Sunday, August 17, 2025

Adoption Tails: Willa, Pedro, Ari, Mowgli, Ollie, Papillion, Missy

Willa

1 day: Willa has left her carrier (the owner thinks while he was sleeping. She's hiding in between a window and a curtain and has been there all day. She hasn't eaten, drunk or used the litter tray. The owner's approach will just be to let her be for as long as possible so she comes to the owner on her own terms and doesn't feel any pressure.

Willa

 1 week: Willa is adjusting slowly but well to her new home. She's relaxing more in her hiding place where she spends practically every hour. Previously Willa would sleep in an 'alert' position but now she's sleeping on her belly. She mostly comes out at night to snack on kibble and do her business. She enjoys using the scratching post. The owner has tried playing with her with no success. Willa also hasn't touched or come up to the owner yet but that's ok.

No 1 month response.

Pedro, now Leo

1 day: The owners are loving their lil man and have showered him with toys and affection. They'll be changing his name to Leo. He seems to be settling in very well, loves exploring the room and is getting more comfortable every day. He eats with such gusto and has stopped having diarrhoea. The owner has also reached out to his previous owner (Luana) and they've been exchanging pics/vids with plans for a visit at some point.

Pedro
 1 week: Leo is currently snoozing on the owners' bed in the sun. They absolutely adore him. Shuris (resident cat) is getting over herself little by little while Leo is starting to roam around exploring.

No 1 month response.

Ari

1 day: Ari is settling in really well. The owners haven't thought about changing her name since she knows it well so it would be unfair to change it. Ari feels comfortable in her safe room and the owners have left the door ajar when it's quiet and she's sometimes had a sniff around with the owners around. She's starting to eat and drink a bit more, usually when the owner is around but during the night, they've noticed less food and water too. Ari's been to the litter a few times, however her poops have been a bit liquidy - mostly likely down to stress - but the situation is improving.

Ari
 1 week: She's doing so well! She's going for number 1 & 2 normally now which is great. Playing a bit as well, just overall coming out of her shell a bit more. Ari is still a bit anxious around the owner's partner but she's been so brave and just amazing considering what she has been through.

No 1 month response. 


Mowgli & Ollie

5 days: The owners have kept their names as they are. They picked Mowgli and Ollie up over the weekend and are settling in quite well. They are eating and drinking well and using their litter tray.

Mowgli and Ollie
 
1 month: Ollie and Mowgli are going great! They are all settled in and enjoying their time together in their new home. They've been exploring, getting comfortable with their surroundings and seem really happy. It's been lovely watching them bound and settle into their new routine!

Missy

1 day: Missy is doing great! She made herself at home not too long after she came home. She loves pets and affection very much. She ate her kibbles and drank water. She hasn't used her litter yet.

1 week: She's settled in perfectly. Loves cuddles and is full of energy.

 

Missy
1 month:  Missy is doing absolutely great. She brings a lot of joy to the owner's home.


Papillon, now Lily

1 day:  The owner's 7yo daughter has renamed Papillon to Lily. Lily is eating well and using the kitty litter. Today she ventured further into the house and has been very playful. So far so good.

 

Lily
1 week: "We adore her." Lily is going well, she is playing beautifully with the 7yo and behaving really well.

1 month: The family is still obsessed with Lily. She is up to date on all her preventative and registered with the council. She will be back at SAFE for boarding and the guilt is already settling in. Lily spends time with mum every day while she is working. The daughter loves her to pieces.





 

 

Friday, August 15, 2025

New cats

 I went around Better Row and met the new cats shortly after I got to SH at lunch time.

Mike looked depressed. When I went by at the end of my shift he was in exactly the same position.

Mike

But I gave Will (below him) a Woolies paper bag then that somebody had donated stuff in. Will had a lovely time fighting his way out of it after getting into it! Mike might need a nap now.

Next to Mike is an odd pair of kittens: Ollie 4-6months and Bassie 2-4 months. Poor little Bassie was exiled to the lower level when I arrived because he is too little to jump up to the bed box. So I added a stratchy pole and he figured it out and went to sleep.. . . . at last.

