Sunday at the Shelter 17-11-2013

Those eagle eyed readers amongst you might have noticed that there was no blog last Sunday.  I must apologise, there was so much going on I didn't get a spare moment to even begin writing.  I shall, however,  make up for it this week with a bumper edition (I hope).

Firstly, what kept me so busy last weekend??  In case you missed it, the Shelter opened its very own Charity Shop on Ecclesall Road on Saturday the 9th November.  I, along with others, increased my volunteering to help out.

The run up to the shop being opened was verging on miraculous.  The Shelter Staff and volunteers had such a small window in which to install and paint shop fittings, sort donations, produce a window display and get items on the rails and shelves.

This first photo shows the shop completely empty on Saturday the 2nd November, that's just one week before the grand opening!

2nd November - a blank canvas!!

By the 5th there have been loads of 'behind the scenes' work completed, but the shop fittings are not yet complete.

5th November - just 3 days left before opening day!

Friday the 8th, there are hanging rails and the sales counter gets some final touch ups.

Shelter staff working hard 

Shelving is in and painted, now to start getting them filled!

Discussions on the best use of space

The hard work of everyone can been clearly seen as they prepare to go home after a long day.

And finally, what a fantastic shop window!

Opening day arrived and so did Actress Susan Cookson who kindly cut the ribbon. Here she is receiving flowers as a thank you.

Actress Susan Cookson

Some volunteers spent most of the day outside talking to customers and passers by.  It's hard to ignore a giant cat!

Shelter Manager Shirley checks on the welfare of the fund raising cat!

It was a fantastic first day, with lots of visitors and plenty of positive comments about the shop and the stock.
It would certainly not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of Staff, volunteers and Trustees.

When you've been so busy, sometimes you need a reality check.  A little reminder what all this is for.  I got mine when I popped back to the Shelter after the shop closed.  3 kittens had just been brought in by their owner.  Her cat had had kittens and she was unable to keep them.

I picked up a little tabby kitten and had a cuddle, yeah, this is what it's all about.  "Little sausage" I said as I enjoyed my cuddle.  So when you learn the kittens are now named Sausage, Bacon and Eggs, you know who to blame :)

Sausage, Bacon & Eggs

At 7-8 weeks old, they are a little underweight, but hopefully that should be rectified in no time.  Here's a recent photo of Sausage, who's happily settling into his foster home.

Sausage

A 4-5 month old little white and black kitten, named Prince, has just found his way to the Shelter.  He was found as a stray and was limping, unable to bear weight on one of his front paws.

Prince

Examinations concluded that he has two broken bones in his front leg.  Despite this he is such a happy little boy.  He will be having an operation tomorrow to repair the leg.  Recovery time will depend on whether the leg can be reset and plastered or if he needs pins inserting.  As ever, the cost of the operation, which will likely be in the hundreds, will be paid by the Shelter regardless.

Finally to Libby.  Her story has been featured a number of times in the blog.  She's certainly had her ups and downs having to be trapped not once, but twice by the fantastic Maggie.

Libby

Libby is very fearful of people and has been unhappy at the Shelter as she doesn't like being confined indoors. Not every cat will thrive in a home environment and the Shelter do all they can to consider alternatives.  A farm home has been found for Libby.  She will receive food, shelter and care but with less human interaction.

I'm always amazed the lengths the Shelter go to, to find homes for all the cats and kittens in their care, however 'alternative' that might need to be.

I will be sorry to see Libby leave the Shelter, but I'm pleased to know she'd finally be able to get the type of life she she needs to be happy.

Sunday at the Shelter 03-11-2013

November!! Oh my this year is going fast.

This weekend I met three young kittens, Jasmine, Jeeves and Jessie, who had just returned from their foster home.

Jasmine, Jeeves and Jessie

They were in room 5 with black kittens Dora, Daloris and Alfie.

Kim explained that she needed to do some routine checks on the new arrivals.  Each one is weighed as sometimes kittens might not eat very well when they are first returned to the Shelter.  Having a baseline weight enables the Shelter staff to monitor any problems.

What a sweetie :)

If they are due for flea or worming treatment, this will be administered now too.

The kittens have all had microchips implanted whilst in foster care so Kim also checks that these can be picked up by the hand held scanner and that the number corresponds to the details given by the Vets.

In addition, Jasmine has her spay scar inspected.  Kim is looking for any sign of infection, such as scabs, swelling, or discharge.  Thankfully the scar is nice, neat, flat and healing well.

All of this is recorded on each kittens information sheet.

Foster carers give the staff information on the temperament of each kitten, how they interact with each other and any other animals in the house.   Sometimes kittens are so close that it's decided they would be better to be re-homed as a pair. (As is the case with Dora and Daloris) Once all this information is collected, the final task is to update the room board with the names and details of the new occupants.

