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

 

 

More kittens on Better Row

 Mimi has been moved to where Wolfgang was (ie from Prue and Trude's enclosure). She is a very friendly cat but retires to her hidey hole when nobody is visiting. Open her door and she comes out. Her condo on Better Row is occupied by Ruby and her four kittens. Ruby looks like a kitten herself. (I did take some photo with my camera and was delighted that it decided to work. But when I try to download the photos. . . . no go. I will have to get some cluey vollie to teach me how to "airdrop" from my phone to my computer.)

The O kittens are just next door to Ruby. They are full of zest.

Odysseus

Othello and the girls. Octavia is the one with the ginger nose (?)

And at the very end (above Dinesh) is a cat called Peanut. She has come with a fancy bed with a red bobble toy . . . . and an attitude that says. . . I belong somewhere better than here.,  Won't take her long to fit into Better Row!

Peanut

Gingin and Oreo have moved into the stand alone in Welfare where Crumpet and Marmalade were before moving into Isolation. (I think they rather like their larger stand alone there better).

Gingin and Oreo

Bubble and Squeek have been moved out of Isolation back to Welfare. Are they pleased about it? 

Bubble and Squeek

I think so.

This afternoon, Roxy started to make "Yoohoo" noises. To any available male. . . . 

I had wondered why she was not available. She must not have been desexed yet.

Her neighbours were not interested. The 2 remaining G boys didn't know what  she was talking about. And Bassuria as only ever had eyes for Julie.

Gruff says "What?"

 Where Penelope and Paulina were is a new kitten who is to be really friendly in his foster home. His name is Eric. He is so different to the P girls!

Eric

 

Wolfgang gone

 He left yesterday with a delighted looking lady. He left enough hair on his hammock to make a kitten! I hope his new owner is not a wearer of black clothes.

And today the little H girl,

Hazel

Hazel was adopted. She and her person seem perfectly matched. 

It was a quiet afternoon, again, so I worked on PC's knots. This comb seem to be effective. It has a razor blade inside it but I don't use that side. His hair clumps are diminishing. Probably only 80% left now! He is not enjoying the process but doesn't complain with his claws.

PC

The O kittens came back from being desexed. One has a clot on his sliced scrotum. Be gentle with him. They are Ophelia, Odysseus, Othello and Octavia. The ginger boys purr as soon as you look at them.

Octavia

O boy (!)

 Hoshi and Tsuki were moved from Incoming to Welfare this afternoon. David loves both of them even though only one of them loves to be cuddled. (The shy guy will come around to the feeders).

?H or T?

Last thing today I set up the stand alone in Isolation because Cookie and Marmalade have been confirmed ring worm positive. Earlier in the afternoon I spotted a vollie happily cuddling one of them in Welfare. I mentioned that the "under observation" sign meant that they shouldn't be cuddled. She put the kitten back into the condo and, at my suggestion, left (with her apron which she will wash.)

The fungus that causes ringworm in cats also infects humans. If you find you have an extremely itchy spot somewhere on your body, smother it with Vasoline. That forms an oily film that excludes oxygen from getting to the fungus and slows down its growth. Chemist sell Lamisil which is a cream that kills fungus (athlete's foot fungus, ringworm fungus, whatever fungus.)

 

Adoption tails: superior cats

 Lola is very happy in her new home and often finds places to look down on her people.

Lola on the microwave

 

Octavia used to look down on us before she was adopted.

Octavia in a hammock

But now, at home she "is still a princess but also accepts pats more willingly."

Octavia snuggles, plays, sleeps

Octavia has left the building

It happened yesterday. Tim said that the man who had adopted her and had such a struggle with his body corporate to accept that he should have a cat, finally won his case. When time came to parcel her up into a carry cage, Tim said that she turned herself inside out to love on him. So it was really easy to pop her into the carry case. Her new owner was watching so now knows that she can be a bundle of loving. I remember that I named her Octavia because she was "8" months old when she came to us. She had a sister, Quattro who was "4" months old when they arrived in June last year and was adopted promptly. Lily next.

