A busy week.

This past week has been pretty hectic, the 4 young ponies have been gelded, the vet has been out to look at Crystals tumours, the farrier has been to do his regular foot trimming and the vet was called out a second time to look at Joseph the Jacob sheep who was limping.In between this a couple of cats and Lucy dog have been neutered,Bradley Briard had a cough which is being treated and local newspapers have published articles on our struggle to survive.
So to recap, Merlin, Celt, Shamrock and Finn are now testicle-less, they have all recovered well and Finn has gone to stay with Cariad one of the staff who will have more time to get him used to being handled.He needs that extra attentionif he is to becpome as friendly as the other three, vital if he is to be homed at some point in the future. The vet is going to give Crystal a tumour shrinking medication but he thinks she is not in pain, she has some infection surrounding it so she is on antibiotics to clear this but all in all she is fine at the moment and there is no imminent likelihood of her being put to sleep.Thats a great relief to us all.
Joseph has the beginnings of foot rot so he has had an injection and future medication is needed though he seems a lot better already.
I waa forced to contact the media to publicise our financial predicament and this week all have printed the article though one stated that we have an expediture of £10,000 a YEAR. It should have read £10,000 a MONTH!! I wish it was that little annually, we would be sailing along merrily if that was the case.I am hoping there will be a good response, a couple of people have already been to the shelter with donations of cat food which is more than welcome. The catfood bill is enormous.Unlike dogs they will refuse to eat the cheaper brands ,preferring to do without than to lower themselves to the level of eating third rate food.It is beneath their dignity. Only those starving animals which are admitted will show no fussiness at the meal table but before long they too will start with the offended glare and the " Do you really expect me to eat that rubbish" look on their faces.
Pictured here are some of the resident cats waiting for the Dinner Lady - ME to dish out the afternoon meal.
Minnie and Georgie Girl have gone to their new home this week and surprisingly they travelled well .They now have their own name plaques on their stable.Pictured here at their new homein Anglesey. We will miss them but thats the way it goes, decisions have to be made for the good of the animals and we all have our favourites which we would like to keep.It is what is best for them.Thats what we are here for and with a bit of luck,well a lot of luck actually we will struggle through this difficult time and come out the other end.
I have just been called to help with a stray sheep which has wandered on to our fields and is very distressed trying to find his way out, i think he may belong to our next door farming neighbours but nobody is in at moment so cant contact them. They are the better type of farm, dogs loose in the farm yard, not on chains,sheep checked daily and even better are good neighbours- Liz Jones eat your heart out!
In case people do not know of Liz Jones, she is a journalist and fashionista who writes a column in the Mail. Liz has moved from London to the countryside with disastrous results, having got on the wrong side of her neighbours with her animal rights views. It can be hard for people like Liz(and me)but there has to be a willingness to try and fit in for the sake of your own sanity.Of course I could not cope if my neighbours were shooting all the birds out the sky or were factory farmers but even so I have a hunting pack of hounds (yes they still hunt) plus working terriers kennelled at the back of Freshfields and they are owned by a very unpleasant countryside alliance type(a retired doctor no less!)I admit to not being friendly with HIM especially as for years he allowed his sheep to eat all the grass here and refused to repair his fences, that is until a male friend stepped in and guess what, he repaired his fences immediately. That is SO annoying when I had been nice to him, pleasant even, though it went against the grain, and he refused to do this. A true example of a woman alone being taken advantage of. I am not anti men by any means but men like that really do make my blood boil.Of course the fact that he is a huntsman colours my judgement rather a lot!

Sasha leaves us for a new life. and Rocky is to be returned.

