Rice Noodles!

 Aslan: the fierce player with a feather on a stick in the morning.

When I came home from Safe this evening, Aslan greeted me at the top of the stairs with his "I am STARVED" look. So I fed him. Then went to wash SAFE from me after putting some rice noodles into hot water to soften. When I was clean, he was eating the rice noodles . . . on the kitchen bench!

I am now soaking another batch in the oven. And I put the peeled onion and garlic in there too  . . . . just in case.

He is getting double rations but is still hungry all the time.

It was surprisingly quiet at Safe this afternoon. We waited for Phoenix and Sydney's people to come to sign the contract now that Tim fixed the files. They came at 3:45pm. It was a quick finish up of an adoption. The 9 year old son was thrilled. P & S. . not so much.

Good thing Joy took lots of photos on Wednesday.

The "Pregnant Mum" still only has one kitten. Tim tried to listen for other heart beats but only heard her purrs.

Kitty only comes down for food. . . and Joy's treats.

Kitty

Our new full time vollie (who is getting paid to volunteer by somebody else) is daunted by Milly and Biscuit at feeding time. I showed her how I do it. . .  just add food and let them sort it out.

Milly and Biscuit (below)

The planet kittens have moved to the play place. Not happy. Just like when they moved into Incoming. But they came around pretty quickly. Now they are all desexed.

Roxy's four are still appealing. The ginger seems smaller and frailer than everybody else. Somebody make up some names please.

Romeo adopted

 His new people fell in love with him on Saturday and took him home. Seemed like a match made in heaven to me. I hope he finds it so. On Sunday I brought Aslan home to have some R & R after I thoroughly vacuumed all Romeo's hair off the carpet. I don't think he has taken any notice of "other cat" smellls. He is just interested in finding the food. He can jump up onto the kitchen benches (unlike Romeo who kept all paws on the ground at all time). So never has my kitchen been so neat and clean.

As he is quite thin (4.2Kg) I will put him on normal rations to see if that diminishes the food drive. 

Today we are up to 41 adoptions for August. Including Mateo who was spotted at the Cat Show by an enthusiastic dad who came at 10am to adopt him. It would have been 43 if the computer had cooperated when I did the paperwork for Phoenix and Sydney. The new owner didn't want to pick them up until tomorrow or Friday when everything in their house will be ready for them anyway. Now the paperwork is mostly done and Sydney just needs his vaccination before he is set to go. So they have an "ADOPTED" sign on their condo. And Tim will sort out what I did to Shelter Buddy tomorrow.

Sydney and Phoenix

Maple and Benny have moved into Loki and Mieka's condo. The young man kept on coming back.

 

Maple and Benny

I just heard a suspicious noise from the kitchen. Aslan was attempting to open the jars of fish food that I used to keep beside the fish tank. They are now in a drawer. I wonder how long it will take him to catch the tiny tetras! 

Aston is in Alladin and Jasmine's stand alone. Not happy.

Aston

And Brennan is where Doris was for a nanosecond. He is a typical ginger: noisy and demanding.

Brennan

This afternoon the "pregnant mum" had one kitten. Black and white. May not be the last one. She was remarkably relaxed about it. Perhaps it is not her first litter. Which means that there may be many more by tomorrow morning.

Planet litter

 For some reason the stand alone in Incoming had been rotated by 90 degrees so that the door was against the side of the desk. I moved it back to it's usual position to give them lunch. Some of the planet litter have been desexed and have collars on. The boys may well have been castrated as well. But they don't need collars so don't get the sympathy. Now I have photos and names:

Neptune, the tabby

Venus (tabby white nose), Saturn (tabby brown nose), Mercury (black girl), Jupiter (black boy)

Mateo is to go to the Cat Show at Olympic Park with Tim and other vollies tomorrow. Tim wanted him in the pink, sparkly harness to show visitors how easy cats are to train. So we popped it on and let him run around. He didn't like the lead much . . . or the harness, but got used to it. 

Mateo in pink

Don't know who else it to go. Ishi and Apricot would enjoy an outing.

Ishi, Apricot

Jasmine and Alladin would not like to go anywhere. Alladin is looking a bit snuffly.

Jasmine and Alladin

 

Lots of adoptioins this month

 We are up to 34 so far this month already.

New faces in Welfare. Sunflower and Rain have been moved from Incoming.

Sunflower

Frankie is still there. Don't know why he doesn't get chosen. He is so handsome.

Frankie

And this afternoon we let out LeClerc to play with a ping pong ball. The team was so efficient that all the work was done by noon. Plus there are very few mums and bubs to feed repeatedly. And no adopters came out in the rain today. It was an easy day.

Some of the little kittens don't like Mother and Baby Cat. Ollie and Daisey on Better Row hardly ate anything until I gave them some Kitten Boost and adult soft food.Ollie is 4-6 months and is shy. Daisey is 2-4 months and friendly. Perhaps their mothers were sisters. Ollie hides in the upper sleeping box. Daisey needs a stratchy pole positioned next to it to be able to climb up there.

Ollie and Daisey

 Since Darley was separated from the two kittens that he came in with, he has become much more friendly and calmer. (As have his erstwhile condo mates). And he didn't eat much Mum and Baby cat food today either. (They scarfed theirs). He loved the alternatives. And he enjoyed being combed. His fur is very lumpy in parts and he has a bare strip around his neck. It is a pity he can't tell us his story.

Darley

 Thanks for the photos Joy.

 

Adoption Tail: Maggie

 Maggie

1 day:  She is settling in well in the bedroom. The owner will probably keep her name as Maggie. She has been eating/drinking and using the litter. Even climbs on top of the owner at night purring and wanting to leave the safe room already.

1 week:  She is settling in well. Seems quite comfy in the rest of the apartment.

1 month: Maggie is going well. She is very affectionate on her own terms and meows a lot when the owner gets home from work. "I wish I didn't have to leave her for so long each work day." She loves playing with the cat wand toy with the owner and loves racing around the apartment. She never uses the bed the owner bought her or the scratching post cat tree. Maggie likes to sleep at the end of the bed and to relax on the couch together. The owner tried applying Revolution Plus to her and only managed to get one drop on. Creamy treat was used to get Maggie to stay close but it didn't work. Eventually, she gave up after 10 minutes of chasing her around the apartment and Maggie getting increasingly irritated. There was a singular incident where Maggie inappropriately peed on the owner's bed and the owner has since added a second litter tray that is in the bathroom which Maggie seems to be happy about. 

1.5 months: Maggie used to barely touch her dry biscuits until the owner switched the bowl since it was likely too deep. She would happily eat from hands or now on a plate. Increasingly, she is finishing off all her biscuits and would not have anything overnight. She also loves her wet food! The owner is adjusting the amount of dry vs wet food so that she is more satiated with a larger volume of wet food since Maggie is such a foodie. They are also going to a mealtime schedule so that Maggie is not begging for food all the time and can learn to expect when to eat. 

2.5 months: Maggie has slowed down her eating and has been on a meal schedule. There was a few vet visits due to bloody stools but she is all okay now. She just celebrated her 3rd birthday!

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.

 

 

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.