Today was a busy day with boarders going home, vollies coming and going and sneezing cats all over the place. There are only 5 condos left occupied by boarders. We were full over Easter. We may have to rearrange everybody so that the sneezers can be confined to one area so that they don't infect the rest. Daphne is much better but her kittens came down with the flu.

The girl (who I call Dianthus) is quite well. She will eat her Baby Cat from a bowl. One of her brothers (with more white) will eat it from a spooon. But the other brother needs it to be squirted into his mouth just like we used to do to baby cats at Peggy Browns. I had forgotten the technique but it came back to me. Let the kitten chomp on the syringe, slip it behind the canines and gently press the plunger so that the milky food trickles into their mouth and they swallow rather than choke. But it takes time. I didn't have any time left over to take photos. But Joy did. The pregnant mum, Rosie who was taken off to a foster home kept trying to escape from there so was brought back, kittenless yesterday. During the afternoon after her redelivery, she popped 2 kittens. Overnight she popped another 3. . . we think. It is hard to count when peeking quickly so not to disturb her.

Matty had an adventure on Sunday night. He escaped from his and Maddy's condo at dinner time. Helen could not entice, force, coerce him down from the top of the air conditioner. So she left a litter box, his dinner, some water near his condo. By morning he was back with Maddy but hadn't eaten the offerings.

Bridie still doesn't like new people even if they are as nice as Joy.

Let there be air

Sometime over the weekend, or before, somebody installed glass, screened louvres in the window across the corridor outside our font door. We have air circulation from outside our front door, through our suite and out through the balcony. No more smell. Hurrah.

Billy was posted on the SAFE webpage last night. This morning Val rang. She adopted Sam some months ago and fancied Billy at that time. She has come back to visit since Sam settled in so well. Last night Billy was posted on the web site. He didn't even have his blue card or his file in the "For Adoption" folder. But Val came and was happy to see how much more relaxed he is. He accepted her carresses and let me lift him into her cat carrier. I carried him down to her car and waved him goodbye. He will have a devoted carer.

There was an email from the man who adopted Octavia. He is slowly convincing his body corporate that he can have a cat. Octavia doesn't look anxious to leave. She just looks fabulous.

The Gooie Eyed Five have got over their . . . . what ever it was. Now they have ringworm. They have also learned how to rattle their door hard enough so that it opens and they can explode all over the floor. Thank goodness our lease on the spare room off the kitchen corridor has come to pass. All the germy kittens can be confined there. In the meantime, the gooie eyes get corraled in a cage. See their bright eyes.

Lola loves sitting on a pile of fabric.

Grass for treats

The rain has made the grass in pots grow. So I took a box of pots to Safe Haven this afternoon to give as treats for the cats. They were not as keen on grass as they are on chicken. And one box of pots doesn't have enough grass for everybody. So I had to play favourites. Of course, Billy got his pot first. He has decided that I am "alright" and accepts pats willingly. Marmalade, on the other hand, is still unhappy that I am not Tim. Same with Soxy and Buddy/Petey. What is this boy/boy thing. The kittens are unaffected it is just the adults. It might just be that they are shyer and like the hand that feeds them most often. When I came to take a few photos, I got the "flat battery" message, again. So I will add some old photos. Candy and Collette were not feeling well this afternoon. They didn't leap out of their condo when the door was opened with a food offering. They just lay at the back of the very hot box. They were desexed earlier in the week and still have their collars on.

Sapphire is wearing a collar too. She, and Tiny Tim will be adopted on Sunday. Big Tim is counting the nights he still has to take them home with him.

Octavia is still with us but has moved to the outer edge of Quarantine. Gracie has moved out to the condo below Dobby (whose nose is getting stuffier every day in the stuffy condo). Daphne and the 3 little d's are in a wheely cage where Octavia was. I have talked my cat Cody into being brushed every day. He rather enjoys it. But he doesn't purr as loudly as Tara did when I brushed her today.

I roll the fur I brush off him into balls. I would much rather these fur balls that the ones that he vomits up.

