Bree needs a scratchy pole

 For such a small cat she is remarkably quick. So am I. But she is quicker at catching my thumb with her claw as I hand in her bowl of food, six times a day. She usually only gets me once. Today when she got me, I got her claw. . . stuck in my thumb.

But the good news is that Turbo and Hiccup were adopted today. A nice couple came in looking for a replacement of their dearly beloved female cat. They live in Darling Harbour, have two balconies and work most of the time from home. So, two cats would be better than one. But he loved Teddy who was in smooch mood. And they both loved Mr  Bigglesworth for his relaxed style. And Hank, of cource, because he is a luv bug. 

So I sent them next door to have a coffee and a chat at the cafe there. And they came back having decided to take T & H. They got their carrier as well. And will have a happy life with one cat for both of them.

Another lady came in looking for a kitten to replace her old cat. She has met everybody and will return. 

The woman who adopted Milly brought her in because she has the dreaded ringworm. Just one spot on her ear. She is settling in very well at home. She and the pug get on well. She was reluctant to leave Milly with us for 6 weeks of ringworm treatment. So we told her all about the cream that you can put on the lesion daily and she decided to take Milly home and treat her there. We may get more returned kittens.

We did get two traumatized kittens from a hoarder via Willoughby Vets. (I named them Will and Lobey). They each have very strange, large round red lesions on each side of the back of their necks. They seem terrified of people. . . possibly with good reason. 

Because of the ringworm in the enclosures and coccidia in Isolation, a lot of scrubbing and redecorating took place. Many thanks to Joan for scrubbing the wall behind the stand alone in Isolation. It was decorated with poo that probably was put there by Peach's kittens when they had the coccidia. A lession for  us all . . . don't forget to sterilize the wall!

Cookie (adopted), Chuck and Chip (still with us)

Some random Joy photos because I didn't have time to take any today.

Codie who needs somebody to love her

Cheddar1

Ash who has been adopted

Adoption Tails: Cleo, Mimi, Peach, Leo, Lexi

Cleo

1 day: She has settled in really well so far. She is eating, and drinking, and has used the litter tray a few times. She has found a safe haven under one of their small lounges and she likes it there. She comes out when they talk to her and explores her room. Her owner has picked her up several times today and she is loving it. She is also purring. “She is a beautiful healthy baby girl”. Thank you for allowing her to become our precious beautiful girl. “We just love her so much”. They will keep her name although they sometimes call her Chloe. She may end up as CC. All she wants to do is play with her new toys when it’s bedtime.

Cleo, 1 month

 1 week: She wants to get past the screen door but her owner is a bit scared to let her roam the rest of the house. She is sitting at the back door, looking out the window. She has a couple of favourite spots. She plays with her toys, eats more, uses her litter and lets her owner pick her up. “She is going really well”. She comes to her owner when they call her.

Christmas Cleo

 1 month: “Cleo is just so precious. She has fitted in so well. We just love her with so so much.”

 

Mimi, aka Minx

1 day: She’s good. She is eating well and has used the litter tray. She hides under the couch but smooches and purrs like crazy when her owner puts her hand under the couch. Her owner has gotten to pick her up once. “She is very sweet”

2.5 weeks: “She explores the whole house and is very interested in food. Very sweet. Gets lots of cuddles”

Mimi in foster home

 The following day: Mimi jumped out of the window last night. Her owner has asked the neighbours and has gone out looking multiple times but there’s no sign of her. They saw her outside but she ran away.

The day after: “Mimi has just come back and looks fine and is happy. She just walked in the back door last night and gave a loud meow. She looked very well and wasn't dehydrated. Hungry of course but she wants food all the time. Very affectionate”

1 month: “She's fine apart from being obsessed with food. We have to put her in another room when we have dinner. Never had a cat so obsessed with food. Loves to play with toys we have for her.” She’s been renamed Minx. She often has lunchtime snacks of fish and chicken.

 

 Peach (now called Hinata)

Peach's owner phoned Sydney on Christmas day. She was adopted on 20/01/2023 so it's been almost a year.

