Back to the old days

 I had wondered why Terry was not on with Fiona on Saturday. Today I learned that he had gone to a funeral. Because the funeral parlor lady and he got to talking and soon talked about cats. She has a very fussy, demanding British something-or-other who would not eat the very expensive, exclusive fresh meat that she bought for her. After chatting with Terry, she decided that we might like it. It is in the freezer beside the feeding station.

 She also had visited Peggy Brown's way back when and was glad to get news of her. Sandy filled me in with her latest news. A small ginger kitten found its way into her garden and made friends with her chickens. Peggy trapped it. Called the local vet. Told the nurse not to open the trap until they were in a locked room. The nurse didn't believe her and the kitten escaped. After 4 days the kitten turned up in Peggy's chicken coup again. Peggy has resigned herself to having a kitten. After just a few days, this snarling, frightened kitten accepts cuddles from her. (She has not lost her touch).

A man came in to buy a water fountain. He said he knew us from AWL Ingleside days. He fostered one of the legacy cats, Whiskey. I checked the old blog and there he was! (the cat, not the fosterer).

Lots of critters were adopted in the past week: Darcy and Figgie together, Kingsley (to the lady who came the previous week and couldn't choose between him, Maple and Mr Magoo), Tigger, Angelica, Celeste, Andy, Baby and Tux, Squirrel and Sunshine (although they haven't moved into their new home yet because stuff needs to be bought).

Amy much happier with just one kitten

And we have another Amelia with two kittens.

Amelia (#2) +2

And Augustus has moved into Kingsely's condo. If he is 7years old, I am 27!

Augustus

There are two little kittens in Incoming, Henry (black) and Cavill who are full of flu and shy.

Cavill and Henry

Adoption Tails: Thanks for the photos Sue

 

Schnitty at home

Maple at home: 1 day

Fawny

Fawny at home

Scrat

Puss

Scrat loves Puss

It was the usual busy Friday trying to get everything ready for lots of kitten adoptions over the weekend. There was a delivery of large litter trays for sale. Each litter tray comes wrapped in bubble wrap and placed in its own box. It took 3 vollies ages to unpack them all and stow them away. Thanks to you all. I brought the flattened boxes home for recycling but left the metres and metres of bubblewrap in the store room. Please take some home.

Another mum plus kittens arrived.

On Thursday, the naughty row was brought back from next door. The nurse there said today how nicely cleaned their condos were. We can come and stay whenever we like according to her! Remi seemed happy to be home. Lucky is out of the corner so should be more engaged. Taylor is in the top row which she seems to like. Casper is in the main cat room and is sulking mightily.

Adoption tails: Happy New Year

 Fawny was adopted on Dec 1, 21

Fawny needed a home

There was no follow up until 18/12:  When his owner said that he was doing just fine.
At 1 month: He gets on well with the family. They have bought him many toys and that he is a lucky cat. He has a tall scratching post which he uses, he rolls around on his back, relaxes on the back of the couch and interacts with the family.

Puss and Scrat were adopted on Nov 24, 21
1 day: Scrat and Puss are doing great, eating and pooping like normal and very affectionate. They've been exploring and seem quite relaxed! The first night Scrat was wailing a little but nothing since then.

Puss above, Scrat below

1 month: We heard nothing until 1 month when the owners just sent photos no words. They both look really at home, relaxed & happy. 

Schnitty 693 Adopted on Nov 26, 21
1 day: Schnitty is going well, eating and drinking. He has his own room as is very, very cuddly.
1 week: Beautiful photos have been sent. 

Schnitty

2 weeks: Schnitty sneezes every now and then. His owner says she was advised that he is clear of cat flu. We told her that every rescue cat has most likely been exposed of cat flu but that a few sneezes here and there are nothing to worry about.
1 month: Schnitty only has discharge and sneezes every now and then. In the photo sent Schnitty looks comfy.

It would be nice to see the after photos.