SH is good for your heart

It gives it exercise in all different ways. For example, when I arrived this morning I quickly went around to check on each cat and to count them (85 but I think I may have missed Octavia and other stand alones). Everybody was in their place. So I took the (17) trash bags out to the garbage bins because Wednesday is the day when the garbos come and there are lots of half empty bins along the street. When I got back the last time the Japanese kittens were running all over the place. They had forced their way through the hole in their screen door that I mended last Friday. I quickly rounded them up and popped them back with a temporary bit of cardboard. That is when I discovered that their mum wasn't there. Wasabi could have been anywhere. Under the food shelves, on top of the condos, over the balcony. . . . Terry arrived and started the search. After about 5 minutes he stopped and said "But Wasabi went home on Saturday". Such a relief for my poor overworked heart. You have got to love Terry. The day proceeded. The vollies arrived and found that we have very few gloves. I asked them to spray their hands with F10, put on gloves, clean cat 1, take off gloves, respray with F10, do cat 2 without gloves, spray hands, put on gloves, clean cat 3, etc, etc. It cuts the glove usage in half. And the cats prefer skin to plastic. Billy positively stroked himself against my hand. He was all about the pats today. Last week he was all over Joy as well.

Amber has two room mates. They are probably her siblings. They are shy as she was when she arrived but I can pat her now.

Sesame has always been all about the pats. She doesn't have any canines so has trouble keeping her tongue in her mouth when she is happy.

Zelda is back and available. Third time lucky, we hope. Especially since I cut an old, dry turd from the tip of her tail!

Windsor is not happy in his new digs. . . . same hidey hole but not as willing to come out for strokes.

Mattie and Maddie have been moved away from Marigold. None of them are happy about it, yet.

But Peggy was happy to have a gloveless pat.

At the final feeding of the day, I gave Marmalade his portion of crunchies and he looked at me with a hurt expression on his face. "Where is my cuddle?" it seemed to be saying. So I reached out and he happily got the caress that Tim gives him every day. Good exercise for the heart. (Plus I walked 9.92 K there today.)

Continuous visitors and enquires

Before we had finished cleaning up a woman arrived to check out Floyd. But on further chat she indicated that she would prefer a pair. So after lots of cuddling she chose a boy and girl from the N kittens who got 50 kisses each a day from their fosterer. . . . . Nancy and Nigel will continue with their luxury lifestyle. Poor Nero is left behind to be handed to any visitor who wants to cuddle a kitten. By the end of the day even he had had enough cuddles. Then somebody came to see if we had any kittens. I showed her the availables and she chose the grey tabby. . . either Charles or Christopher who are not available. She will keep her eye on our website. Another woman came to check out Elona who was having none of this being looked at business. She stuck firmly to the inside of her igloo. In the meantime, Nero got cuddled, Luna performed beautifully, I got the history of her previous cat who was adopted from Ingleside AWL 8 years ago. The cat's name was Calico. . . we did have a few of those. . . . She was incompletely desexed so kept coming into heat. She was a stress eater because of problems before AWL days. So she developed diabetes. She didn't like to sit on her person's lap unless there was a cushion there ready for her. She was a much loved cat. This woman brought in her son because he is a good cat picker. He cuddled Nero. In the meantime, she enquired about the birth dates of all the available, and unavailable cats. She liked Octavia. And Lily. She will return. One of my jobs for the day was to find out the sex of each of Silky's kittens who now live in the play place. Silky is in glorious isolation below Windsor. She gets to eat all the food all by herself. I sat with her kittens and played with them. They were not enthusiastic.

Being their mother's children, the only time I could try to determine their sex was when they were lined up with their heads in their food bowls. I quickly lifted their tails and made a guess. . . boy, girl, boy, girl. Four little kittens were dropped off yesterday. They were lively this morning but by the afternoon they were not happy. Could be worms. Could be they miss their mum.

Belle update #1

Robyn sent some photos of the new mother.

I hope she will continue to document their progress. Meanwhile, last Friday she got a classic shot of Princess Octavia.