Better Row

 The Willoughby bin trucks were late this morning so I got 20 bags of rubbish off the balcony before they arrived. We still only have one Willoughby bin and it is 2/3 full already. We do not want to take any bags of rubbish with us to Mona Vale.

Progress is being made there. We will have lots more enclosures (10 of each size) so I am frantically making hammocks for them.

Today I noticed that Cheeto's stratchy box was hairy. He must loose hair continuously . . whatever breed of cat that he is. That is a very condensed ball of his fur from the  box.

Cheeto and his hair

 His neighbours, Cosmo and Coco just want to eat.

Cosmo and Coco

  There is a new cat on Better Row, Enzo who would dispute the name.

Enzo

 And a couple of kittens below Cheeto don't seem to spend time together in their condo. Always one above and the other trying to get to whoever opens his door.

Daisy (I just vant to be alone)

and 

Milo (Let me show you this trick)

 I moved Chalk from Incoming to where Oreo and Gingie were. . . they were adopted.

Dinesh is back from the vet and is transitioning away from the ZD diet. Hope this makes him happier.  

He is not happy. And not eating. Not even special treats of baby food.

Chalk

Nutmeg, on the other hand is full of beans and happy to be where Cookie and Marmalade were. . . they were adopted.

Neat

 

In fact, I didn't notice how nicely the carrier cages on top of the condos in Welfare were arranged until after I spotted a label (that was on the carrier that Zena/Xena/Goldie came in via the cat taxi) in the paper bin by the computer. I usually sort the paper from the plastic from the tins in there on Wednesday. That label made me think that somebody had "given" her carrier to an adopter. So I looked up and "Amazing, Neat, Tidy" on both sides.

 And on top of the "new" cages.

So I looked on Better Row: which looked neat too.

But Boarding is still messy.

Later this afternoon I moved Dawson out of Boarding. He happily went into a long thin box to be transported. I put him into Rosie and Callie's condo in Welfare because they were adopted this afternoon to a lady who is disabled and lives quietly at home with 2 spare bedrooms and a carer who really CARES. He was lovely. I don't think it will be long before Callie is on her knee and Rosie is on the bed.

Then a couple came who had come before to look at cats but were off on their travels so postponed their choice. They chose Milo whom I hadn't met before. She was in Faith's condo. That seems to be the hot spot this year. I reminded them of the jingle "It's marvelous what a difference Milo makes" and they smiled, and smiled.

The play place is all disinfected and has a stand alone erected there for a returning cat. More on Friday (perhaps).
 

Light on staff

 As soon I arrived I was asked to tell vollies what to do about the rubbish tins. The last month or two has gone on very well without my interventions. But today, half a dozen of the regular vollies were off sick. Luckily, the remaining few did a splendid job and the Couzen bins are on the sidewalk.

Savannah's little adoptee, Sybie, is putting on weight. She guzzled down her extra feeds today. Her weight has gone up to 370gm! Savannah looks exhausted though and somebody is vomiting or doing very sloppy poos in her condo. (Talking of which, Aslan has just squirted a poo in the litterbox beside my desk. Excuse me for a minute. . or two.)

Be entertained by the kittens who were picked up from the street and brought in this afternoon. They have been farmed out to a bottle feeder. (Irene sent me a video but all I got was a jpeg.)

The guy who is fostering Eli came in. He and Eli are getting on famously. And the woman who adopted LeClerc dropped by to report how well he is getting on. He is entertaining the entire family.

And a woman rang to ask how she could meet our cats. She mentioned being interested in Aslan. We shall see.

Then the family returned who were interested in a ginger cat. . . . Griffin when last they came. But he has gone. So they settled on Max. Irene had spoken to their fosterer and been told that while Milo and Max are good mates, they are not necessarily bonded. So she OK'd them to take Max by himself.

Max

Not this Max but the ginger kitten. This Max is much happier not being next to the doorway. . . . even though he doesn't look that cheerful.

Now Milo has been moved to where Faith was and will probably be adopted over the weekend. 

Milo

 And Rose may be put in a small stand alone on top of where Le Clerc was, but where Luna is now.

green eyed Luna

 

Adoption Tails: Olga & Milo

 Olga & Milo, a mother & son bonded pair

1 day: All is going well - both Milo and Olga came out of their room last night, eating well and using the litter. Milo, the little one, is extremely adventurous. Mumma is still working things out and that's OK. The family will keep their names - Milo stuck and mum had a laugh as the kids were calling Olga "Ogre" and then to Princess Fiona so she may turn into Fifi. Milo was very comfortable on the bed last night and Fifi was out and about, taking her time. The family feels very fortunate to have their foster carer post on their local FB community page so that they found SAFE. They are so grateful for the amazing work SAFE does - "these kitties are wonderful and that only comes with lots of love and attention".

1 week: They are doing well. Milo is getting more and more confident by the day and is wonderful with the kids, Olga has been getting braver and braver - she comes out and sleeps on the lounge most days which is a good sign. They are eating well and using the litter well so all seems good!

Olga and Milo

1 month: They are wonderful! Settling in very well - Olga even comes out for pats and loves the sun!

