Sunday at the shelter 7-7-13

Wow its been a hot one today! At the shelter every window was open (mesh screens prevent escapes). Despite this maternity was still in need of air so a fan was brought in to help.

We also had a fan in the kitchen which links maternity and holding. Even with that, I was close to melting in there.  In holding the air flow was a little better thanks to the large window.

As its been a couple of weeks since I was last at the Shelter all the residents were new to me.

I started with Salam, an unwanted pet. He was brought into the shelter with another younger male, Freddie.

Salam is a sweet little boy who is looking pretty unhappy at the moment.

Salam

Not surprising when you look closer. The fur on his back is thin at best and bald at worst. His under side is even worse. I'm told that he had such a bad flea infestation, that they could easily be seen on him.  Sad, very sad, but also very easy to prevent :(

Salam was quite apprehensive to start, but did let me have a stoke and then a cuddle. I do like to try and spend a little time with all the cats, but I always make extra time for the shy, scared or unhappy ones.  I like to give them a fuss if possible.

If they can cope with a cuddle we look out of the window together. Anyone overhearing would think me a little weird as I ask the cat if he or she can see the doggy or hear birdies! 

Salam after a little fuss

Next to come out was this little lady. 

Ellie having a look for those birdies!

A lovely playful little girl, she was quite happy to have a cuddle and a fuss.

The next chap was brought in as a stray.  Apart from the unhappy look on his face, he does look clean and reasonably well fed.

Nev looking a little worried!

Although nervous, he did allow me to have a stroke and also a cuddle.  We tried to look out of the window together, but he was more interested in burying his nose into the crook of my arm.  I think he'll start to come round as soon as he realises he's in a safe place.

Next up was a treat for me.  I've never actually met a Maine Coon in the 'fur'.  Still, a treat for me is bad news for the cat.  Millie is 10 and has been brought to the shelter by her owner who can now no longer afford to keep her.

Millie

She was very uncertain of her surroundings, understandably, but did respond to the opportunity of a fuss.  Millie has so much fur, but if she was feeling the heat, it wasn't obvious.

Freddie came in with Salam.  Condition wise he is in much better shape, but he's not happy, really not happy.  He hissed at me through the bars and the staff haven't been able to complete his basic checks yet either.

I did manage a slight touch, but when I tried for a second he gave me a warning lash.  I tested him out with my dustpan and brush to the side of his bed.  He lashed out again and started to get stressed.  It was obvious that if I kept pushing, he would get more and more stressed.  To do this would be counter productive and not fair on him.

Freddies body language tells me all I need to know!

I let Judith know that I wasn't able to clean his section.  She is going to try and spend some time in the room with his door open to see if he will come out to her on his own terms.

More often than not cats like this change dramatically once they get used to their surroundings and I'm sure Freddie will be no exception.

Last out was Tootsie.  She gets her name from the extra toes!  Like my Billy she has thumbs on the front and additional toes on the back.  Tootsie is currently suffering from bad eyes, but it won't be long before she's better.

Tootsies poorly eyes

She's a lovely affectionate little girl.  Have a look at those toes!!

She's got thumbs!

Finally here is Crystal.  She's a real character.  In the mornings you will generally find her playing in the yard.  She's been at Shelter for some time now.  Unfortunately, by visiting time Crystal is usually asleep and has no interest in meeting prospective parents!

Crystal in the yard

The Shelter staff make sure their lunch caters for them and Crystal as she is always very interested in what's on offer!

So that's it for today. If you're in the area on the 20th July the next yard sale is due to start at 11.00am and, as I've said before, its worth a visit just for the cakes!!!

Wee wars

If you've read my previous posts you'll probably know that Bertie has struggled to settle in.

Bertie in his room

He gets on with the humans in the house and he tolerates most of the cats, but he really doesn't seem to like Billy. 

Billy posing

I guess, from his point of view, Billy is the only male likely to challenge him.  George and Harry are over ten now and are quite happy, eating, sleeping and having the odd stroll outside.  Bertie does all of that in addition to his 'patrols'.  He can often be heard (all those extra claws on laminate floors) wandering through from the 'cat room', past the kitchen and over to the cat flap.  I'm not sure if he's defending the house from outsiders or he's just taking an innocent look out.  Billy, who is actually a timid cat, no longer comes in through the cat flap and won't come in the front door either, if Bertie is in view.

In reality it's the girls who rule in this house, but maybe Bertie isn't tough enough to take them on...

Princess Bella rules

Joking aside the situation is bringing out behaviour I'd rather not have and it shows me that two of my cats aren't happy.  Bertie has really gone after Billy on a few occasions and we've had to separate them. When this happens it's a while before Billy comes out of hiding.

We've also got a wee problem, literally. Bertie seems to leave me little patches and puddles and Billy has responded by spraying :(.

