Adoption Tails: Harley and Quinn, Heidi and Axel

 Harley

 1 day: She’s doing ok. She’s still a little shy and still likes her safe place. She’s eating well and using the litter box with no problems. They will be keeping her name.

Harley

1 week: “She's well and truly settled in. Definitely comfortable around the whole house now. Playing with the laser at the moment.”

5 weeks: She is doing well. The vet recommended feeding her more dry food than wet but it didn't agree with her stomach so they’re back to the way it was before but more of a balance. She's burning a lot more energy in a two-storey house.

Quinn

1 week: Quinn has done very well. She was happy to explore outside her safe from quite early. “She has a very healthy appetite.”

2 weeks: “She’s not shy anymore at all”

6 weeks: “We are doing well, Quinn is a very affectionate kitten. She loves the tunnel and scratching post playhouse they bought her. She lives inside and her owner thinks they’ll keep it that way long-term. She is now sitting on her owner’s lap while they’re studying.

Quinn

Heidi, now Cookie

3 days: “She’s settling in well.” She has used the litter tray and has been both eating and drinking. She has been renamed Cookie.

Heidi, now Cookie

1.5 weeks: “She’s settling in very well”. She explores the whole house and her safe room is now her bedroom.

Heidi

5 weeks: no response

Axel, now Popcorn

2 days: “Everything is good! His new name is pop corn and he likes sleep on my belly”. They haven’t seen him go to the toilet actively but if they put him in the litter tray, he will use it.

Axel

 4 days: They’ve bought a few scratchers and have put them on the floor. They also have vertical scratching areas on the cat tree. He doesn’t like using them and prefers to scratch on the carpet. He doesn’t seem to realise how to use the scratching post yet so they will watch him and guide him. They have already trimmed his nails when he’s sleepy. “He is a purring machine when we play with him”

1.5 weeks: He runs around in the living room every night. His owners say he is an “energetic boy”. “He plays and eats normally, and loves playing with us.”

Axel

 5 weeks: “Everything is well!”

 

Coco

 Again, thank you Tuesday for schlepping out all the bags. But Willoughby council only emptied one of our trash bins! The other is full already. I put the empty one in the garage and left the full one where it was put along the pathway down the hill. Who put it there? It was with all the rest on the gutter when I arrived. The mysteries of trash collection!

Coco, our frequent boarder was in the play place when I arrived. She wasn't happy. Eventually I thought that she might be happier back in a condo where she is usually happy. I talked her out of the multi-storey climby thing to somewhere I could pick her up. I think she couldn't figure out how to get out if where she was. The story is that her owner, a SAFE member, had a heart attack on Saturday and Coco was to be with us indefinitely. Later in the day, we had a call from the owner to say that she would pick Coco up this afternoon. She duly arrived and Coco was overjoyed to see her. I held her carry case up to the condo and Coco walked straight into it. Easiest cat to crate in existence! 

Lola kept trying to get into Incoming. Eventually Sue gave her a new bed on the table in Opies Room and she was a happy cat snoozing the afternoon away.

Lola

Josie's kittens have names

Jake

Josh, no longer holding up a sore paw

Several calls came in about Ricki. All from the family of the neighbour of her foster carer. They wanted to reserve her. But we don't do that. It is "first in, first served" at Safe. But by the time I had heard the sad story of the neighbour's lovely cat having died yesterday, and how much they loved Ricki, and that they really could not get to us this afternoon, and that they will be at Safe at 10am tomorrow. . . . I said that if any other customers came this afternoon, I wouldn't show them Ricki. Luckily, no customers came.

Ricki

Sue had me writing bios of the cats who are not available for adoption that she can use when she needs instant bios. It is not easy to do. For example what do you say about Willow except that she has hidden for 4 months and seems to be coming out of her shell now.

Willow

Or about Harley and Quinn who have only been with us for a week and in that week have changed from scardey cats into coy young girls who long to flirt with you.

Harley and Quinn (or vice versa)

Or about Stardust who was one of three crazy cats in the Palace who is now a pussy cat as a single.

Stardust

More movements

 Gracie has finally moved out of Isolation. Her kittens were all adopted months ago. Now she is on Better Row and looks more comfortable already.

Gracie

The morning team was super efficient this morning and when I arrived several were wandering around asking for things to do. Luckily, there are always garbage bags to be organised. And kittens to be cuddled. Sineada came in the afternoon to learn how to be assistant day manager. She got to hand out the chicken which was her reward after she tidied up the bowl shelf (the bane of my afternoons!)

I thought to put Bonnie and Ricky into the play place which is empty. Tim said "make sure you can pick him up before you take him there". No way was he going to be picked up. Bonnie is perfectly happy to be given a cuddle though. So Sineada and I put up the top cat for them and they had a lovely time. Big Kahuna enjoyed watching their antics. All will sleep well tonight. So will Ricki who got to explore the play place.

Bonnie and Ricky below

Below Billy are Quinn and Harley. Don't know where they came from. Both are torties. I thought Quinn was a boy's name.

Harley and Quinn

Dorian and Sterling were in the Palace by themselves. Geoff said that he was happy to be able to feed them without being spat at by Starlight who was at the vet. I set up the condo above Ashley (their sister) for Starlight because he might stop his spitting if the competition of two brothers is removed.