Lucyfurr, now Shuri Lucille Portree

1 day: Lucy arrived home in the late afternoon and spent the night hiding under a stool in her room. She's popped out this morning and is starting to explore her room (the owner's office) which is lovely. The owner does not think Lucy has eaten much yet but understands it is a huge adjustment for her and it is still early days.

1 week: Lucy is going well - starting to explore the house and open up a little. She's having a tough time deciding which chair to rest on.

Lucyfurr

1 month: She is doing very well, settled and relaxed. She's grown a lot in the last few weeks. The boys updated her name to Shuri Lucille Portree... which seems to suit her.

Lucyfurr = Shuri Lucille Portree

Rootless

 I noticed today that the Morten Bay Fig that grows on the cliff opposite our verandah is not looking well. A section of it's leaves are yellowed. Morten Bay Fig trees do not loose their leaves in autumn. I suspect it might be happening because somebody, with a chain saw, cut through the roots that run down the cliff face to the gutter beside our driveway. This may have been a spectacularly stupid thing to have done. Time will tell.

In the meantime, two of Virgo's boys have been adopted. She looks much more relaxed than she did when she had five boy kittens. Here she is with everybody piled on top of her. Her daughter is wearing the collar.

Virgo +4

 And Jordan got adopted. Of course. 

Milo has a leave by date: June 24. He can't wait to get home.

Milo

Maeve has moved to above Chia et al. She might regret the move because they are a rowdy lot and she enjoyed the peace and quiet of the Boarding row. I didn't have any trouble moving her. She stayed in her box. If you miss Opie, he might be hiding in the blue box in the foyer.

Where's Opie?

Geoff spent some time trying to ensure that the Top Cat is safe for the folk who set it up. There is a cord at the top between the middle bit and one side that ensures that the "roof" does not fall onto somebody's head when it is swung over and that cord is not in place. If you disconnect the cord in order to make it a line rather than a 3 sided square, please put it back when the apparatus is stashed or the next folk might be brained.

Geoff might be whisked off to Canada to help with the wild fires there. The organisers are overwhelmed so it might not happen which will be good for us. But imagine what interesting critters he could rescue in the Canadian wilderness!

Lucky day

 Lots of vollies today. I cleaned only one condo which took a good half an hour. Some clever person had put a pot of grass on one of the upper shelves in Luigi, Maria and Princess's stand alone. Some cat knocked it over. There was dirt over everything. Plus one of the ties on their hammock had broken, and water was everywhere and the litter was mostly under the stand alone and not in the litter tray. I forgot (couldn't bear to) take a before photo. Here is the after photo to prove that they can stay clean for more than 5 minutes.

top to bottom: Princess, Maria, Luigi

 

Ginger Meggs is in boarding again. He is to get play time every day. But he refused to come out of his condo today. Perhaps tomorrow. In the meantime, Milo got a good wander. Last time he was out he came when I called him. This time I had to search. He was on the very top of the boxes on top of the food shelves . . . . just to prove that he is a big, strong, athletic cat (and butter wouldn't melt in his mouth).

Milo

Simon likes high places too.

Simon

The surprise of the afternoon was Lucky boy. Cammy had him out on Monday afternoon and said that after an initial hiss, he was very friendly. He was the same this afternoon. He is a delightful fellow, with a kink on the end of his tail. He is good for a pat, a purr, a play and is willing to meet other cats.

Lucky boy

But the lucky cat of the day was Maxwell. Cammy was determined to give him a bath. I was going to help with the bandaging afterwards. But the cat shampoo was locked in the medicine cabinet. He missed out.

Maxwell

Roger's dirty face and grubby coat is probably due to ringworm. He must have the same fungus that Maxwell had when he arrived.

Roger

Bins arrived

 But only half of them: one each for paper/cardboard and general waste. Better than nothing. Where we will store all the bins is another problem to be solved.

Jasmine was adopted yesterday. But not by the mum with 2 pretty daughters. A mum with a son adopted her. So, the mum with 2 might come tomorrow to get Maeve or Ruby. Their choice will be complicated by the additional cats there are to choose from today. Who could resist:

Biscuit with that pert tongue (which pokes out because her canines have been removed).

Biscuit

Milo and Olga who have moved to where Charlie and Champ were. (A vollie adopted them and is very happy). Milo was out with the gang this afternoon. He is a smaller version of Simon and is very interested in food. He kept going into other people's condos looking for anything edible. Olga stayed put.

Milo and Olga

Ussie who is where Jasmine used to be. S/he is a bit wary but not hissy.

Ussie

And Pearl is available. She has recovered from her initial shyness and is all over pats and attention. Unfortunately she is still out back in boarding, up in the heavenly condo. There should be some rearrangement to bring her into Welfare. (Perhaps Lucky boy can go to Better Row.)

Pearl

 

Geoff had a shock when he arrived. Chia's kittens had eaten a hole in the cat mesh that he installed. It is supposed to be cat proof. He took lots of photos of the mended hole (I wove in cable ties to keep the kittens in), the hole with the cable ties removed, the hole with a kitten contemplating escape. He will send them to the manufactures of the "chewproof" mesh. Perhaps we will get a refund.