Gifts from everywhere

Instead of counting cats when I arrived, I took the 18 bags of rubbish out to the garbage bins before the garbos arrived. Success! Then I counted 77 cats and 1 rabbit. Coco is back. I had buried the rabbit hutch so deeply in the store room so that she wouldn't be a foster fail but she did not get on with the other rabbit in the house so is back with us. 

Coco

Yesterday when Tim was feeding the naughties next door, Max or Gus came out of his condo and stropped against Tim's leg and generally made a fuss over him. While he was wending his way around Tim, tail raised, Tim had a good look and discovered that he is a she! We thought the white one was one of the boys! According to the bloke who surrendered them to us and just happened to phone today to find out how they are getting on, she was always friendly. So, she is now in Willow's condo.

Willow

And the tabby who we have called Willow for months is back with his brother. Neither seem too happy about it. Both are hiding.

?Max

Frankie was posted on the website last night so I had an early call for him from a mother of 3 boys who has put off getting a kitten until she got all the windows in her house screened. She wants an indoor cat. She came early with her 6 year old to meet Frankie. It was love at first sight.

But she wasn't my first visitor. A young woman and her mother arrived to find a cat for her. She asked which of the available cats had been with us the longest. I like people who ask that. She took her time and eventually decided that Tori would be best for her apartment. She liked Mr Magoo but he would have wanted to go out. And Maple was a bit stroppy. So she took Tori who was quite difficult to get into her cat carrier.

In the meantime the kid decided that Frankie was the one and I couldn't find the paperwork. I phoned Tim to ask where it could be. They decided to come back tomorrow. Just as they were walking out the door Tim phoned back with the info and I unearthed the paperwork. They took Frankie home. Small boy and small cat had very happy faces.

Later the woman arrived who had received the gift voucher that I wasn't able to process before Christmas because I had no idea how to do it and the gift voucher giver wanted it TODAY. But evidently it was done because there it was on her phone. Neither did I know how to spend it for her. But we managed it and poor Tim will have to work out the details tomorrow.  

This woman grew up on a farm in New Zealand at the end of a track where people dumped their unwanted cats. She has grown up with cats. At one stage she had 8 cats of her own. She met everybody: both the ones available now and the ones who would be coming online soonish. But that voucher was burning a hole in her pocket. And she chose Maple!

But really it was Maple who chose her. Just as in the case of Tori and her new owner. I thought I would have a struggle to get Maple into a carrier. But I put a just bought carrier into Maple's condo. She walked into it. I shut the door. Magic!

And another woman arrived with a huge pile of mostly dog food to give to us. She has a group of friends who have decided to do something charitable. Another lady rang to ask what she could send us. I said litter trays, pooper scoopers, etc. She made an online order that will be delivered to us.

And Daphne is boarding. Her name is Tilly now. She looks quite plump.

Daphne

New Years Eve

 Helen emailed to ask if I could go in early to help because somebody couldn't make it. But everything was under control when I got there before 11am. Lots of boarders have gone home. Others arrived today including two more ragdolls who came with notices of "Loves cuddles" "Loves to be brushed", etc, etc. But they have not been boarded before so I think they may take time to settle in.

I had a fright when I noticed that the door of the mum +4 was open on the back row. I flew around shutting doors and windows and galvanised the troops. Sophie found the fourth kitten hiding inside the condo. Quelle relief! Moral of this story: if you have trouble shutting a condo door: ASK for HELP.

A woman came in to adopt an unadoptable. She couldn't decide between Mr Magoo, Maple and Kingsley. The cat will be an only in an apartment with a yard with 2 m high fences. She went away to think about it.

A young woman came in to adopt a pair of the 4 kittens being fostered by a friend. The friend is adopting the other two. So we have a foster fail and a friend success. The woman's friend was interested in Mr Magoo and Maple. She may be back.

Another woman and her fella came from the southern highlands to meet Max. He was not in the mood to cooperate. They went away to have a cup of coffee and didn't return.

Everybody loved the chicken.

Trixie and Frankie were desexed today. Terry would have them adopted tomorrow if it wasn't so close to the operation date!

