I adopt a baby elephant

Sam the cat we were trying to trap, finally was enticed inside, he is now settled in one of the cat pens and seems happy to be here.His deceased owner was very fond of him but the family wanted no responsibility for Sam - same old story.Only for a friend of the gentleman, we might not have heard of Sams plight.Its good some people are caring and who think of how the owner would feel knowing nobody was taking care of a beloved pet.As soon as Sam came out the trap, he was purring away and pushing his head against my hand, you could tell immediately he was relieved to be somwhere safe.
A man turned up today with a young Welsh Springer spaniel, he had only owned her for 2 days but he could not keep her contained in his garden and of course we are surrounded by sheep in this area so a wandering dog has little chance of survival.Millie was one of a litter bred locally, why people do this is beyond me, there are so many unwanted and homeless dogs round here and so few good homes. Rosie has promised to foster her until we can find her a home, she is a sweet natured dog, good with cats, dogs, children, horses even but she needs a home with a secure fence.This poses a problem as so many gardens here have stonewalls which are easy for most dogs to leap over.
The telephone is out of order today so it has been peaceful but of course it is not conducive to finding homes and we have homed nothing at all today which is very disheartening.maybe tomorrow will be better.
Today a friend gave me the gift of adopting a baby elephantin my name at the elephant orphanage in kenya.I was thrilled to bits as I adore elephants and the highlight of my holiday last year was a trip to this same orphanage.My foster baby is called lempaute and is a 2 years old female who lost her family at the asge of 2 weeks, maybe one day I will be able to return and pay her a visit.The photo is of me with an orphaned baby, she was so adorable but its so sad she had no family to care for her.I find it heartwarming that all over the world there are good people who do their best to help the needy animals in their countries.Overseas animal abuse can be overwhelming and I am glad in one way that I am involved in the Uk though there is such a shortage of animal welfare workers in many countries. I think I am too cowardly to do such work, I admire those who work overseas fighting against appalling ignorance and lack of education, they have a very difficult job to do.

Waiting to be filed?

I couldnt resist taking this photo of Fatticat and Felix, 2 of our resident cats who have sneaked into the office for an afternoon nap!One was in the Letters to reply, the other in the Letters to post!
There is still no sign of Big Ginge aand no luck as yet trapping Sam the cat in Bangor. Some cats are impossible to trap, they can be so knowing and wily.I will not be able to rest until he is safe here, he must be feeling distressed by now, his owner has been gone several days and the house is locked up.
Everybody seems to be enjoying this wonderful weather, this morning I heard the first cuckoo.I love that sound almost as much as that of migrating geese.The name of the road leading to the shelter is Lon Pant-y-gog which in English means Cuckoo Dip Lane. Cuckoos nest here every year and it looks like swallows are nesting in one of the horse field shelters.They are swooping in and out all day.I hope they will be safe from the cats though they seldom use that field, mostly the cats stay round the yard and their feeding/sleeping area with a few spending time round the horses stables.
In the evening there are always bats flying about, some little pipistrelles and also the larger Lesser horshoe bats of which there is a large colony locally.Thankfully the cats seem disinterested in them, I would hate to find little corpses everywhere.
Yesterday was taken up driving backwards and forwards to the vet with animals to be treated or neutered.We could do with some volunteer drivers, it is time consuming and there is so much to do in the office and back at the shelter.On the way back I stopped briefly at the beach to let William have a run, he travels with me almost everywhere,he hates to be left behind but in this weather it really is too hot for him so he enjoyed a brief dip in the sea before we headed back home.The journey to our vet surgery in Pwlhelli is amazing, you have the sea on one side , fields on the other and mountains ahead.Stunning!