Board ready to be updated!

In Maternity, Mum Chestnut was with her kittens Brazil and Hazel.  Mum was a stray and the kittens were born outside.  Aren't they stunning?

Chestnut with Hazel and Brazil

This little chap was also found living outside with his Mum.  At around 10 weeks old, Heisenberg (don't ask!)  is very frightened and has therefore gone into a foster home.  Hopefully it won't be long before he's feeling much happier and more relaxed.

Heisenberg

Great news to finish the weekend.  You may remember Tia, 17, who had her thyroid removed? 

Tia

Well today she was adopted!  What fantastic news.  She is such a lovely cat, perfectly happy curled up on someone's knee.  To think she could have been put to sleep if it hadn't been for the Shelter.

I love a happy ending :)

Sunday at the Shelter 20-10-13

Today there were only a few residents in holding.  Lovely Tia is still in here recovering from her thyroid operation. Her wound seems to have healed really well.  I also noticed that her coat is starting to look much more healthy, which is great to see. She was happy for a bit of a fuss :)

Tia

Crystal was, as usual, enjoying her fresh air in the yard.  It's such a shame that no one has fallen for her yet, unless of course, you count the staff!

  

Crystal

Leanne took a lovely little video of her chasing her tail recently! Find it on Facebook!!

Also in holding was Skippy.  He's a un-neutered tom, who has been living outside for some time.  It's likely he's been abandoned by his owner.

Skippy

The final occupant was Harriet and she was the noisiest!!  

Harriet

She was trapped by Maggie with her three kittens, Henry, Hetty and Howard.  They were living outside after being born in a lady's garden.  Harriet has grown weary of her 4-5month old kittens and it was decided that now was the time to move her into holding. She is really friendly and loved some attention.

Meanwhile the kittens have stayed in maternity. 

One of Harriet's kittens

Another of Harriet's kittens

They have such beautiful markings and are in a very good condition considering their rough start in life.  Sadly they are also very timid and frightened.  This is something the Shelter overcomes time and time again and I've no doubt these little ones will be no exception.

 

Zena is another recent admit who is currently in maternity.  Yet another poor soul who has been out living on the streets.  Not only is she frightened but she also appears to have a possible infected womb.  She is being given medication at the moment and will be back at the vets for further treatment on Monday.

Zena

Texas and her kittens are still in maternity and they are so photogenic!!!

Ohio & Vegas

Ohio

The other news this week is that the Shelter have signed the lease on their very own Charity Shop.  

Applications from volunteers have been coming in and I was lucky enough to meet one lady today who was visiting the shelter and is eager to get involved with the Shop.

If you'd like to volunteer to help the Shelter there are now even more ways to get involved than ever before!  Cleaning in the cat rooms, helping to fund raise and now roles in the new shop.  To volunteer at the Shelter either call in or telephone between 1pm and 4pm.  If you're interested in the shop, pop over to the Charity Shop page and download the application form.

It doesn't stop there either, just donating a few unwanted items to be sold through the shop and yard sales, can make all the difference and help the Shelter to keep doing what they do best.

Sunday at the Shelter 13-10-13

Holding was full today, but thankfully Libby was with me to help out.

First out was Lily.  She was previously adopted through the Shelter, but sadly didn't settle in her new home.  It won't be long before she is back in one of the main rooms.  She's a lively little girl, who's happy for some attention.

Lilly

Ruby is currently the Star for 7 Days.  She's still waiting for the right person to come along

Ruby

Next is Tia who I first met a couple of weeks ago.  She had just been admitted and the team needed to get her to take thyroid medication.  

Tia when she was admitted

Trying to give tablets directly was far too stressful for her so medication was instead put into her food.  Unfortunately, the downside to this was the tablet coating broke down within the food rather than in her stomach.  This lead to her getting an 'instant hit' of medicine rather than a slow release as intended.

Given the situation it was decided the best solution was to have her thyroid removed.  The operation was carried out and she is now recovering well. An operation like this costs the Shelter around £300, but it means Tia will no longer need medication, so hopefully she will start to become much more settled.  It just shows you that, regardless of the cost, the Shelter always do what is needed.

Here she is today, enjoying a brush :)

Tia, showing her 'war' wounds

The next little Lady was Doris.  Regular readers may remember her story.  She was living outside with a terrible injury due to her leg being through her collar.  Here's a reminder of the damage.

Doris and her collar wound

Doris is slowly becoming more trusting and her sores are gradually healing. Unfortunately, due to the location of the wound, it can't be stitched so it could take months to heal fully. 

Doris having a little cuddle

Flash has lost his slight limp and after having treatment for ticks there shouldn't be anymore problems, which is good news as he was pre-adopted today!