As you can tell I was too busy to take any photos. So I will leave 2021 with a photo of my Cody who has practiced his "day after the night before" pose suitable for New Year's Day.

Cody

Adoption tails: Sometimes it takes longer

 Champ Adopted 24/10

Champ

1 day: Champ is settling in nicely. I got beautiful photos of him cuddling his new owner.
1 week: Champ has settled in really well. His eye is no longer weeping.
1 month: Champ/Boots has settled in beautifully. He seems to love living with his new parenta. He is curling up on a lap as soon as they sit down.

Sammy & Daisy: Adopted 6 Nov, 21 [I was surprised that these two were adopted together because they were in separate stand alones in the cattery, and different ages]

Sammy

Daisy

1 day: Both Daisy and Sammy are settling in well. They are in separate rooms. When their new owner was in Sammy's room and just sat there playing on her phone he came out to greet her. She was a little surprised to find that Daisy was a lot older than she expected. She was under the impression that she was an older kitten as well. She received kitten food for both. She had a few questions around food and Irene  spoke about Daisy's age and how she might run into problems when she comes to register the cats. Irene advised her to take one of her parents with her in case she needs to sign the cats over to an adult
1 month: Sammy and Daisy have settled in very well. They play in the morning and sleep most of the rest of the day

Tiger, adopted Nov 24

Tiger

Day 1: Sweet Tiger stayed glued inside the carry box the entire day I brought her home. Set her up in one room with all a cat would need and gave her quiet and peace.
Next morning her food bowl had been sampled and litter box used ... but cat hidden. She's in my office. This morning same proof she was somewhere in the room, but she's hidden.
I've cleaned her litter box and changed her almost uneaten food bowls. Even put water bowls in a few 'hidden' corners but so far she barely has moved and remains hidden.
It is sad. I try to talk with her now and then to let her know she is safe and loved. I hope she does settle. We will see.
Are you one who looked after her? She looked and seemed so lovely at your facility.
Perhaps she felt safer with you and her other carers. 
I will continue to be patient and hopeful. I long to hold her but it must be her choice.
Day 3: Irene has a long chat with the new owner and she has since set up a large cardboard box in her office and everything Tiger needs is in it. She is prepared for Tiger to take some time to go back to what she was like when she met her at the shelter and progress even further.
1 month: Tiger is still using her bedroom and rushes under the bed to safety if someone else approaches. She is however adventurous, clever & quite funny. She loves to fall asleep in her  owner's lap or shares her pillow at night.  Her owner has discovered she is a Norwegian Forest cat and loves high places.  All very good there.

Back up

 When I arrived this morning, good and early because the traffic was so light (although it was freezing: only 13deg C for Dec 29! Thank you la Ninha) I counted the cats: 88 which is down from the 95 on Christmas morning. Imogene's kittens all got adopted as well as Rula and Maxwell.

If I hadn't taken the time to count them I might have got more rubbish bags in the neighbourhood bins. But I arrived with my first trolley load just as the garbo truck was pulling up to our curb. And they had already been down our side of the street. By the time I got back with a second trolley load, another garbage truck was emptying the red bins on the other side of the road. Bugger.

And by the time I left we were back to 95. Two boarders arrived and Cookie and her four kittens were delivered by their foster mum. Evidently Cookie had been very sick while raising the kittens with some kind of liver complaint. She certainly was not happy that they were to go into the same condo as her.

Cookie in the box. Kittens scattered.

Blink is boarding. He looks just the same.

Blink, not too pleased to see me

We have had lots of boarders coming and going with the associated bedding change overs. It has proved that we have enough bedding. We do NOT have to accept any more donations of towels, sheets or blankets. I rearranged the laundry shelves to put all the bath mats on the lower shelf of the middle row. They were on top with the towering pile of fluffy beds on top of that. Most unstable. Much better now.

TIDY: keep it that way

Joy took lots of lovely photos. I can't resist this one of Tigger matching his sock heights. He has come out of his shell since his brothers got adopted.

Tigger

And of Tux and Baby drowning in a fuzzy bed.

Tux and Baby