Sunday at the Shelter 08-09-2013

I was working in Infirmary again today.

I was part way through cleaning out Texas and her kittens when she started to feed, so I left her alone for a while and finished the rest off later.

Texas and her kittens

And here's a little video I took of them.  There was such a lot of purring going on, its a real shame the mic on my phone didn't pick it up!

While Texas took care of her babies I tackled a nice mess left behind by Lego and Cuebec who were moved into another room.

What a mucky mess!

The Shelter were expecting to admit 6 kittens during the afternoon, so I was to set up cages ready to receive them.  Normally, depending on their age, they would go into Holding or Maternity, but these 2 rooms are still trying to fully get rid of the last of the flu.

Next up was Amy, a 3 month old kitten.  The Shelter were desperate to find her a home as quickly as possible as she was now all on her own.  She's a lovely playful little girl.

Amy

Back to Texas and her babies, here are their close ups!

Texas

 Here are her 2 week old kittens.

If you read the blog last week you'll remember Percy who came in full of fleas.  He spent a couple of days in foster care gaining weight and then took a turn for the worse.

Percy in foster care

He was so poorly he ended up receiving IV fluids at the vets and staying there during the day.  He returned to his foster home with his little bandage.

Percy with his little bandage

Sadly he then started with diarrhoea and keeping his weight stable became a real issue.  At the moment he is back in the Vet Hospital receiving 24 hour care.  The Shelter regularly post updates on their Twitter page. You can follow them @CatsShelter


I met two people today of whom I'd heard lots of good things!  The first was Maggie of Friends of Ferals she is a real unsung hero.  This is the lady who gives up her own time to feed feral cats and trap strays and ferals.  She is so modest about what she does!  I'd love to go and spend some time out trapping or feeding with her so I can bring you the full story behind this amazing lady.

The second person I met today was Miki.  She's the lady you have to thank for all the amazing photos displayed by the Cats Shelter. I really don't know how she manages it!  Beautiful photos :)

Pixie - Photo by Miki

My morning was almost at a close.  Then the 6 expected kittens arrived, but they came with an unexpected problem.  They all had terrible cat flu.

The staff put their heads together to work out how to accommodate the new arrivals and not risk any other cats or rooms in the Shelter.  The kittens couldn't go in rooms with a current infection as there is a chance that the flu strain could be different.  This could result in re-infecting those cats almost over the flu.

The decision was made and everyone was moved out of infirmary.  The 6 kittens were brought down and I helped to get them settled.


To begin with all 6 needed health checks.  These are done for every cat or kitten when they first arrive at the shelter.  Their sex is checked, their weight is recorded and then it's eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fleas and visual check to see if there is anything to be concerned about.

Out of the 6 kittens 3 had their eyes stuck shut with puss, several had crusty noses and all had filthy ears as a result of mites.

Such sore eyes

Each kitten was given a name, these were Boston, Houston, Phoenix, Georgia, Dakota and Michigan.  It's possible they are from two litters as some weigh more than others.


We got them settled into two cages and encouraged them to eat.

Tucking into some food

It was so upsetting to see how sore their little eyes were.  Yet another reminder to make sure cats and kittens are vaccinated as soon as possible.  The ears were no better, cleaning these loosened huge chunks of dirt.

They will all have a visit to the vets tomorrow and I hope they will soon be looking and feeling much better.

Good news by the end of visiting time.  Little Amy left with her new family and so did Tilly, who'd been at the Shelter for a number of months.

The lovely pair, Charlie and Luke were pre- adopted and will go to their new home once they've had their second vaccination. 

Sunday (not quite) at the shelter 25-08-13

I'm on holiday at the moment, but I've been keeping up to date on Shelter news.

If you read last weeks entry you'll know that fighting cat flu was the most pressing task. The situation continued into this week.