It has been a good weekend for cats.5 kittens and Mia an adult black cat went out yesterday. One lady took 3 to add to her feline family of two so at last we have a couple of spare pens for any more emergencies.
I appear to have offended one woman who took umbrage when I asked for her address to make a home visit. I had some doubts about the suitability of the home anyway after her children reeled off the names of past kittens/cats which either vanished, moved in with someone else, were run over or left behind when there was a house move! Oh and then there was the 8 weeks old puppy run over too!(but that was not their fault?) .Her face became set with fury and she marched the children out to her car,saying "all this fuss for a cat". Its a fact that those who react in this way are always the people I have a gut feeling about,is it guilt that provokes this reaction? I could not have been more pleasant whilst explaining why animal shelters make home visits but she was livid with anger and off she went dragging the protesting children with her.I am always sorry for the children when parents behave so irrationally.
Its a horrible day today,raining and misty,I dont think it will be long before we have to start putting on the heaters in the cattery.So far it has been quite warm in the sleeping areas and I want to leave it as long as possible so they will receive the benefit of the extra warmth when it is really needed.
Sasha the white Gsd has also left us today for a new life, she had originally been rescued from a home where she and several others were badly neglected, then her new owner kept her for 6 months and left the country leaving her behind with parents who had no desire to keep her.I hope this time she has found a permanent home where she can feel secure and loved.(I wouldnt mind one of those myself) Thank goodness I am not up for adoption, I would be one of those "difficult" animals that nobody wanted to take on, not good on socialisation, behavioural problems galore and a penchant for eating anything in sight,(as long as not animal based) known to thieve other peoples food when not looking and can be very noisy.Even I would not want to adopt me! I would be far too much hard work.
There is another horse being returned, this time it is Rocky who held a special place in my heart(see photo here)His carer has developed arthritis in her hands and is having difficulty looking after him. We are really pushed for space now, he and Buster will have to stay out in one of the field shelters as all the stables will be occupied, thankfully they are good well built and deep shelters with a permanent floor so they should be fine as long as they are rugged.It will be hard to part with him again, maybe I need to make a decision one way or another.
I spent another afternoon helping Roy to clear the old shop.Barry also turned up and we made another trip to the local skip with our vehicles full of rubbish.Last time we went there were good bicycles being thrown away and the Council will not allow anyone, even charities to remove them.Where is the sense in promoting recycling and yet allowing good items to be crushed and disposed of?? Dafydd of Cycle recycle cymru had already been to ask if he could have the bikes,He recycles(no pun intended ) them and then donates them to charities for them to raise funds.He is also trying to get off the ground a workshop to train and employ disabled people to be able to dothe same.But NO even he is not allowed to take anything thrown away.Where is the sense in it? I think I will write to them in protest.

The Boys are Back Again.

Today our horse trailer was used for the first time and there was a successful round up of our four youngsters by Rosie,Mei, Vanessa and Barbara. There was some worry that our latest pony Finn would prove to be a problem as he has had little handling this summer but he was caught after a comparatively short time and went into the trailer with no fuss. 2 trips were made with Barbara driving and the first to arrive were Merlin and Celt, followed by Finn and Shamrock (incidentally they both came from the same farm) The ponies travelled quite well and they unloaded easily too, all in all it was not the traumatic time as we expected.So next week they will have their feet trimmed and their male bits OFF.Pictured here are the boys arriving (we are so proud of our very first horse trailer)and enjoying a canter in their field.Finn looks so much better than he did when he arrived, see the before and after pics here.What a difference a few months can make!He really was in a shocking state. So next will be a trip to bring back Marigold and Melba and another to deliver Minnie and Georgie Girl to a new home.I had intended to keep the latter as Minnie had been through much in her life and I did not want her to ever feel fear and apprehension of leaving here where she felt safe, however I have been offered such a good permanent home for her and her daughter and they have been grazing out this summer anyway that I feel this to be the right decision for their future.
We have admitted a tiny stray kitten today and had a cat returned for scratching the children, an enquiry requesting me to take in a dog riddled with mange (I am trying to resolve this)and have found a home for Sasha the white German Shepherd.Oh and the people who brought in the feral cat and kittens rom Anglesey have come back for her,they are going to give her a home.Jemima as she is called is totally feral but they think the world of her having fed her for a long time.I am so pleased that they have decided to take her back as there was no hope of finding her a domestic home from the shelter.
Mei has had her cast taken off and the injury has healed so now I can get her to do some REAL work!!! Ever the sympathetic Boss!!

Kitty is Cat of The Month.

