Scary Hands

There has been lots of movement since last Friday. Somebody else needs to update the blog after the weekend.

The best news, perhaps, is that an older couple came on Sunday and adopted Diva and Sienna. They have a room of their own. They have ventured out of their carry cage. The man comes to sit in their room but is happy to wait until they want more interaction.

And Saxon has gone. Don't know where but whoever has him is one lucky person.

And Pepi has gone. Again.

In her condo is a cat "called" TBA. I hope that means To Be Adopted. But she is very shy. I left her breakfast bowl out on the shelf and she hadn't eaten it by dinner time. I gave her a modesty cloth to hide behind.

TBA

Across the aisle from her is a cat called Baby. S/he is 13 years old. Initially I thought that s/he was another shy cat because all I could see was a spotted back inside the carry cage. But I said hello and out the cat popped and was so pleased to see me that it was difficult to get a photo. My guess is that he is a male. 

Baby

Kimi is another "shy" cat who is perfectly happy to get pats. She keeps herself very tidy.

Kimi

And Luna has settled down. Last week she screamed blue murder whenever anybody came near her. Today she was quiet, polite and neat.

Luna

I handed out some treats, on my fingers to try to build trust with some shy cats.

Lynette wouldn't have anything from my fingers but she is eager to engage. . . . theoretically, until you reach towards her.

Lynette

Quatro purred like an engine while trying to push the treats off my fingers so that she could eat them. She did, eventually, take them from my hand and gently nibble my fingers. Perhaps she hadn't come across any before?

Quatro

Octavia wasn't having anything to do with fingers. She didn't say a word but the eyes spoke volumes. . . . get out of my space.

Octavia

New faces

We may become the shelter for shy/stray cats if this week's new faces are anything to go by.

Behind complete blackout modesty cloths are Leopold and a pregnant mum. The mum is the one who should have come when Chevy arrived. He has gone to foster somewhere. But there are 2 kittens in semi-modesty, but without names:

"Kitten 4 months"

"Kitten 8 months"

Perhaps they could be called Quartro and Octavius.

Another of Harriet's kittens, Heidi, was adopted. One of the remaining boys has an EOI. They cuddled together on their smaller hammock. 

Henry, Harold, Haley

Bosely is back from his op and not feeling very well. Shumai was vet checked and has a heart murmur. Saxon is still having his water consumption monitored. He doesn't look like a nine year old.

Saxon

Nam is upset by his neighbour next door, Midnight who was surrendered for any number of reasons. She is only 1 or 2 and is loud. But the cat below who is a screecher is more upsetting to the cats, and to the gaunletted Tim. Didn't try for a photo of him/her or even to clean his/her litter tray

MidnightNam

Kimi is back from 12 months foster. She is still shy.

Kimi and Jo photographing Kimi. Tim wants better photos of Diva and Sienna for the website. Joy took hundreds by enticing them to play. (I replaced their old carry cage/bed with an identical one which is not hairy or wet (yet)/

Sienna and Diva

Should a collection of shy cats be called a blush of cats or a skitter of kitties?

Late yesterday afternoon Pepi was adopted. Hurrah.

Boss Cockie

It was my first time at being boss cocky today. And I arrived to an open condo. The igloo was neatly placed on the floor in front of the open door. So I checked the day book to see if those two shy, surrendered cats (Hera and ?) had been adopted last thing on Tuesday. Nothing in the book.
I checked behind the block of condos beside the ghastly art work. There were two sets of eyes peering up at me.
So I left them there to think about the situation they had got themselves into. With no breakfast until after Ros and Joy had cleaned all the condos and it quietened down. Then we got busy with the broom stick and blankets. I almost got the tuxedo as he tried to squeeze past me by pressing him against my back and the condos. He wiggled away from me by ripping my shirt (sorry Catsie) and shot off to the top of availables condo block.
We turned our attention to the cat still behind the ghastly condo block. Joy pushed the broom at her and decided that she was stuck. . . must be a fat cat. So I pushed against the condos and made a wider space so that I could get to her. She was just catatonic. I picked her up and took her to Candace's condo. Then I pushed the ghastly condo block back into place and further against the wall. Only a one inch wide cat will fit behind that block in the future.
Isn't it surprising how strong you can be when the adrenaline is coursing through your veins?

Back to the tuxedo. He settled down behind Katies glam carry cage but we frightened him over the top to ground level. Eventually he hid on the bottom shelf of the trolly in Boarding. I moved everything in front of him, Ros found a top loading carry cage, I picked him up and put him in the carry cage. . . . calmly. (The adrenalin was tailing off at this stage).