"Hinata is such a lap cat now and lives for cuddles"

Leo and Lexi

Sydney also wrote: 

I got this message from Leo's owner on Christmas day. I did the follow-ups for Leo (5569) - adopted September 2022. Victoria did the follow-ups for Lexi (5972) - adopted February 2023. Lexi was one of Molly's kittens.

"Leo and Lexi are great!"

Lexi's first birthday party

Christmas Joy

Leo's dressed for it

 

Adoption Tails: Amber, Pumpkin and Midnight, Peach

 Amber

 1 day: She is going great. She is gaining confidence after a day to run around the house and approach them for pats. She has been eating, drinking, and using the litter tray with no trouble.

Amber, day 1

 2 days: “We are already in love with Amber”. She was very timid at first and kept her distance but now she is very talkative and will flop down for pats.

Amber, 1 week

1 week: She is going great. She is opening up more all the time and is more affectionate. She’s still a bit skittish when she is in new parts of the house, but she is really doing very well.

Amber, 1 month

1 month: She certainly is getting much more confident. She has been sleeping on their beds during the day now. “We absolutely love her”. She has picked her favourite person, their son. Probably because he plays with her the most. She has officially become an adult cat and looks a lot bigger than she did a month ago. She is super energetic and always ready to play or hunt toys. She still doesn’t really like being picked up but she purrs like crazy when they pet her and scratch under her chin. She is a lot calmer now, but she is a ball of energy and runs around the house in the evenings. She is always very curious about the outside and tries to get out when they open the door so they’ve been very careful.

Pumpkin and Midnight

1 day: They are both settling in well. They are both eating, drinking and using their litter trays. Midnight is very playful and adventurous. Pumpkin is slowly getting more comfortable with her new family and her new home. Last night, Pumpkin and Midnight were playing together.

Midnight, day 1

 1 week: They are doing really well. Both have explored further around the house. They spend their time on the couch and chairs and aren’t hiding so much. Midnight is still feeding a couple of times a day from Pumpkin when she allows him. 

Pumpkin, day 1

1 month: “I cannot believe it’s been a month, they are such a part of the family. They are very confident exploring the house and finding nooks to explore. They seem very settled and comfortable and have their favourite chill spots.”

Peach = Hinata

1 day: She has been renamed Hinata, which is a Japanese name meaning towards the sun. She ate a few treats on her first night and peed in her litter tray. On her second night, she seemed interested in the food so her owner brought wet food for her. She couldn’t wait for it to be put down before starting to eat it. Hinata didn’t mind the owner next to her while she was eating. She has a nightlight which keeps her relaxed. She has been napping with her back towards her owner.

Peach, 1 month

1 week: Hinata is doing well. She has explored her safe room and has even opened the door by herself to venture further. She met the resident cat, Bobby. She tries to cosy up to him and he completely ignores her. She has started pooping regularly and enjoys licking the gravy from her wet food. Her owner says “she’s such a cute character” and loves seeing her roll around trying to get Bobby’s attention. Hinata answers Bobby’s meows for attention with little squeaks. She looks like she wants to play with different strings and toys but is a bit shy still.

Peach/Hinata, 1 month

BIn Happy Day

 We now have a second rubbish bin. It was filled and put on the street in time for the pick up this morning. Helen took home 15 bags over the weekend. So the poo bag mountain is melting like the . . . . any comparison that springs to mind is just too ecologically depressing on such a happy occasion.

We had visitors. One came with a large box of single scratchy poles, brand new that we can sell (or give one each to all the cats in Welfare who needs a scratchy) amongst other things. She had a thorough conducted tour. Another woman was delighted to find us because she has a business cat sitting for clients on the other side of the harbour. She often gets cat things given to her by her clients. She is happy to have somewhere to donate them on the side of the bridge that she now lives on. Somebody else rang to offer us a feather doona. . . . no thank you. A couple came to inspect Pearl and Ginger. They have a FIV cat at home and would like another. Peach froze while Ginger who happened to be out when they visited, threw himself at their feet and was his charming self in spades. They chose Peach because they think that Ginger (George) will easily get a home. They will come back on the weekend to do the deed.

