Friday 12 November 2010

Cat Tales and Taz finds a Home.






A tinyblack kitten about 3 weeks of age was brought in today, she has gone to a friend who will foster her and give her the one to one attention a kitten this age needs. Two little tabby and white kittens which have been here a month have been reserved and will go together as we had hoped.Also adults Roxy and Ronnie who have been here 6 months have also been reserved, they are lovely friendly cats but for some reason they failed to sell themselves so I am really pleased for them. Sometimes the very quiet, laid back cats stay in the background when we have visitors .This leaves the attention seekers to draw people to them by calling to them or rubbing against the door of the pen or even by batting visitors with their paws. These outgoing felines always find homes easily, it is nice when visitors look beyond these to the quieter cats in the background. Anyhow it HAS happened today so I am delighted.
One of the cats we took in yesterday which was supposed to be domestic is literally the Cat from Hell! She is lovely to look at but a demon in nature. Not only does she hiss and spit at everyone but she launches herself at her hapless victims. Even our ferals don't do that. What has made this cat behave in such a way? Will she change? Is it fear? Her owner says she has always been this way but we will see how she goes, if she fails to improve she will have to live in our feral enclosure. I cant help but feel sorry for her, she must be unhappy.
4 more kittens have been reserved today, thanks to the article published by The Bangor Chronicle about the cats abandoned in binbag. Sometimes publicity helps, other times it simply brings us more unwanted pets. This time we have been successful.
Unfortunately we do sometimes have to turn people down who want to adopt an animal.Today a young couple came wanting to adopt 4 of the kittens in the newspaper. My reservation was mainly because they lived in a rented property, had no letter of authorisation from the landlord or could give me his number, that they lived in the centre of a busy town and had two very young children. plus they did not want me to bother with a homecheck.That coupled with their cavalier attitude about the cost of vaccinating and neutering four cats bothered me. In the end I went with my gut instinct, they have rung me a few minutes ago and are very displeased with being turned down and have'threatened' to talk to someone about me!!!!! And I must say that I was charm personified on the telephone, nobody could accuse me of being less than pleasant when I delivered the bad news to them. Oh well, cant win 'em all! My job is to find suitable, good homes and I have to do the best I can, none of us can ALWAYS make the right decision but my gut instinct has rarely let me down.

Its a beautiful day today, bright and not cold at all but the night before last we had hurricane type gales and one side of a field shelter has come loose and is in danger of collapsing. We have three such shelters and they are strong and well built but they have been up 8 years and in spite of weatherproofing them annually, there are some parts of the wood rotting. That must be the next job for John (if you are reading this John, its pretty urgent) and helpers. If it is not reinforced now we will lose the shelter and we are in no position to purchase another. Also we may need to use it as extra stabling because yesterday I received two calls requesting ponies out on loan to be returned. FIVE altogether!

Jim the young collie in my house has been reserved today, he will go as a friend to a lovely deaf dalmation. the two dogs got on really well and I am happy that Jim will be having a canine companion as he enjoys their company so much, he will be going next Friday.

Success Story of the Day:
We have found (or rather they found us) a brilliant home for Taz, the young German Shepherd with the socialisation problem .There have been several calls from those interested in her but nobody we felt would cope with her - until now. Dermot and Sue from Stockport have recently lost a German Shepherd who was originally an RSPCA rescue dog with major attitude problems.
They managed to overcome that and he lived happily with them for many years. To our amazement within minutes Taz was licking their hands and retrieving a ball, it was like watching a different dog. Their confidence seemed to pass to the dog and she was clearly enjoying their company, to the point where Mei left the field and she failed to follow her, that in itself is unusual as she had bonded closely with her. Previously if Mei left the field she would refuse to stay with anyone else. If anyone can help bring her on and train her it is surely this couple. What a great end to the day.

2 comments:

Dermot said...

Hi Lesley,

What a fantastic write up. (The Cheque is in the post!!)

Taz claimed her own space on the back seat of the car for the journey home (who needs an estate anyway). She settled within 5 minutes, and was calm all the way back to Stockport.
She has had a short walk, some dinner, and a tour of her new home.
She saw her reflection in the wardrobe mirrors, and set about nervous barking!! We've had her back to the scene of the crime a few times, and she seems to be getting on with her reflection a bit better now.
She has an excellent nose, and has clearly smelled, but not yet met the cats- that's a message for tomorrow.
Thankyou both for a fantastic positive experience, and for the opportunity to help Taz unpack her bags.
Expect some photos very soon, and thanks for the excellent directions. (The driver was at fault for not following the accurately). See you soon, Dermot and Sue.

john mike said...

hi leslie ,sorry i havent been in. been in bed for 2 days[no funny comments] hope to be back at the end of week