Libby and I spent additional time at the shelter on Monday to help out with the cleaning.  I started in Room 5 which contained the lovely Mika and her man Marvin. Mika was her usual self, chatting to me and wanting cuddles and kisses.

Mika

Unfortunately she and Marvin were sneezing. Despite wearing a clean suit, complete with hood, gloves and overshoes, kisses were strictly off the agenda.

Poor Marvin was curled up in a basket looking very sorry for himself.  With his third eyelids visible, crusty deposits under his nose and no interest in food, it was obvious he was really suffering.

Marvin

I gave everything a thorough clean and did the floor on my knees with a cloth.  This gave Mika the opportunity to give the top of my head mutiple chin rubs and kisses,  so she was happy :)

The Shelter Manager,  Shirley,  brought in a bowl of hot water with a few drops of olbas oil in, to try and break through their stuffy noses. Its very difficult to get a cat to eat if they can't smell the food.

Its for this reason the shelter have been asking for donations of smelly fish!  

Shirley then spent time cleaning Marvins nose and giving him medication.

We then headed down to Infirmary, with just 3 occupants, again we wore disposable clothing.

Libby (not the cat) in her clean suit

Lottie was full of flu and Shirley had been trying to encourage her to eat by hand feeding her.  She'd also cleaned her eyes, as they were full of puss,  fortunately cleaning showed they weren't as bad as first feared.

There were also olbas oil bowls in each cage here too.

We cleaned out Lottie and then moved onto Tigger.   Tigger was seriously stressed about me going near him, which is a big deal as stress can make flu worse. I slowly cleaned around him as best I could.

Finally we had Libby. Another very timid cat.   She was so full of flu, with a sore eye and blocked nose, poor soul.

Libby (the cat!)

Despite having worn protective clothing we showered and changed at my parents house. I needed to be sure I couldn't take any infection home.

During the week the Flu infection pretty much went through the whole shelter, with the exception of Room 4 (where the kittens were) and the old bathroom (used for single cats).

It seems the problem may have started in Infirmary and quickly spread to Room 1.  Its the occupants of  these rooms who are now starting to recover.  They are eating well and should hopefully be available for adoption soon.

Room 2 and Holding  then became the worst affected.  Medication plus smelly food, such as pilchards have really helped.

At the height of the problem the shelter had no option but to close its doors to new cats.  As cats from Infirmary have now been relocated into Room 3, Infirmary has now undergone a deep clean.  Deep cleans are performed periodically when a room is entirely empty of cats.  Once no cats are present, harsher cleaning materials such as bleach can be used. The staff make sure all traces of harmful chemicals are then rinsed away prior to the introduction of any further cats.

Once this is completed new cats will be able to come into the shelter under strict quaranteen procedures.

This last couple of weeks has been a real lesson to me about the importance of keeping vaccinations up to date (all mine are vaccinated).  Even those who have had the vaccine can still get ill, but those who haven't fair much worse.

The staff and volunteers have worked so hard to care for the cats in the shelter and, amongst all of this, have managed to rehome several well cats and kittens, plus arrange the pre-adoption of sick ones.  I'm very happy that Marvin and Mika will be going to their new home as soon as they are well enough :)

Lets hope next weeks blog is 'Flu free' :)

Sunday at the Shelter 18-08-2013

I went to the shelter earlier than normal today to do some filming. I want to try and capture some 'behind the scenes' elements of the day to day workings.  I'm not sure many people realise quite how much work goes into every single day.


Judith was already preparing food when I got there at 8:10am.

Judith prepares meals

Currently the shelter are having to be really careful throughout as flu symptoms have started to appear.  Pro-biotic powder, plus a Flu remedy are being added into food where appropriate.

Judith adds pro-biotic powder to meals

Flu in cats can go from mild to very serious and it can spread very easily. A cat showing no symptoms can still pass on the infection in a number of ways, in addition, some can be carriers.  This is one of the reasons the Shelter has such a strict cleaning regime. Sadly as the infection can be passed by direct cat to cat contact or from being carried on clothing and shoes, it's managed to get through the defences.  Even cats who have been vaccinated could become ill, although not usually as severely as non vaccinated ones.