I got a call from the Cat Taxi. She was double parked downstairs in the loading zone so I went down to relieve her of her delivery. She had two folders for Zena and Duke. And two occupied cat carriers in the back of her taxi-mobile. When I put one carrier over my shoulder I stood erect. When I added the other carrier, I tipped over. That cat is seriously heavy!

From the paperwork supplied, Zenia is the tabby and Duke is the heafty ragdoll. The carriers have their names attached and are stored above their present condo. We must remember to give them away with the cats when they get adopted.

Zena and DUKE

The man who fell for Micka and Loki on Wednesday, did come back on Thursday to adopt them but in the meantime, Loki had developed a seriously flu-like cough/snuffle. So they have been taken off the available list. He came to visit today and will come back next week to check up on them. He didn't ask to meet any other cats. He just sat on the poof and talked to "his" cats.

Mieka and Loki

PS: I wrote a pattern for the Elizabethan collars I sew for female cats who get desexed. Happy to share it if you would like a copy.

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Bent Lily

I refer to the Gymea lily growing in front of Block 1. It has bent over to face level in an attempt to get more sunlight. So, next time you come to save, walk past the mail boxes to get a close up view of a lily that is usually 3meters up in the sky. 

Another spectacular thing is that we have adopted out 2 dozen cats/kittens so far this month. But we only have 71 cats in residence at Safe Haven because we are expecting a deluge of kittens shortly. September is traditionally the beginning of the kitten season. But we have had a steady trickle of kittens all year.

Cats who got adopted since last week include Mickey who has been on our books for ?3 years.

Mickey

And Pixie a kitten who's sister Ecco, the last of that litter, was chosen by a woman today. She has to convince her husband that their Siamese cat needs a friend.

The man who came in last week came again and will return tomorrow to adopt Meika and Loki!

I did one adoption today of Garfield to a couple who picked him up from the foster home.

And the man who surrendered two of his family's 17 cats (!) was in tears this afternoon after visiting them. The cats, Heffer and Ginger, weren't happy either.

Heffer

Ginger

A busy day. Cherish got a bath and has moved to Darcy's condo. Darcy in next to Bass and Julie in an enclosure. I tried to take her photo but she is one wiggly cat! Ishi and Apricot got baths too. Sue and I got scratched. They are still in Isolation, waiting for a suitable condo in Welfare.

We have two new cats in Incoming. Sunflower and Rain. Neither of them ate much last night or today. I wonder if they came from the same place.

Sunflower

Rain
Not like Lola whom I caught snacking on the kitten's MBC food this afternoon.
Naughty Lola



Sunday, August 10, 2025

Adoption Tails: Polly

 Polly, now Lua

1 day: Polly is settling in amazingly, she seems happy and doesn't seem to have any issues adjusting to her new home. She's been eating and drinking regularly and has used her litter a bunch too.

Polly
 1 month: Polly is going really well here, she's settling in right at home. The owners have decided to rename her Lua. "Thank you guys for everything you do."

Akira

1 day: He is settling in well and has been eating, etc. The only concern is that he has been sneezing a lot and has weeping eyes.

3 days: He's still sneezing a bit like he has a cold.


 

1 week: He's settling in well and eating lots. Only thing is that the teary eyes and occasional sneezing is still ongoing. The yellow/brown discharge from his eyes has to be wiped daily. He's enjoying sleeping in his cat tower and has been sleeping with the owners. Only hiding in occasion.

No 1 month response.

Little One

Little One
 
1 month: He's settled in very well. Very vocal when he wants attention and always following the owner about his own home.

Simba

1 day: Simba is settling is so much better than expected. The moment the owners let him out, he wandered everywhere around the house and then hid under the bed. He came out for dinner the same night and slept beside the owner's feet on the first night and on their feet the next night. He is so adorable and definitely has a very good personality. He has no problem eating, drinking water and using the litter tray.

1 week: He is much more relaxed, lying here and there in the house. He is eating and drinking well. Even lets the owners groom him but not for long. 