Jasmine's kittens in the play place have figured out how to play with the reticulated python toy.

Max was very happy to be offered the Top Cat.

Max

His neighbour is Libby. I had to wake her up to give her a pill with her dinner. She was fast asleep and only woke up after I stratched her forehead for 5 seconds. . . . most uncommon. Once awake she headed straight for her food bowl.

Libby

Last Friday, Puss fell asleep and did a face plant on his shelf. He woke up as I pulled my camera from my pocket. . . . a much more usual reaction to being looked at even though asleep.

Melody was out this afternoon. She seems happier out of the far corner of "Better Row"

Melody

And Lola just wants to play when she tries to scratch you.

Lola

Rosie and Callie are due back next week. Sigh.

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!)

Kitten clean

 I handed out the usual chicken. The Palace lot are coming further out for chicken than before. Adelaide will come up to the upper level for hers. It is interesting that when all four of them were in one condo, Yang was usually upstairs while the other three hid downstairs. The four girls from Incoming are behaving in the same way with one tortie of Kate, Naomi, Helena and Cindy curled up by herself in the bed upstairs and the rest downstairs in the cat carrier.

Kate, Naomi, Helena or Cindy

Sootie was the star performer of the afternoon. She actually ate her chicken while I sat outside her condo with her door open. She then continued and ate all her breakfast wet food with me as an audience. GOOD GIRL.

Peach has been moved from Boarding to below Yang. She is not a happy cat. No chicken thank you.

Peach

There were only 2 D kittens (Dumpling and Dawn both girls). They liked their chicken and polished off their breakfast while I held their dishes for them. They are still full of flu. Dabi, the boy was off having an electrocardiogram because he has a slow heart rate.

Dumpling and Dawn (both girls)

Midsummer LOVED her very small serving of chicken.

Midsummer wants MORE

And Oreo, the boy of Sabrina's three desexed kittens (the other three were off being "done") cleaned the bowl for me.

Oreo cleans while Sabrina misses out

Wrong names

 I have been confused. I will go back and correct previous blogs.

Poe is the big boy who has been desexed. Peppa is the little girl who doesn't get her share of food.

Peppa (L) and Poe (R)

Plus, Simba is the 8 year old, tabby male and Khandi is the grey tabby, 2 year old girl

Simba, 8 yo boy

Khandi, 2 yo girl

I know this because Irene came by this afternoon with a kitten to be microchipped and vaccinated. She knows everything about every(cat)body.

Tommy and Mia's kittens, Bonnie (tortie girl) and Lemmy (white and grey boy) have been moved to above where Khandi and Simba were before they moved out and Peach moved in. They are both heavy enough to be desexed and are high up.

Bonnie and Lemmy

Peach seems to have recovered from her move or was she exhausted by her upstairs neighbours.

Peach

Beauty, yet another black cat in residence has the most amazing eyes. They are both amber and green now that she is relaxed enough to look at you.

Beauty

And Duke's eye operation seems to be successful. He can blink his right eye now. He is such a sweetie.

Duke

Violet explosion imminent

 A picture tells the story.

Violet's tummy

How many kittens are in that tummy? We should find out tonight or tomorrow.

Blueberry and Blackberry made a very brief appearance on the "To be Adopted" page but Blueberry sneezed, Tim looked into her squinty eyes and took them both off the list. They had been moved into Max's stand alone.

Black and Blueberries

Mum Peach was left alone. . . . at last. Is she grieving or is she coming down with the flu too?

Peach

Over on Naughty Row, Taylor is looking much better. 

Taylor

And Lucky looked at me and thought "chicken". . . honestly. I could read her body language. The cats know what day of the week it is.

Goldie is going to be the only kitten available this weekend. She is much friendlier since Stormy was adopted.

Goldie

(PS. I had lunch with Max again. This time I sat on the chair. He stropped my legs then jumped onto the grey stratchy pole so that he could walk onto my lap. He visited for a bit and then retired to his shelf. He is a cool cat and is training me to treat him the way he wants to be treated.