Friday 13 November 2009

Smoky, A temperamental disabled cat.


We admitted a young tabby and white cat yesterday, she had been scavenging for food in the Nefyn area for the past week. We have put a stop to taking in any more cats due to the cattery roof problem which is still not sorted.Roy from the Caernarfon shop had a go at fixing it but it has not worked and there is no way we can afford to totally reroof it.I am at a loss as to what to do next.The new tabby cat is young enough to be in the kitten room but the adult cats waiting list is growing longer by the day which is a worry.Just as I wrote this Roy telephoned and he is going to come back and have another go with different materials.What would we do without him? He really is as committed to this shelter as I am and in this day and age when nobody seems willing to do anything for nothing he is priceless.I dont know if he would thank me for also mentioning that he is now 80 years of age!!!! Amazing!
He tells me he has a marvellous volunteer in the shop, a regular and reliable man who travels by bus to the shop in Caernarfon and he is 94!!! Where are all the young people who are out of work? I suppose shopwork is too boring for them.
We need to find an indoor home for Smokey a handsome grey female whose owner had died leaving the cat homeless.Smoky was born without a bone in part of her front leg so she has a strange gait when she walks, she also has a pin in her back leg from a traffic accident.On top of this she is a bit temperamental and it is hard enough to find homes for the sweetest natured cats, never mind one who has both a disability AND isnt the sweetest natured animal here.So we need someone who does not want a cat to go outdoors, who does not want a perfect looking animal and someone who admires an independent minded feline who has a tendency to lash out when it suits her. Now where do I find someone like that? Answers please on a postcard!
Suzy is not doing so well after the op and I am wondering if I did the right thing putting her through it, in fact I feel very guilty about it.To be perfectly honest when I took her for the appointment I had in mind the vet might decide it kinder to put her to sleep but when her heart was checked and it was fine, the option was not discussed and before I knew it she was being whisked away to be prepared. That is not to say that I could not have told the vet not to go ahead but somehow I could not bring myself to say so especially as Maggie Martha did so well. I will see how she is today,she may well be improved by the end of the day.
A young collie called Sally has been admitted so she is in the house with me.Just 6 months old she is a lovely dog , one of those submissive types who is scared of cats and rolls on her back when another dog approaches.The other dogs have accepted her immediately and she is very homeable being young and pretty.Who says looks dont matter? As I have often said before the plainer the animal is the longer it remains unhomed.Fortunately Sally is most things that people want in a dog,I wonder how long it will be before the enquiries start to come in. She is already advertised on the Dogsblog website along with Lassie and Gel but sometimes it takes a few days before the profiles appear.
Thanks to a couple from Anglesey who answered my recent newspaper appeal we have been liasing with the manager of Tescos in Holyhead to organise a collection outside their store .A rota of volunteers has been set up to cover the day.This is the first store which has offered this facility so I am hoping we will receive plenty of donations.Barbara is taking a table and setting up a stall in the foyer selling our calendars, cards etc. It will also be good to raise the profile of the shelter in Anglesey.
Regarding the person who stole the cats last week, as expected she had given me an incorrect address so all I can do is hope that she will care for them in the future.I absolutely loathe people like her who think they can do as they please and make up their own rules according to what they want with complete disregard for anyone else. To say we are all concerned about the cats is an understatement. All over the Uk animals are stolen from shelters. When I lived in Liverpool we had a greyhound stolen from the shelter.Jimmy had been with us for a few years, lived with greyhound companions and was much loved by all the staff. He was a happy dog but untrustworthy with other animals and this is why we chose not to rehome him. Although I lived on site I heard nothing and in the morning found the kennel door open, and all 3 greyhounds missing.Eventually we found two which were clearly traumatised and were hiding in an outbuilding shaking from head to foot.There was no sign of Jimmy and we never did find him despite advertising for a long time afterwards. Even padlocks do not deter determined thieves.They are despicable.
A farmer has just turned up with a young stray collie he has found.For once I know this is not his dog and he is genuine.The dog is young, not even 6 months old and very thin under his long coat,There is nowhere for him to go so whilst I try to find a foster home he has joined Sally in the house.They are getting on well together and both are good with the cats which is a relief.This one reminds me of how old Tara must have looked when she was a pup, he has speckles over his face just like her.Dear old Tara, we do miss her but we have a lovely framed photo of her in the office and its almost as though she is still here lying beside me as I work.

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