Finlay in his new home

It has been very quiet the last few days, which is good in one way because we can get on with work and there are no interruptions, however it means that fewer animals are homed which is always disappointing.
The good news is that the lady with the 4 ponies has been to see me and after a long discussion she has decided to bring her ponies to the shelter and not have them destroyed as originally planned.I am so relieved that she has changed her mind. I know she was worried about their future otherwise she would not have contemplated such an extreme solution to her problems , she has loved and cared for these animals for over 20 years and now her health is failing , she has been terrified that the ponies will end up being neglected or passed on from home to home. I have been able to reassure her that they will have a home here for the rest of their lives and she can visit whenever she wants. They will join the other elderly ponies who are permanent residents.They will be arriving at the end of the month,
I am still receiving calls about Finlay the white GSD rescued from a dog pound, he was adopted by Rhian who often brings him to work with her, he is completely devoted to her..Nobody who meets him can believe he was not only unwanted but due to be destroyed! he is such a handsome dog and so good natured. Pictured above in his new home with Louis another of Rhians dogs.This photo is so good, I am wondering if I could make use of it for a charity card.Rhian has taken some excellent photos, I wish mine were as good.
A very neglected, poorly cat was brought in yesterday, poor old girl looked terrible and I was not hopeful about her prognosis.Sure enough the vet today diagnosed mouth cancer and she had to be put to sleep. At least she spent the night in comfort.
Today, I took a cat trap to Bangor, where a Freshfields cat is on the loose, his owner died a few days ago and nobody can catch Sam, a middle aged black cat who is very shy and obviously distressed at the loss of his carer. Fortunately there are people willing to feed him and watch the trap, Sam needs to be caught soon so we can bring him to safety.I hope it doesnt take too long.
The sun has been shining here all day, so off with the jeans and on with the shorts -only problem is that they are no protection against boisterous dogs jumping up, I am covered in scratches and bruises already and look as though I have gone 5 rounds with Mike Tyson.
One of our permanent cats Big Ginge has gone missing, nobody has seen him for a week now, he was always around with the other feral cats and I fear the worst.Ginge was one of the last surving cats we took from a home in Anglesey, he never missed a meal so it soes not look good.It is a mystery, there is no traffic here, it is unlikely that a fox has taken him so where can he be? He was old but not on his last legs by any means < I hope he has not fallen foul of a human predator?

bank Holiday Bunnies.

So much for the lovely weather we started to enjoy! Today we are experiencing torrential rain.It didnt seem to put visitors off as we were busy all day today. The kittens which had been fostered came in and were adopted out almost immediately.The pretty tortie mum will be spayed next week, she is a lovely cat and will probably find a home very quickly.Another cat, Archie ,was found a home via the catchat website, Archie was everybodys favourite from the day he arrived, such a scared cat who spent all his time hiding under a blanket, every day he seemed to gain confidence, at first only his head could be seen, we would place his food near to him and he would lean out to eat, retreating as soon as the bowl was clean.After a month he started to creep out to eat whilst we were present and now he is such an affectionate cat, he does not seem the same animal.His new family have promised photos when he settles in.I will look forward to seeing them.
The second adult cat to go this weekend is Caine a handsome middle aged fellow with a thick fluffy coat.he came in with 2 others when their owner passed away, all were so friendly unlike many cats who have been with elderly owners and have had little or no contact with others.As I am writing this I receive a phone call to tell me that he has already made himself at home. That news is always so good to hear, homing animals can be a great worry, we try to do our best but with the best will in the world mistakes can be made and to hear that all is well brings a sense of relief to all of us.
Well Ive cracked it with Toby, the dog who liked everyone but me,seems now I am his favourite person! I have tried all weekend to get a photo of us, the two new best friends but he is so squirmy, he wouldnt stay still long enough, I will keep trying if only to prove that Toby and I REALLY have made friends now.
We have admitted 2 rabbits today, the children have lost interest etc etc. I am first to admit that I have no experience whatsoever of parenting , however, when I was a child, I too lost interest in my rabbits. My mother would not consider giving them away, instead she appealed to my better nature to continue caring for them. My concern is that when children lose interest and parents readily help them by giving the pets away, does this not then instil in them a sense of irresponsibility? Is it then a case of dont worry mum and dad will sort it out? Surely it would be better to explain that animal shelters are already full of unwanted pets and force them to take responsibility, if they wanted a pet so much it HAS to be cared for, not just for a few months but for the rest of its life.|As I said before I am no expert so maybe this is impossible with some children but surely the removal of privileges would do the trick? All I know is that NONE of our family pets were ever given away.
The rabbits are both male so will have to be kept seperate and I will get them neutered as soon as possible.Ralphie and Chester your dominant male days will soon be over.