We have found wee in, on, or against a variety of places/items; my sons new PC tower, the front door, the back door, the living room door, the garage door, the cat tree, my laundry basket, my daughters laundry basket, the living room fire, the dining room cupboard, corners of various rooms, the bath mat, the downstairs toilet floor, my husbands sock drawer, the tumble dryer, my daughters art work....oh and my handbag.

Not only is it smelly, its damaging. 

I did a bit of online research and many sites suggest a trip to the vets, the idea being that your cat could have an illness which makes them urinate outside the litter tray.  I don't think this is the case for us, I know Bertie uses the trays.  To me this is all about marking to feel comfortable in the house.

During my 'travels' I came across a fab site in the US A house full of Cats  They basically run a sanctuary in their home and have multiple cats.

They give some great advice on multiple cat households and I was particularly interested in the Bach Flower remedies they go through. I'm currently giving Beech and Larch a try in the water bowls.  I'm also trying a plug in Feliway  in the living room.

I've also been trialing a number of cat litters to see if there are any preferences for owners or cats.  I'll be posting my findings shortly.

Bertie boo

Finally I've got to the newest recruit.  Number 7. Bertie was living as a stray for about 12 months before the cat shelter had room to take him in. Fortunately, he was being fed outside by someone so at least he wasn't malnourished.

Again we had the choice of a few cats who might fit into our home. In the end it came down to who we felt might get overlooked.

At the Shelter

Bertie (named Albert by the Shelter) is a very big cat with the biggest feet I have ever seen. We left the shelter and decided to talk it through in the evening.

The next day I returned and pre adopted Bertie. Later that week, when he'd had his second vaccination I filled out his paper work, collected him and moved him into our 'cat room'.

Comfy in the cat room

He has little interest in going outside. I guess when you've had a year on the streets you appreciate being inside and warm. Another one who loves food, he almost knocks you over when you're preparing meat!

Big feet!

He came to us in January and so far his integration with 'the tribe' has been mixed. He mainly stays to the room he was first introduced to but does venture out from time to time.
Lately though he has been chasing the other cats and they have started to be very wary of him. The biggest issue is his unpredictability. One moment he'll sit calmly at the side of another cat but an hour later he's chasing someone.

First time on the cat tree :)

This has obviously been giving us cause for concern and we've had to go back to keeping them separate when there is no one in the house and monitoring him when we are.  I'm still hopeful he will settle, but this is always the danger when introducing another cat.  We will keep working on it.  Interestingly I read an article about putting Bach Flower remedies (alcohol free) into their water to help with behaviour issues .  I'm going to check out if this is safe and perhaps give it a go.

Bertie has his first trip outside (watched by Billy)

Fingers crossed we didn't go a cat too far.

Billy kitten

George had been an only child for some time, he loved to spend time with us. In or on the bed at night and on our knees whenever he could elsewhere in the house.

George sat on Daddy's knee

But we had to go to work and I began to wonder if he might be a little lonely.  I started to think that maybe he would like another cat for company.

Whilst I'd had a cat for some time by now I'd never had more than one at a time.  I have a number of friends who have a lot of experience with multi animal households, and so I asked out for advice on Facebook. Should I go boy or girl, cat or kitten?  I got lots of useful advice.

Within days a friend mentioned she knew of a black kitten looking for a home. I was told there was something special about this little boy and when I heard the kitten had extra toes, I was sold. I love black cats anyway, but if he had too many toes and George didn't have enough? Well that sounded perfectly balanced to me :)

And so Billy, the naughty kitten, arrived in May 2011 and we stared in wonder at his 'thumbs'

Billy's first look at his new home

I am very lucky that I have a back room in my house where Billy could become acquainted with his new home. It's really important, when introducing another animal, that you do it slowly. In 'Billy's' room he had toys, a scratch post, litter tray and his food.

Look at my thumbs!!

Kittens can be quite destructive at times. Most people need to leave the house at some point so its important that you don't leave them with your best furniture, designer curtains and priceless antiques.
They can also get into the smallest holes and gaps known to man. If you thought you didn't have any, you may find a new kitten will prove you wrong!  Under the sofa was a particular favourite for Billy.


He was full of energy and wanted to play all the time with George.  The older cat didn't dislike the kitten, but he did find him a bit annoying at times.  It was useful to be able to keep them apart for some of the day and give George a break.  We helped out too, playing with cats and kittens is always fun.

Billy and George share a rare moment together

As time went on there were days when I thought I'd made a big mistake.  Billy would chase George around, he just wanted to play.  Unfortunately, George didn't always want to and they often fell out over it.
Once Billy could go outside he was able to use up more energy and that helped their relationship.

Remember, if you have a kitten, you need to make sure they are vaccinated and neutered.   Follow your vets advice on how soon they can go outside.

The months passed and the two boys did bond, but Billy still wanted more from George than he wanted to give.

Spot the difference

By December that year I decided we needed a girl to come in and sort out the boys.