Sunday at the Shelter 03-03-13

Well its been a very busy weekend at the shelter.  Yesterday a number of kittens returned from foster care, which prompted a large number of potential adopters eagerly waiting to view.  As a result there were a lot of adoptions, always good news.

When Libby and I arrived this morning, Emma, Judith and Leanne (Shelter staff) were again very busy.  One of the pregnant ladies had delivered her kittens earlier today and the smallest wasn't doing so well.

Here's mum and her kittens.  You can also see the afterbirth laying at the front.  You'll have to excuse the poor photo's but I didn't want to disturb her.

Proud new mum

Can you make out the tiny kittens??

 No post would be complete without a little look at the 3 black kittens Emma has been hand rearing.  Still no names yet, but they are a lot more active and getting bigger.  The one I've photographed has, for some reason, started to lose his fur.  Emma is waiting for test results on what may be causing this.

I'm hungry!!!

Big enough to eat without being held :)

Our duties were in Holding again today and I was pleased to see Molly doing well.  She's even allowed her collar off during the day.

Molly minus her collar

We offered to stay on today past our normal time as it was anticipated it would be another busy day.  The lovely foster mum, who brought a number of kittens back to the shelter for adoption, came and sat in the kitten room to talk to potential adopters.  This was a great help to staff as not only can Claire tell them apart, she also knows their personalities really well.

Here are some of the furry faces waiting to meet people today.

No wonder adopters were so keen to to meet these cuties.  Several more adoptions today.  One of the ladies I showed around went home with a cat.  It was a really nice feeling.  I loved chatting with people, talking about the cats. I'm also hopeful that one of the couples may be back for Cleo tomorrow. (she was the 7 day star last week)

One thing did disappoint me today.  My Daughter overheard a visitor stating rooms could be cleaner and other negative comments.  If I had heard this personally I would have politely explained about the strict cleaning regime and how hard everyone works all week to keep the cats healthy.  I wonder if some people expect a smell of disinfectant or bleach to prove that rooms are cleaned.  Can you imagine cats getting that on their paws and licking it?  So no, there are no strong cleaning product smells as the products are animal friendly.  It makes sense when you think about it.

There was a moment (or possibly a good half hour) of panic towards the end of the afternoon.  A Mum and her Daughter were in the kitten room and decided on two they wanted to adopt.  Great news, until it was discovered that one of the kittens was nowhere to be seen.  Everyone hunted around the entire shelter just in case he'd sneaked out through the room doors (there are airlock style doors to prevent this) It seemed unlikely he could have escaped as no one had spotted him anywhere in the corridors.
Everyone thought about the last time he'd been seen.  It was then that Emma wondered if he'd got in the cat carrier which was being used to take another kitten home.

It was a nervous wait for both the staff and the Mum & Daughter waiting to adopt.  Finally the call came through, the kitten was in the carrier and would be brought straight back to the shelter.

What a fab day :)