Flash

Finally to Gordon who was also a stray and thought to be a sibling of Flash. However, once at the shelter, he was obviously bigger so it's likely he's from a previous litter.  He's a little shy, but very sweet.

Gordon

I took the opportunity to visit Maternity where Texas and her kittens, Ohio and Vegas, are doing really well.  

Texas

The kittens are now 7-8 weeks old and are fully weaned. 

Vegas

Ohio

This means that at last Texas can concentrate on feeding herself as Ohio has only just started eating solids!

Ohio playing in the room

Kittens Alice and Archie are also in here.  They were brought in after being found in a box on someone's drive.  They are such lovely little souls.  Look at Alice's little pink nose!

Alice

My final visit today was to see Marmaduke.  He was a stray suffering with very bad teeth and a terribly matted coat.  He's a lot happier now a number of teeth have been removed.  

Marmaduke

Unfortunately, his fur was so badly matted in places, no amount of brushing was going to make a difference.  Instead the worst area's were shaved.  He reminds me of a lion with that tail!  At least this way he has the chance to groom himself and hopefully it won't take too long for the fur to start growing back.

Lions tail?

Marmaduke is isolated from other cats as he has Calicivirus.  The means he is a flu carrier. In times of stress or if he's unwell, flu symptoms are likely to appear and can also be spread to non vaccinated cats.

Just another example of the Shelter doing all they can to help all cats who are admitted no matter what it takes.

Don't forget, if you want to support the fantastic work of the Shelter visit the Donate and Support page to find out how.

Sunday at the Shelter 15-09-2013

Its been a sad week, poor little Percy who was first featured a couple of weeks ago, was just too poorly to survive.  It turned out he was actually 7-8 weeks old and should have been around 800grams, not the pitiful 260grams he weighed in at. After fighting sickness and diarrhoea, he then began to have breathing problems.

Little sweetheart Percy

It's soul destroying to think this could have been prevented if only he'd received basic care in his previous home. Proper nutrition, plus flea and worm treatment from the start and his story could have been very different.

A new little family arrived in my home yesterday.  Fluff and her 3 kittens are here for the weekend, while her foster carers have a well earned weekend away.

Fluff and her three kittens

She's a lovely cat and a very good mum.  The kittens are about 2 weeks old.  She's coped really well being in a strange environment, quickly settling down and enjoying our attention. Her foster carers will be picking her up again tomorrow, but I'm hoping to keep in touch so I can get updates on their progress.

So, back to today.  Libby and I started in holding this week.  There were two very shy little girls, Tabatha and Milly sharing one cage. 

Tabatha and Milly hiding in a litter tray

Arriving only yesterday, they are still finding it hard to adapt to going from a home environment to the cage room.  We spent a little time cuddling and talking to them.  I'm sure these little girls will be absolutely fine, they just need a bit of time to adjust.

Ruby was next.  She'd recently been adopted but sadly didn't like being in a home with children so she has been returned to the shelter. 

Ruby

It won't be long before she's back in one of the main rooms and now the shelter have more information about her, it will help to get her the perfect home.

Finally to Mitzy, a petite little lady who enjoyed a fuss :)

Mitzy

Texas is still in Maternity and I managed to get a few new pictures.  This little one looks very sad for some reason but is perfectly ok!

Little sweetie :)

Next was Luke who is now in a room on his own.  If you've been following the blog, you may remember these partners in crime.

Luke

Charlie

So friendly and loving with each other and visitors, it came as no surprise when they were quickly pre-adopted. 

As part of the health checks before re-homing the boys visited the vets.  Charlie needed some dental work but sadly became very unwell after the operation.  Tests revealed that he was suffering from FeLV - Feline Leukaemia Virus, which contributed to his poor recovery. He became so ill that the vet decided the kindest thing was to put him to sleep.

Luke was also tested for FeLV and has been found to be positive too. He must remain isolated from the other cats (which fortunately, he has been) as the infection can be passed on through saliva.

The shelter are now desperate to find a home for Luke.  He will need to be either an only cat, or be with another cat who is also FeLV positive.  FeLV positive cats should be kept indoor only to prevent spreading infection to other cats in the area. 

So this little guy found himself at the shelter when his owner passed away and has now lost his lifelong buddy.  If you can help to promote Luke and his sad situation, it would be greatly appreciated.  He still has so much to give.

Luke

Finally, Libby and I tried to clean up this mucky pup.

Ernest

Ernest is one of the kittens currently being looked after by Emma and he likes to stand in his food bowl as you can see.  He's not been doing so well this week either and will be spending sometime with the vet on Monday for them to try and work out why his tummy has suddenly become very swollen.

The Shelter do an amazing job looking after all these cats and kittens.  Check out the Donate & Support page and see how you can help too.