Geoff removes the cable ties for the photo shoot

 

 

Loose screw . .

. . .  on the right side of Virgo's condo. There is a screwdriver in a jar on top of the filing cabinet to tighten it up. Nothing wrong with Virgo that won't be cured by her kittens growing up.

Vicky wanted photos of some of the cats that need to go up on the Adoption list. Joy took some beauties. I helped Vicky find out what the cats are like.

Maxwell is a love. He chirrups and loves to play and although he looks a bit rough he is really a sweetie.

Maxwell

Maeve is out on Better Row and hides on her upper shelf. I climbed the ladder and found that she wasn't a bit interested in the creamy treat but was very interested in being patted and petted.

Maeve

Just like Jasmine who is a lovely cat and couldn't get enough attention. 

Jasmine

She can't mix with other cats in Welfare because of her infection history. Her kittens, Rajah and Genie have been moved to Welfare and have the same quarantine restriction. They are where Milo used to be. Milo is around the back in Boarding.

Rajah

Genie

McQueen and Donatella have been taken off the adoption list (I thought they had been chosen) because they have an intestinal infection that is being treated. I decided not to change their hammocks which are looking grubby.

McQueen and Donnatella

They had an interesting afternoon because Cammy decided to tidy up the merch shelves. They look much better. We decided that duplicate of cat beds can be stored elsewhere (in Opies Room). And I think we should give everybody who adopts a cat a free cat bed for the rest of the month. . . . at least.

My finger looks like chicken

 I was late getting around to handing out the chicken this afternoon. We had a delivery of litter after we had used up the very last bag. (Thank you M). 

Just because there is a big pile, please don't use more than you absolutely have to.

Madeline was picked up. Katie always worries that Madeline will die when she is boarding with us because she is over 19 years old. And the C-kitten with possible ringworm went home as well. There is a sign on her condo that it be cleaned with bleach. Tim couldn't see any fluorescence when he shined the Wood's lamp on her lesion. But that only works 50% of the time. They should take her to the vet to have a skin scraping taken. The results won't come back for 3 weeks. In the meantime, Vivienne and Calvin are "no touch" cats.

Milo is still with us. His new person (one of our vollies) is moving house. We must warn her that he will find somewhere high to hide. I had him out for a short while this afternoon and he immediately went to the top of the condos to find a carrier to hide in.

Milo at ground level

We tried the Top Cat on Biscuit and then on Bella. Neither ventured out even when temped with treats.

Bella

But I had a first sighting of Charlie. He came out of the carry case that has been his home for the past month, at least A friend wants a pair of cats. . . . .

Charlie and Champ

The other Charlie in Incoming was at the vet this afternoon having an operation. He survived that but didn't recover from the anesthetic. 

Chicken was late with all this. One of the black Rolling Stones, who are getting much bolder, mistook my finger for chicken while I was pushing pieces through the play place mesh. Chomp. . . drip, drip, drip.

No show garbos

 After all Dean's effort to get the poo bags out on time, the garbos didn't come today. Shit!

There were heaps of vollies so the work got done in record time which meant that lots of cats got to be out together with lots of supervisors/cuddlers. Milo thought there was too much action at ground level so jumped to the trolly, to the top of Maxwell's stand alone, then straight up to the top of the condos. All we could see of him were his ears behind the row of carriers. There he stayed until Rosanna arrived with a very tall American, and his daughter (perhaps). He didn't need much talking into to help get Milo down. And Milo didn't need much prompting from the giant. I popped him back into his condo.

Later when the vollies had gone and it was quieter, I let out Maxwell (so that I could change his hammocks). He is a very handsome cat with stricking markings and black balls. Callie thought he was lovely and chirruped at him.

Maxwell and Callie

After I put him back in his stand alone, I was able to pat Callie for the first time ever. She is soft, soft, soft. (Rosie, the fluffy mum stayed in her carry cage, of course.)

Callie

Then I let Aslan out and he had a grand leg stretch and cheek marked every vertical surface. Charlie didn't appreciate Aslan looking at him but everybody else seemed cool.

Aslan

Later we had visitors. One couple came to check out our boarding facilities. They have to go to Argentina to do some family business (her's) which will take at least a month. They met Ginger Megs' folk at a luncheon who mentioned how convenient we are and how happy GM was with us. So they came to check us out. He got the details. She doted on every cat. 

Later a mother arrived with her 2 kids: girl about 8 and boy about 6. The kids, and dad, want a cat. She hasn't had one before. Daughter wants a kitten. Son wants a cat who will love him completely. Mum was undecided. Dad is in Melbourne. They will be back. Today the choice was between Simon, Miranda and Milo. Milo was very good with the overactive, loud boy.

Milo and friend

In Quarantine, where Joy slaved away, there are some kittens who might be added to their not-so-short list:

Aster

Dahlia

And if they are prepared to wait a little longer there is always Adele's three in the Junk Room. And others.

Adele + 3