Dorian and Sterling below

Lola gave me "the look" as I arrived. I was carrying a litter tray of grass pots from Joan. I gave her a pot.

Lola's new possie

She rewarded me by licking the chicken bowl very, very clean.

Shock news

 Cathy went to the vet to have an ultrasound to see if she is pregnant. And it was discovered that she is a he and his undescended testes were removed. Hence the Elizabethan collar. And hence his outrage at being put into girl's gear.

Chris was Cathy

By a strange coincidence, I recently knitted a basset hound for my brother to give to his granddaughter on her first birthday, next week. I made some dresses for it and then some boys' clothes and eventually decided that their names are Cathy and Cagney depending on how they feel on the day.

Cagney with their bag packed ready to go

Cathy dressed for a walk

 

 

Back to the cattery:

Toby has one black whisker. He is the brother who hides under his bed. Finn had a bell on his collar but the collar has been removed. He is the one who is everybody's friend. Toby is friendly too and loves a tummy rub but would prefer to be under the bed. I gave him a bath mat to lie on down there.

Toby

Melody is back. She was thought to be pregnant so Steph took her home. She was not pregnant after all (the theme of the day) so now she is in Ashleigh's condo.

Melody

 

Schnitty went to the vet yesterday. Turns out that his eyelid was turned under so that his eyelashes were scratching his eye. He has had plastic surgery to turn the eyelid outwards. Not happy in a collar but loved the chicken.

Schnitty

Winnie and Quinn went for a vet check this afternoon. Quinn seems to have realized that her family is not going to pick her up. She is sad. 

Winne is just glad to get away from Beans who was introduced to the family when she was over a year old and he wasn't desexed until he was going on a year old. He was feeling his hormones and she didn't appreciate the attention. Consequently she is sometimes friendly/sometimes growly. But always beautiful.

Winnie

Petal in pink

 Petal has been posted as available. Expect a rush tomorrow as there are no other cats ready to be adopted. Plus, Petal has a loyal following of several families who are desperate to get her. We were rather surprised that nobody phoned this afternoon. But who looks at our website on Friday afternoon?

Petal collar free at last

This morning, before 10am, a woman arrived to surrender her friend's cat. They have to move and can't take Quinn with them. She was very upset (the cat) but eventually settled down to consider her options. I imagine that the three kids of her family will take longer to adjust to her loss. She is a gorgeous, medium haired, 2 year old, dark tortie.

Quinn

Of course, we already have a Quinn in Incoming. She is one of the four in the Cannon condo: Yin, Yang, Quinn and Sydney. They don't have microchips/ID's, just names, so it was easy to change her name from Quinn to Adelaide. 

One of Freddy, Hercules and co vomited worms this afternoon. So, they all got treated and were quite uninterested in dinner.

Two new cats, Felix and Rebel were captured and are shocked at their situation in Incoming.

Felix

Rebel

Champ has been moved to the Boarder's Row . . . . perhaps because he is an entire male and is more appropriately situated beside a window that can be opened. His left ear curls backwards. What battle over a sweet young female cat caused that, I wonder?

Champ

 

Nada has been moved below Ebony. Our two black cats are together. And a couple came in today to adopt Blacky. (Sorry, you should check the website before you come in. He went home on Wednesday).  Nada and Ebony are our only two all black cats and neither is ready to be adopted.

Soxy's second chance

 First, go to yesterday's Adoption Tails to look at the lovely photo of Collette sent by her new owners. No photo of Candy, unfortunately.

They were two vollies down this morning at Safe Haven. Robyn to the rescue. She came in and helped Sophia who is a brand new vollie. Later in the day, Sophia brought her mother by to meet the cats. She cooed at them in Hungarian and all the cats understood every word she said. Pommie was particularly receptive. She is a girl, 5 years old, no history yet.

Pommie

 

 

Archie, next door was not quite so ready to make friends although he did warm to me later (or was it to my chicken fingers?)

Archie

 

Petal is without her cone as is Magnus. They both looked more relaxed. And Wilson was in the play place all afternoon. Initially when there he walked around growling. Today he was happy enough getting pats from me while I ate my lunch with him. But when I opened the balcony door and noises came in from downstairs he was a bit grumbly. I never finished my lunch because a mother and daughter arrived to adopt Spot and Smudge. They have always had 3 cats but are down to one so wanted males to get their numbers up to normal. The finger test didn't determine which was who. And they were equally friendly to their new family. Kittens adapt so well, sometimes.

Even Harper and Scout are more relaxed. Their sibling Latte is to be brought in tomorrow "from the wild". That might set them back a bit. Or, perhaps, they will tell Latte how delicious chicken is.

Harper and Scout

There are new kittens in Incoming called Quinn, Sidney, Yin and Yang. I could only see one.

Looks like a Yang to me

But the very best news of the day is that Brandon came, sat with Soxy for ages and adopted him. He has his flat all set up with the box that his fridge came in on its side with another box with a comfy blanket in it along with a litter tray etc in his bedroom. He works from home, on the phone, so Soxy will always have somebody nearby. He has had lots of shy cats in his 21 years.

Soxy meets his new owner