In view of this a number of additional measures have been put in place to reduce the risk of cross infection.  Rooms with cats showing any sign of illness are marked accordingly. Anyone visiting or cleaning in such a room will not be allowed in any other room and should completely limit their movement around the shelter.

Smurf fashion?

Where necessary, staff equip themselves with overshoes and aprons, or full 'clean suits' which are disposed of as soon as a room is completed.

Back to the filming and Emma kindly talked me through the daily routine.  Generally the morning starts with feeding in all rooms, medication and changing litter trays.  Although it sounds a bit gross, the contents of litter trays are important as any diarrhoea or evidence of blood can indicate a problem.

I took some photos and video within Room 4 to begin with, Daisy and Princess's kittens are in here. All but one have been pre-adopted and should be going to their new homes in about a weeks time.

A hiding little kitten

They were all due for worming, which meant each one had to first be weighed and then given a tablet.  Weights and medication are then all written on each kittens record sheet.

Weighing kittens

I then moved into Maternity to do a little more filming.  Some of the younger kittens are weighed to check their progress. As before these are then carefully recorded.

Then it was all about cleaning. As you can see a Mum and her babies can make quite a mess of their cage!

Here's the before....

Dirty cage

And the after :)

All clean!

The newspapers in the bottom of the cage serve two purposes, they help to make cleaning a little easier, but also make the surface of the cage a little warmer for younger kittens.

Speaking of which, here are a few kittens to drool over!


One....

Two.....

Three....

And Mum :)

So until next week! Thanks for calling by :)

 

 

Sunday at the Shelter 11-08-2013

It was lovely to have Libby with me again.  She's not been able to volunteer for some time due to illness, but hopefully she will be back to her regular Sunday slot from now on.

Thanks to the recent request for volunteers the Shelter was full of helpers today :)  Libby and I dried and filled litter trays while we waited for rooms to be allocated.


Holding was oddly a 'girl only' zone this week!  Lots of new faces to introduce you to, although I apologise in advance for my photography!!

First out was Ruby (black) and Pearl (tabby and white) they were abandoned in a carrier along with a third cat, Sapphire.  Pearl is confident and happy to have a fuss.  Ruby was slightly more apprehensive, but still happy to have some attention.  Both are beautiful girls.

Ruby

Pearl

Pearl having a look out of the window

Pixie is a little nervous and isn't keen on being handled at the moment.  We coaxed her back into her house with some treats.

Pixie

Wednesday is a gorgeous long haired black cat, she was playful but a little cautious around us.  Unfortunately, she was easily startled by some loud noises outside the shelter.

Libby with Wednesday

Sapphire is a tiny little girl who was happy to have some attention.  While we were in there a wasp wandered in through the open window and she was fascinated.  Watch the video to see :)



Crystal was in the yard as normal, waiting to see what everyone was having for lunch....

You may remember Libby (the cat) who was missing.  Thankfully, due to the shear determination of one lady called Maggie, who waited patiently to trap her, she's now in infirmary.  Thank you to everyone who helped. Her ordeal has unfortunately led to her being even more frightened and timid than before.  I managed a little photo of her, it's not great as I didn't want to disturb her with flash.  At least she is safe again and will be well looked after and fed.

Libby safe back at the Shelter

We were about to head for home, when the day took a little twist.  An un-neutered male, Marvin and a pregnant young female, Mika were brought into the shelter on Friday.  It was thought that the 5-6 month old female was in the early stages of pregnancy.

Emma introduced us to the pair and it was during this time that she noticed some changes in Mika.  These  led her to suspect that the little girl may actually be further into her pregnancy than first thought.  It seems that Mika is starting to produce milk. Mums 'to be' generally start to produce 24 to 48 hours before the onset of labour. This means that there is a possibility that Mika could deliver at any time. 