I collected the cat and kittens Monday and how beautiful they are too. This is her second litter and she is only young herself.They were allcovered in fleas.A caring neighbour had alerted me to their need for rescue and had been liasing with the couple who owned her.This is not the first animal they have taken and neglected to care for so she was delighted we were able to help and like us hopes they will refrain from acquiring more pets. Unfortunately from my own experiences I find that seldom do they learn from their mistakes,just simply start all over again with a new animal.At least in this case there is a watchful neighbour who can monitor the situation.Also pictured is the litter from Anglesey,I dont think we have had so many grey and ginger kittens in as we have this year.It does ,however mean that the older black and black and white kittens are being pushed to one side.At last count we had 37 kittens in so 37 nice people are needed to respond to our article in this weeks paper, well at least I hope they are going to publish it this week.We really desperately need some media pubicity to bring in homes and funds.
Kitty is also pictured here, her owner died and she has been with us for a few months but unlike the majority of cats which are admitted and happily settle in,poor Kitty has been very unhappy. She is missing her home comforts and I think she has never been in such close proximity to other cats which she has found very disturbing.Thankfully she has improved considerably of late and is eating well, even making a fuss when I go in to her pen -something I was unable to do at first without being attacked by a very disgruntled feline.Kitty needs a quiet home ,possibly with a retired pewrson/couple so I am making her my special October project.Its " Find Kitty A Home time". I know there is someone special out there just waiting for her, now I just need to find him/her/them. Never an easy task.
I have been collecting mushrooms and toadstools in the fields to attempt to identify them (yes I know im sad but there is not much to do in North Wales!) and so far have found that we have yellow Russula, parasol, shaggy ink caps and Blackening wax Caps.I kept gathering them up and then placing them somewhere only to forget and days later I came across their shrivelled remains which were totally useless for identification purposes. In fact it made me feel like a murderer. After this went on for weeks I became tired of clearing away their wizened corpses and identification has now finally been achieved.
Tuesday I will be taking Mei back to hospital, her painful wrist injury is still not sorted,this will be the third plaster cast she has had and she is still in a great deal of pain.I hope she receives her appointment for (possible) surgery soon.

The stranded sheep.

Dion from Abergele Mountain rescue has sent me this photo taken as the stranded sheep was winched to safety on Dorothea Quarry . It was apparently quite a difficult rescue and they placed the sheep feet first in a sand bag, the type used in Builders yards.Had he not been so weak this would have been even harder but he was clearly relieved to be rescued after his 2 weeks on the ledge.
For the first time in ages we have been offered homes for feral cats. Both are in Powys and have been homechecked by Powys Animal Welfare who have none for homing at the moment so kindly passed on the home to us.6 are going to a farm and the other 3 are going to a smallholding.As well as this they have found us a foster home for our three remaining FIV cats so this leaves us a large pen ready for the next batch of kittens whcih Iam collecting tomorrow. This is as it should be, animal welfare charities helping one another.In Liverpool it seemed at one time that there was animosity between most of the rescues and this only served to make our work even more difficult.I believe now there is more of a working relationship though its between the smaller shelters, not the local branch of the main national one!! We have tried to work with the RSPCA liverp[ool but it is hard going when they admit dogs with our microchips and refuse to inform or let us have them, instead giving them back to the person who contacts them having lost the dog in the first place.tHIS CONCERNS US AS WE ARE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT A DOG WE HAVE REHOMED MAY BE WANDERING THE STREETS OR EVEN WORSE IS NOT CLAIMED BY AN OWNER(when we rehome ANIMALS THEY ARE MICROCHIPPED TO THE CHARITY AND WE KEEP A DATABASE OF WHO WE HAVE HOMED THEM TO_) As they have a destruction policy this isa very worrying state of affairs but meetings have failed to resolve the situation.
Anyway I am very grateful to Powys Animal Welfare for their help.
Today I have spent the afternoon helping to clear out the rubbish from our old shop premises in Caernarfon, and moving things in to the adjoining shop.Roy and his helpers have been working hard all week to get the new shop ready for opening and have done a great job as it is back breaking work and at the moment my back is playing up a bit after lifting heavy objects into the van.Nothing that cant be rectified by a good nights sleep.

Callie, Ken and Freddy returned today.