So he is downstairs and she is upstairs (or vice versa) and the trap door between them is open. They have food.

The rest of the day was calm. A mother and son came to choose a kitten on the firm understanding that they cannot reserve one and have to phone each Monday to find out who will be desexed the next day. They had a lovely cuddle. The kittens loved it. They have four cats already at home but the late teenaged son wants a kitten of his own. They have adopted Samson from AWL. . so are good folk.

Angus is all alone next door on Tuesday to Thursday. So I spent some time with him late in the day. I think he didn't quite know why.

Angus

Joy sent some photos as I was too busy cockying to take many.

Harriet's chocolate box top kittens

Lucia

Indie

Pepi

Sootie

New cat arrived last night, name begins with C. . . Cecily or Cecilia

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.

More kittens

First the good news: Pepi has been adopted to an older couple who have grandchildren.

Pepi

We were asked to clean the kittens first, even before the borders. Catsie had to hold the kittens while I cleaned their condos. . . . I gave her the hard job.

This little, white and grey tabby boy has shy eyes but is quite engaged with people and toys. Tim thought that the folk who dropped him off called him Nemo. But he is not ginger and white striped so we will probably change that name.

 There are three tiny kittens who prefer to hide in a cat cave. They haven't quite got the hang of the litter tray. So while I was cleaning crap off the tail of one, he obligingly pooed for me. There are two ginger tabbies and a grey tortie girl.

 We moved the M's: Mozart, Monti, Mikado and Madonna to a condo out back across from the feeding station. They had knocked over their water, probably yesterday, so all headed for the clean water bowls. The sound of lapping was loud.

Madonna, Mikado, Monti, Mozart

I think I have brushed most of Caramel's winter coat off her back and sides. While she was sitting beside her food bowl waiting for more pats, I noticed that she has a white chest and tummy with a grey mark on her chest that is shaped like half a heart. I suggested to Tim that she should be our Valentine cat . . . . . "mend my broken heart, adopt me".

Caramel

Four kittens came and went

I am not sure where they came from but when I arrived this afternoon to a wonderfully cleaned Safe Haven (thank you morning crew) there were two tiny kittens and two slightly bigger kittens looking for a mama. They had been to the vet earlier in the day and given subcutaneous fluids. The two tinyest ones may not make it. They are "mouth breathing". The bigger ones were trying their best to keep their little sibs warm.
 I tried to give them some formula but most of it ended up on their chest rather than in their tummies. Three out of four were successfully toileted. .. . so I haven't lost that knack.

Tim took them to a fosterer in Dee Why who has a mother cat whose kittens have been recently weaned in the hope that she would take to this little family. And she did. . . immediately. Such a relief. Even if the tiny ones don't make it, at least their last days will be under the loving tongue of a mama cat. This fosterer has families of kittens in almost every room of her house.

The SH cats know that I bring grass on Friday afternoon and set up a feeding frenzy noise as soon as they see me. I have to throw grass into their condos quickly to quieten them down. I then go back later to each condo to help them eat it. They prefer their grass to point upwards rather than to lie flat. I am happy to hold it for them while telling them how beautiful they are.

Tilly

Tilly has worn an Elizabethan collar this week. So I stuck her grass in her spiral toy. When I came back to "help" her eat it, I expected her to hiss at me. But she almost threw herself at me with purrs and wiggles. What a change of personality! Eventually I felt sorry that she couldn't eat easily (food left in bowl) or drink with that great collar on, so I took it off. And she reverted, somewhat, to her usual hissy personality. But she was more interested in cleaning herself. So when she had done that and her tongue (and teeth) arrived to her stitched tummy, I put the collar back on her. And she became smoochy again. Go figure!

Samantha has become a smoochie cat too. Tim says that her eyes aren't as mucky since he started to pat her. Is it the power of touch or coincidence? She was more interested in having me pat her than eating her grass upright or lying down. (Her sister, Elsa, was so horrified when Tim took her, in her square bed to the vet earlier in the week, that she has reverted to hiding on her upper, inaccessible shelf).

Tortie

Tortie has always been a SMOOCHER. It is such a pity that she caught the flu. Her vocalisations are "varied", to say the least. Whereas, Pepi just hisses, still.

Pepi

Photos curtesy of Joy because I forgot my camera today.

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.