Rather than risk her going into labour overnight at the Shelter,  I offered to bring her home with me, where she could be monitored.  The risks to her are increased because she is young and very small.

This prompted a crash course in hand feeding and toileting kittens 'just in case'.  Emma talked me through the signs of each stage of labour and the actions I should take in certain situations.  I have the back up the emergency vet number, should I need it.

Here are my practice kittens :)

Ernest and Egbert

There are many Mums and kittens out on the streets at the moment, as there is simply not enough room at the Shelter. 

Experienced cat owners (or previous cat owners) are desperately needed for short term fostering.   Kittens are fostered until they are ready to go back to the Shelter for re-homing.  All you need is a bit of time, a spare room and transport to get to Vet appointments. Food, Vet bills, cat litter etc are all provided by the Shelter.

If you think you can help, contact the Shelter, they will be happy to answer your questions.

Oh by the way did you know the Shelter are now on Twitter??  Why not follow them via @CatsShelter

So far Mika seems settled, so hopefully we will have a uneventful night, but if that changes, I'll let you know!!

Sunday at the shelter 28-07-13

If you read the blog last week you might remember I was hopeful that Nev might find his new home at the beginning of the week.

Sweet natured Nev

I'm pleased to tell you that he did.  He will be a lovely addition to his new family and I'll really miss my cuddles!

The good news doesn't stop there, it's been a busy weekend at the Shelter.  The main reason being an article published in one of our local newspapers 'The Star' entitled,  ‘At crisis point as cats are abandoned'. The piece echo's many of the points raised in my Shelter post from 2 weeks ago.  Whilst the article also quotes 400 on the waiting list, it is now estimated that this figure is likely to be nearer to 1000 cats and kittens.  The paper also has a lovely picture of  Cat Care Manager Kim with some of the kittens.

In total 5 adult cats including Tootsie, Ellie and Missy went to new homes yesterday.  Bella was also collected this morning after being pre-adopted on Friday.  In addition there were also 3 pre-adoptions yesterday too. Pre-adoptions are available when a cat or kitten is not yet available to go straight to a new home.  It's usually when they are waiting for their second vaccination or for some treatment to be completed.  Cats who are available can not be reserved or pre-adopted, so if you want a cat, you need to be prepared to take him or her home on the day (subject to adopters fulfilling the shelter's adoption criteria)

So what did I get up to today?  I was in Infirmary where I met some new and some old faces.

First there was Bella, who was waiting for her new family to collect her.

Bella in Room 2 last week

She didn't have to wait long and it was nice that I got to say goodbye to her.

Next we have Eddie. He's a lovely sweet nature but is showing signs of not being very happy, including not eating very well.  The Shelter staff are keeping an eye on his progress.  I stood with him for a while to try and encourage him to eat and he managed a little bit of the white fish he'd been given.

Eddie and his fish

His fur is in need of some TLC so I had a bit of time brushing him.  He sat for a while before he wandered off.  He'll get more from the Shelter staff later today.

Eddie

Next we have Andy.  He had a trip to the Vets with Kim while I was cleaning.  There is an abscess under his chin and the Vet lanced it for him.

Andy with his poorly!

As you can see the aftermath is not a pretty sight but it should make him more comfortable and he didn't seem to be in any discomfort.

We've met Millie before in holding.  Such a big fur ball!!  She came out for a fuss and I attempted to give her a little brush too.  She tolerated me for a few moments and then told me off!! Here's the result of her photo shoot at the Shelter (much better than my efforts!!)

Millie (photo by Sheffield Cats Shelter)

Finally to Charleston a very striking white cat with odd coloured eyes.  One blue one green/yellow.  Unfortunately, he was being camera shy!  A very sleek pure white cat, beautiful.

My featured room this week is number 5 and you might recognise the names on the board?