Today the three horses came back from Caernarfon.Pictured here arriving.Holding Freddy on the left is Mei,Cariad is on the right holding Ken and Gronwey leading Callie out at the back.We could not use our new trailer because we needed to accommodate three so it was too small for this particular run. Gronwey who has done a lot of work here at the shelter had just purchased a horsebox and the three travelled in style in that. We were all glad to see them back here although having them grazing out during the summer months has been a boon to us and allowed us to rerst some of the fields.Callie at 36 years is one of our oldest horses and she was a bit sweated up after the journey so we decided it was best to stable them for the remainder of the day.Tomorrow they will be turned out in the fields at the side of the house where there are several acres and a good field shelter.Next week we attempt to catch the youngsters for their return journey here.
This afternoon has been fun!
I was asked to take a rabbit which was no longer wanted so when the owner told me the bunny was loose in the garden,I asked her to return it to its hutch and I would collect today. Of course when Mei and I arrived at the address there was the rabbit happily hopping round the garden and not an enclosed garden at that!Nobody was in so it was left to us to catch him.Well Mr Bun did not want to be caught, after all why would he after weeks of running free in all the gardens? After an hour we still had failed to get within yards of him and by then to add to our humiliation a crowd had gathered.Red faced and dirty after several failed attempts of launching ourselves at him and landing in the flower beds instead , I made a last ditch attempt to foil the wily creature and made a grab whilst he was under a bush.At last I had him though it was not without a little regret I placed him in our carrier to bring him home.He had been having such a good life and now he was to be confined in a much smaller area,it almost seemed a shame to do this though it was inevitable that in his environment he would eventuially have become a dogs dinner or killed on the road.He has been introduced to the rabbit already here and so far they appear to be getting on well though they willneed to be monitored fora while.Black Bun has been neutered and this is another male so time will tell if they become bosom buddies.
Just one kitten has gone today,a pretty little grey tortoishell and white,from a feral litter fom Anglesey.She was the friendliest of the litter.The couple who caught and brought the mum and babies in to us have been so kind and made a generous donation to the shelter.In this time of worry over the finances of the shelter, donations are more welcome than usual.I had been feeling very low about the state of affairs but today my spirits are boosted thanks to the donation yesterday of cat and horse food from 2 very good friends of Freshfields .It is good to know that I am not alone in times of hardship.I am trying to stay as positive and optimistic as I can.
PS: Felix sadly did not make it.

Buster is being returned.

Felix is at the vet and is on a drip, this is the fourth time he has been ill and to the vet and they still do not seem to know what is wrong with him.It is not looking good for him at the moment.
Harvey Moon has gone to be neutered and his new owner is collecting him from the vet tonight.Tonight I will have a lovely peaceful evening with the Maggie Marthas, Suzy and William who no doubt will be breathing a huge collected canine sigh of relief.I am sure if they could speak they would have begged me not to ever bring in another youngster and I am of the mind they would be quite right.
Rosie is fostering a lovely little dog called Lucy (pictured here)whose owners ill health has forced him to part with her, she is a quiet gentle dog around 2 years of age and ideal for anyone retired or wanting a dog which is not boisterous and hyper.So many dogs in rescue centres are overactive through lack of exercise and training in their previous homes but Lucy is a sweetie.I think I should have cared for her and Rosie had Harvey!!
I have a horse being returned this winter,its our lovely Buster (pictured here)the big 17.2 hands cross Irish Draft.Unfortunately the owners of the farm where he has lived for the past few years have had to sell some of their land so there is no longer enough grazing for all their horses.Its a great shame as this was a super home for Buster who went along with another of our horses (which they are keeping for now )but it is part of the loan agreement we have that we are here for a back up if circumstances change. He was originally admitted here 5 years ago because his owner who had bred him no longer wanted to keep a horse which was unable to do anything other than be ridden very lightly due to a twisted hock. Some foals can be born with this disability but I have it on good authority that it is possible to rectify this problem if the animal is operated on whilst young. I suppose people do not want to spend copious amounts of money on their animals though I feel if they breed them,it is their responsibility to ensure that they receive the correct veterinary care/treatment to enable them to have a good quality of life in the future.
Ziggy another of our permanent feral cats has a middle ear infection, he is the second to have this in a few weeks and he is having to be confined until his treatment is over.He will be most unhappy as he usually spends his evenings in the conservatory curled up with his sister Zoe.Both were feral kittens we were unable to domesticate but in the past year both have become very affectionate and loving.Poor Ziggy. Zoe will be totally undisturbed by his temporary absence as she is very flighty and will cuddle up to any cat which will tolerate her overtures.
A mother cat and her kitten have been homed today, these are the two which were abandoned outside Vanessas house 2 weeks ago.One other kitten has also gone toa new home so its not been a bad day today.The adult cats are still very slow in moving but with so many kittens still available this state of affairs is normal.At one time there was a definite season where kittens were born and by winter we would have none in the cattery.Nowadays due to climate change and the total chaos it has brought to nature and the general order of things we are seeing cats giving birth right through the winter. Previously we would have a good few months where only adult cats were available in rescue centres and now they have to compete with the younger more visually appealing animals. Even the plants and flowers do not seem to know what part of the year it is. As for me,well most of the time I dont even know what DAY it is!! Nothing to do with climate change though, just plain old absent mindedness.