Simba
 1 month: Simba is doing well and grows a closer bond with the owners.

Sara

1 day: She's doing alright. The owner set her all up with everything she needs, she stayed in her carrier for a while. She was under the bed in the morning. The owner only noticed a little bit of food had been eaten.

1 week: It's going all good, just going to take a little time for both cats to get used to each other.

 1 month: Sara is going really well. She loves the owner's resident cat Emma. They're both really playful and sometimes Emma will try and chase Sara around. She gets more comfortable everyday having a new friend around. Sara is becoming more trusting everyday, and has been coming up close to the owner and licks treats off her hand. The owner actually only got the first quick little pat on her head the other night which was very exciting.

 

Friday, August 8, 2025

Another Mateo

 Another Mateo was delivered to Incoming this afternoon. He doesn't look dissimilar to our first Mateo. But has two good eyes.

Mateo 1
and stripes.
Mateo 2
 I suspect that one of the three (used to be wild) kittens in Incoming is not the same family as the other two. He keeps getting pushed back. And today he looked as though he got half way through a poo and was kicked off the litter box. So I isolated the other two in the bed box and let him have time alone with the litter box. Success! One happy(er) Bartley.

Bartley

We had a couple of brief visitors who promised to return but otherwise it was a quiet Friday afternoon.

Doris is unsettled in the stand alone. She hadn't eaten her breakfast by the end of the day. She has reserves.

Doris

Roxie has the "when will this stop" look of new mums.

Roxie plus 4

Calli has settled down nicely from her move from Isolation to Better Row.

Calli
Ginger Megs is back boarding. He looks bored because he is stuck at the dead end of Better Row.
Ginger Megs




Wednesday, August 6, 2025

I beat the bin pick up

 I was able to get all the bags on the balcony into other folk's bins this morning. So there was space in the Cousins bins in the afternoon. I got rid of a pile of bedding that hasn't been used in the past 4 years from the shelves out back. 

For the rest of the day the vollies did a splendid job and all finished early.

The play place was thoroughly dehaired because the glam kitten litter have all been adopted. Likewise Velvet and Vovo (wonder if it was the family who came on Friday), Kokora whose condo was occupied by Lewis whose adoption was formalised today. He will be picked up tomorrow.

A man came looking for an older cat to share his rather small appartment (and his girlfriend). He took ages with lots of connections via the phone with the girlfriend to finally decide to take Dixie. He fancied Frankie, Griffin, LeClerc, Aslan, Bissie, Mickey and Jellybean too. No wonder it took so long.

Frankie
 In the meantime a boyfriend came in to do the paperwork for Vanilla who will be picked up tomorrow from the foster home.

And Joy took photos:

Angelica seems to eat everything now. She has been desexed so should be available next week or so.

Angelica

The three Incomers, who used to be very shy but now are just very hungry kittens have names:

Renny 
Darley



Blossom

Friday, August 1, 2025

Visitors

 A strange variety came in today. 

A mother and her son looking for a cat who would go well with their dog and their rabbit. I referred them to our web page to see if any of those in foster homes have got to know a dog.

A couple and their hyperactive son who wanted to meet Vovo and Velvet. Vovo loved the mother (and vice versa). The son just wanted to squeeze the next cat. The father tried to control the son.

A staff member from next door came to see if we had a suitable cat for her friend who already has a boy cat. I thought perhaps Dixie might be good. She is used to living with another cat and might like to be boss for a change.

Dixie

She might become a volunteer at Safe, she was so impressed.

Griffin was visited by the woman who lusts after China and India. They are still on sneeze watch so are not yet available. So she might end up with Griffitn.

Griffin
Will would like to go with any of the folk who visit Griffin.
willing Will

Ta, da. . . we had a litter delivery just in time.

Rory had his eye operation and is in Boarding because he has a hard cone and Incoming condos are too small. 

Rory

He is against the wall above and to the left of Dawson who can talk to him about being lucky to have one eye. . . . .  He seems to have got chattier recently.

Dawson

And Romeo is probably ready to be adopted. After I put the flea treatment on him and see if it makes him itchy.

Romeo