Room 5 occupants

It's been a few weeks since I've see these two and it was lovely to see how they have come on.  I first met them on the 7th July

Salam is looking much healthier, his coat is starting to thicken up and the colours are so beautiful.  Although still quiet, he has lost the nervousness.

Salam looks much more confident

The biggest change was in Freddie.  Last time I saw him he looked really unhappy and I couldn't even managed to clean his cage.  He lashed out at the dustpan and brush!

Freddie playing

But look at him now! Playful, glad for company and wanting a fuss :)  It just shows you how a cat can completely change given TLC and time.  Well done to Shelter staff and the volunteers who've spent time with him too.  Here he is playing with my shoes.

Those ears are in a much better position now.

Hot off the press:- 3 kittens were adopted today :) Here's hoping that the rest of the week sees more of these lovely cats going to new homes.

If you want to support the invaluable work of the Shelter, check out the Donate & Support page to see all the different ways you can.

Sunday at the shelter 21-07-13

Despite today being pretty overcast and definitely cooler, the temperature in some of the cage rooms was still uncomfortable. As a way to try and keep Holding cooler, newspapers had been taped to the window. 

Unfortunately Shamus in particular, was very vocal, complaining to me about the loss of his view. There really is no pleasing some cats! :)  I did manage to hold him up so he could peer through the gaps though.

Holding residents are almost the same as last week.  We have Tootsie, Ellie, Grace, Shamus, Shadow and of course Crystal in the garden.  Shadow was very nervous last week and it was lovely to let her out today and be greeted with lots of leg rubs. She also let me gently lift her back into her little house, once I'd got it all clean and tidy.  There is little chance of any of these guys moving into the main cat rooms as adoptions have been thin on the ground.

Nev has made it out into Room 1.  Here he is looking a little more relaxed.  

The gorgeous Nev

I couldn't leave today without my cuddle and just as I came out of the room there was a phone call from a potential adopter wanting to come and see him.  I really hope they fall in love with him, its not hard to do :) He is such a sweetheart, a little shy and nervous, but nothing a bit of TLC can't take care of.

I'm going to show you a room a week and today is the turn of the cats in Room 2.

Details of the occupants

So first up here's Bella :)  Very affectionate and playful.

The beautiful and very loving Bella

Monty and Nelly have come into the Shelter together so it's important they go out as a pair. Lovely friendly cats who would make great pets for someone.

 

Monty having a snooze

 

Nelly liking her lips!

Mitsy and Tilly are Mother and Daughter and are looking for a home together.

Mitsy

Tilly

Next we have Kit.  I first met her in Maternity back in March.  Her kittens are long gone and this beautiful and very friendly little girl is still looking for her forever home.  I'm really surprised she's still here.

Kit

 And finally we have Julie as you can see, she likes to move....

Julie, well some of her

Thank goodness the Shelter are better at taking photos!  Here's a really nice one they got of her

Julie striking a pose

I made a 6 second Vine video of these guys too :)


And finally I made a little video in the garden with Crystal.

Kim (Cat Care Manager) and Emma (Deputy Cat Care Manager) popped into the shelter this morning before setting off to visit another rescue centre. Yorkshire Cat Rescue, originally Haworth Animal Welfare was founded in 1992 and is situated between Keighly and Haworth. Their facilities and set up in general is very different to the Sheffield Cats Shelter.

So how did they find their visit?  Emma explained, "Our visit to the Yorkshire Cat Rescue was very interesting. It is always eye opening to see how a different rescue does things in comparison to the shelter. Our visit has been very insightful and we have learned a great deal. We hope to act on what we have gained from the experience and hope to use the knowledge to enhance the work that we do at the shelter"

She added "A big thank you to Yorkshire Cat Rescue for letting us come and visit!"

So if you're looking for a cat or you know someone who is, please share the shelters facebook page so we can try and get these beautiful cats into a home they deserve :)