalon, has had her litter. There were five. One didn't make it. She is being a very protective mum.

By the time these day old babies are as old as Jewell's bubs, they will have their own condo too. They are three boys and a girl. The girl is the clear eyed tabby. All the boys let me pick them up and turn them over to tickle their tummies. She wasn't having a bar of that!

(We should have a naming competition: Jasper, Jett, Mica, Ruby?)

Meanwhile, Jake (the spraying cat) has had his undescended testicle removed. No wonder the poor boy was acting like an entire male. . . he was one (or, more accurately, half of one). He had been medicated against his natural chemistry.  Already after his operation, he has settled down: no more calling, mounting and very little, not so smelly spraying. Let's hope that he has a chemical free future.

Jake