When it rains . . . . it floods

I was late at Safe Haven this afternoon because Babbage Road flooded. I had no idea where Babbage Road was so those signs that flash above you as you drive meant nothing to me. 

I learned that Babbage Road is the bit that connects Eastern Valley Road with Boundary Road. The traffic stopped on my way down to the Roseville Bridge and crawled up the hill. I detoured around the back of High Street to get to SH. To be met by Tim who had had the same problem when he delivered Dale and Danielle to PetO in Brookvale this morning to be desexed. His very clever app rerouted him through St Ives to save half an hour on his way back to East Roseville.

Poor guy has the flu and croaked this story to me plus the info that the kittens needed to be picked up this afternoon at 3:30pm. So I convinced him that he should stay warm and dry and I should drive in the rain. It took an hour to get to Brookvale. And an hour to get back to SH. Should have taken half an hour each way according to my TomTom which is nowhere near as savy as Tim's app.

Dale and Danielle

Nevertheless, Dale and Danielle survived the trip. They were super hungry when they got home.

Before I went I sterilized three Clean Me condos. I missed the fourth because I thought it was an alternative condo for the mixed litter. But was told that it was Felix's condo and he has been adopted. 
. . . . not having cleaned the kittens for a fortnight, I have lost track of them. The smallest of the mixed litter died last weekend. . . little blackie:

 Was Felix the biggest? But what is their relationship with Dale and Danielle who are with another D kitten above?

When I eventually got back, Tim was trying to get Buffy to take her pill laced food. Her skin condition has improved so much since she started on these pills that it is a pity that she has decided to spit out pill flavoured food.

Wendell adopted

He just needed the right stratchy pole to sit on to look super adorable to get adopted.
Emily also was adopted this weekend. I made new hammocks (as the others were hairy and there were no spares. . .. that huge pile at Ingleside has probably been recycled: they were all cotton so will rot and replenish the earth) So Eden has two new hammocks in his enclosure. He chose to sit on the pink one. The other is blue. In Victorian times, boys were dressed in pink and girls in blue.

Eden

 The A kittens got new hammocks too. But there is only room for three on two triangles. I will have to make some square ones. They should all be desexed by next week in time for the big Adoption Day at Mona Vale on Feb 15.

A kittens

A kittens

Elsa had an exciting night. Her litter tray was completely overturned. I noticed, when on the chair to talk to her, that she grooms her bed. You can just see, in the photo, the combed/tongued patches beside her head.

Elsa

Just before we left, a young woman came in and was impressed by Melody and by Peanut. I told her that he was the colour of her hair when he arrived (a slight exaggeration as she is redder than blond). Then Catsie told her what a lovely colour her hair was on her way out. She is to return with the boyfriend.

Another whisker

While I was giving Blossom some attention this afternoon I noticed that she has a short whisker on her jaw bone, below her ear. She has one on each side which match. I had not noticed these back whiskers before. Tim hadn't noticed them either. Then he looked at other cats and some have them and others don't.
Caramel doesn't have them.
Candace has very visible white ones. (I gave her a corrugated scratchy pole for something to do). And I stood beside Evie and unravelled the feather toys to entertain her.)

Candace

I gave Samantha a scratchy pole. She was not impressed.

Samantha

Buffy's skin is looking much better and less itchy. The hair is growing back on the shaved areas.

Buffy.

 I decided that the tiny kittens should be called Fred(a) and Ginger as they play footsies. Tim says that they hope to have a naming competition for them as a fund raiser, if they can figure out how to do it.
I washed their feet which were much better than on Wednesday. Apart from a footprint on the back of Ginger's neck, he was quite clean and excessively wiggly. Freda's feet were the usual skate board of hardened poo. But she purred loudly while I soaked her feet and picked turds from between her toenails. They were rewarded by food. No wonder their tummy's are so round.

Ginger and Freda

Goodbye Charlie

Charlie was picked up over the weekend. And Kimmy will be picked up on Feb 14. Let's hope that she is just the first of may

Kimmy

 Wendell moved into Charlie's condo. He really liked the scratchy pole that we put in to stop him scratching the mesh. And the tennis ball. And the soft toy. He reminds me of Cody so is probably just a big kitten.

Wendell

Joy took photos of some of the kittens. This is the mixed litter: Dale, Danny and Diana but we don't know who is which.

Dale, Danny, Diana

Dale, Danny, Diana

Eden and Emily

Eden and Emily now occupy a stand alone cage: much more viewable. There is a series of desex ops scheduled for this and next week so tell everybody who wants one that we have kittens just in time for the end of the school holidays.

A couple from Artarmon brought in a pretty grey kitten who they found wandering the neighbourhood. They doorknocked all around but couldn't find the owner. They phoned Dr Kim who has our number on her answering machine. They brought the kitten to us to see if it has a microchip. It doesn't. They took it home again because a neighbour said "I'll have it". My guess is that the kitten saw the kids go off to school and followed but couldn't find a way home. 

Tiny faces

Steph took photos of the babies after I washed them on Friday.

Although I did wash their faces, it doesn't look like it.

Message from cousin Mary about Jimmy:

Yes, Jonathan has just given Jimmy some kedgeree. Jonathan says he loves jumping up onto the kitchen table and really wants to eat what he is eating! I said he has to push him off the table and bar! Jonathan sounded reluctant. He thinks I should push him off! 

My friend Gerry arrives this afternoon to stay and will put all to rights! She does cat and dog sitting. Do you know anyone who needs a sitter?

Jimmy jumps up behind Jonathan on the sofa (when J is reading) and sits up there looking out the window purring.

I have found some bamboo so will get him more active!

Yes Jonathan is good with spoiling.

Jimmy looks thinner. He is pretty active.

Not for long.

Visit to Jimmy

I dropped the leash by to Jimmy this morning at around 10am. He was in the closet when I arrived but soon came out for cuddles.

I put the leash on him easily (he didn't fight it). He got out of it as easily as he is slenderer than Cody . . .  or has less hair. I tightened it up a bit.

He is already asking to go out onto the front courtyard (an easy leap over the fence to the street so I hope that doesn't happen.) He spent last night on the bed with Mary and J. He wants to explore the rest of the house. He has chatted, eaten, rubbed his cheek on everything and charmed them completely already.

my bed

my calm eyes

my Jonathon and my stratchy pole

Jimmy adopted

Couldn't have happened to an nicer cat. And I am lucky that he has been adopted by my cousin so that he is now a member of my family.

Jimmy

I will try to get a photo of him tomorrow in situ, in North Sydney when I drop off the harness that Cody no longer needs.*

Jimmy will need to learn to walk on a leash because my cousin has a house at Bar Point which is up the Hawkesbury River, accessible only by boat. There is no road on Bar Point, just a line of houses along the waterfront. So Jimmy will have to learn where his property lines are by being walked to them, and not beyond them, on the leash. Luckily today, he went into his new carry cage like an angel.

Today might have been the last time that I need to wash the bottoms of the tiny kittens. They have been seen grooming each other and their poos are much firmer. The boy didn't need to be dunked into the bath to soften the poo on his rear end today. But the girl did need a dunk to get the poo from between her toes. From which I infer that she is cleaning him better than he is cleaning her.

* Cody and I have trained each other for outside walks. Yesterday morning there was a brush turkey in the back yard. Cody snuck up behind a tree to get closer to the bird who calmly walked by him (within two feet) to the other side of the yard. 

Cody and brush turkey

Cody vanquished the turkey