Recovered and well again

Pictured are the 2 sister cats who came in pregnant and lost their babies. After being very poorly they are both recovering so well and apart from some bruising are almost ready for a new home- together of course, they are devoted to one another.Rhian who helps care for the cats here, has named them Mel and Kim(I presume after the 80s pop stars?)It is hard to keep thinking of good names for the animals and in this case I think she failed! Sorry Rhian.
Our fostered kittens are coming in tomorrow, already 2 of them are spoken for, I dont think they will even be here for the whole weekend.They are the first of the season so will be snapped up,however within weeks we will be inundated with them and as usual homes will dry up and there will be the inevitable older, plainer kittens left behind.Quite often they are here until old enough to spay at 6 months and then often they will appeal to people who want older cats.With so many people working full time nowadays cats this age and older are more popular, though there will always be those who demand a kitten in spite of working long hours and having to leave the animal on its own all day.
A real camera opportunity was lost today- Rhian brought in one of her German Shepherds and he was in a travelling cage in her car, with the back door open.She had put in a bowl of food for him and Tomas one of the elderly resident cats had jumped into the car and was spooning out the food through the bars! This big impressive looking dog was huddled at the back terrified of the bold and determined old feline.Why is the camera never handy at times like this?
Bonny the foxhound went back to the vet today for an injection to help her skin condition, she is still itching so has to be bathed later today and again next week. her condition otherwise has improved, she is gaining weight slowly and I think when she is one hundred per cent healthy, she will make someone a gentle, quiet household pet.All she is interested in is food, she is good with cats and other dogs but will need to be fed seperately as she doesnt want anything to come near HER food. Animals which have been starved never seem to overcome the fear that they will never receive another meal again.My ancient Cavalier Ruby was skeletal when she was brought here 4 years ago, she is now bordering on overweight because , like Bonny she is constantly looking for food and will steal the cats food and will even take a bisquit out my hand if I am not careful! I have put Ruby on a low calorie diet but she seems to find extra food somewhere! Actually it could be a case of dog taking after owner!
Finally some spring grass is bursting through, there are patches of green appearing all over the fields, please let the rain stay off for a while and if we have some more sun it should make a big difference to the fields.

Murphy and ex racehorse Jimmy

we have had a few enquiries about our bigger horses and a homevisit was done today for Jimmy the ex racehorse(His previous loan home turned out to be unsuitable)I hope this time he will stay out for good.He is a lovely horse with many good years ahead of him. There is someone coming on Sunday to see Murphy our 17 hands bay gelding. Both horses are real favourites of the staff but at the end of the day if the younger, fitter horses can be rehomed it makes room for others in need of our help. Murphy is a truly handsome horse with a gentle nature but several months ago someone came to see him and believe it or not, he took one look at him and said "I dont like him"!!!!! Now, he may not have been suitable for that particular person but how could anyone not like this beautiful creature? Needless to say my opinion of someone with that attitude is not high and he was rather quickly shown off the shelter. A great deal can be told by a persons general reaction to an animal.Lack of compassion is immediately apparent to anyone with any experience of rescue work. With horses there is always the chance someone is after them for the wrong reasons and in that instance I am sure this was the case.People often think they can obtain a cheap riding/working animal at a rescue centre. What they fail to realise is that no reputable charity would even consider a prospective owner with such an attitude.We want people who genuinely want to give a home to a rescued horse.
Today I have heard that a lady I know with ill health is planning to have her 4 ponies destroyed sooner than worry about their future without her. She has promised to come and talk to me before she does anything, I am hoping that she will reconsider and let me give them a home here for the rest of their lives.having seen the ponies, the idea of their destruction has upset me greatly. All 4 are over 20 years of age and that being the case they would live their lives out here, and could join the other oldies.
I know many people will be horrified at the decision this lady is considering but part of me understands.Nobody wants to think that their animals will end up being neglected or worse, but in this case a permanent home is available so this has to be the moral and compassionate course of action..Although I believe she is misguided I know she loves her ponies and is simply trying to make the right decision before anything happens to her. the plan is for her to visit on Tuesday so we can discuss the matter.

A handyman at last!

Another horrible day weather wise.Its cold, rainy and misty, not pleasant at all. The best news of the weekend is that the 2 sick cats are now both back to normal and are most definitely out of the woods.With their sweet friendly personalities, I have little doubt that they will not be here very long, someone is sure to snap them up.
I have had a few calls offering homes to our ponies so with a bit of luck at least one, maybe more will be suitable. There are so many on the waitng list for a place at the shelter but at the moment I cannot consider taking in another, the fields need to dry out first and then I will have to prioritise the most urgent cases for admittance
At last we have a handyman here, a local man John turned up here some weeks ago offering to help and he has been invaluable , so far he has painted the field shelters with wood preserver, put a new door on the cattery, fixed new bolts on some of the stable doors,generally tidied up and is about to start tidying up/repairing the old dog kennels which are in a dreadful state.Without a doubt he has made a big difference and is so pleasant and easy to get on with. I hope he doesnt lose interest, its so hard to keep a place like this in good repair, the horse staff, Rosie, Vanessa and Meirwen are all quite practical and do their best but that takes them away from the animals and the repairs are never ending
I was shocked to read of the pups with rabies which were diagnosed in Quarantine kennels - they were being brought over for a new life, by SOS Sri Lanka, an animal rescue set up to help those unfortunate animals in that country.I had planned to travel there with them this month and had collected some vet supplies for use over there.After much consideration I made the decision not to go this time but wished Kim and Lizzie well in their trip and promised I would go with them on another visit.
Kim was one of 3 people bitten by the pups but all 3 are well(shows the importance of having the injection!) and there was never any problem with the disease being contained.I know, however that the girls will be devastated at the loss of these pups after their efforts to bring them to a better life here.My heart goes out to them.