Sunday at the Shelter 27-10-13

I did my volunteering on Thursday this week, which gave me the opportunity of working with Cat Care Manager Kim and meeting Diane who is the volunteer co-ordinator.

In holding, Zina was recovering from her spay operation to remove her infected womb. She's still a little unhappy as her wound is also infected.  Hopefully the course of antibiotics she's on will soon sort that out.

Zina

 
Harriet was still here, she's also recovering from her spay operation and is doing well.  It won't be long before she's out in one of the main rooms.

Harriet

Toffee and Apple were found living outside.  Their Mum hasn't been trapped yet, but more attempts are being made to get her to the shelter.

Apple waiting to greet me :)

Apple is a little cautious but not as timid as Toffee who really didn't want to come out of his little house.  I cleaned the cage around him to prevent unsettling him.  They are very handsome so hopefully it won't be long before they find a loving home.

Apple

Toffee feeling a little vulnerable

While I was there Kim was talking about information to help callers who were concerned about finding potential stray cats.  She thought it might be useful for me to share some of it here.

With over 800 cats on the waiting list, the Shelter asks callers to help out wherever possible if they are concerned about a potential stray.

The first thing to realise is, not every cat is a stray.  Many cats and kittens wander too far away from home and can't find their way back. Or they simply might like your garden and visit every day! If you do think it's lost or a stray, try to take the cat to your local vet.  They can be scanned for a microchip and possibly re-united with their worried owner pretty quickly.

As well as the Shelter's own lost and found register, you can also report the cat to the RSPCA to go on theirs too. There are also many Facebook groups devoted to re-uniting pets and owners.  CatChat.org is a good place to look for more rescue centres you can contact who may hold lost and found registers.

If the cat seems to be living outside, you can help by providing some shelter for them while they are on the waiting list. Something as simple as a large plastic box with a blanket in a shed or greenhouse, will provide some protection from the weather.

The final piece of advice, is, I guess, a bigger ask.  If the cat is not micro-chipped and hasn't be neutered can you arrange this? Not only does this stop unwanted kittens, but can also reduce the risk of some fatal feline infections being passed on to neighbourhood cats.  There are vets who are able to offer reduced costs for some groups of individuals, for example those on low incomes.

Back to today, I called in to catch up on any new stories.

You may remember Texas and her kittens, Ohio and Vegas, from previous posts.  They are now enjoying the comforts of a foster home to give them a chance to sample life in a new environment.  Once they have all been neutered and vaccinated they'll return to the shelter to look for their new homes.

Vegas

Willow and Quaver were adopted and went to their new home today.  They've come a long way from being found abandoned in a pampers box.

Willow and Quaver

This little chap is Dash.  He's around 12 weeks old and was found alone in an outside toilet.  He's such a sweetie :)

Dash

Bella has just been separated from her kittens Tom and Lucy, who have gone out with a foster carer.

Bella

The kittens have gone with a new friend, Howard.  Howard is one of Harriet's kittens and he, like his siblings was very shy and frightened.  He's gone to a foster home with Tom and Lucy, who are very outgoing.  The Shelter often use this tactic to help shy kittens to overcome their fears.  They can learn a lot from a braver kitten.  It's almost like a buddy system!

That just leaves Henry and Hetty, who are still currently in maternity.

Henry & Hetty

 Finally, I thought you'd like to see how well Ernest is doing :)

Ernest

Isn't he looking well!  He's managed to put some weight on and outgrow his jumper. It's still uncertain what the future holds for him.  But he's heading in the right direction :)

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 'sort of' at the Shelter 06-10-13

Today was a little different. I did go and volunteer, and I did go to the Shelter. However, my initial Shelter visit was a brief pit stop, just long enough to collect a table, cage, collection tin and some literature.

From there my Daughter, Libby and our latest 'Tribe' recruits, Millie and Willow, headed for Pets at Home, Kilner Way Retail Park at Wadsley Bridge. We went to help sell raffle tickets for Support Adoption For Pets. The Pets at Home branch support two local animal charities, Labrador Welfare and just recently The Sheffield Cats Shelter :)

During the month of October both charities are being offered the opportunity to come into the store and help sell raffle tickets, whilst raising awareness of the Charities at the same time. Funds raised this month will be shared between these two amazing Charities. What a fantastic gesture!

Labrador Welfare were the main attraction today, with a selection of lovely dogs, who were so well behaved.  They had an information point at the main entrance to help sell the tickets. No one can resist meeting and greeting these two :)

Beautiful Golden Labs

This lovely black lab really enjoyed a fuss too :) 

It made sense for us to keep the kittens a little away from the dogs so we set up in the cat section.

Set up ready to chat :)

We were unsure how much room we would have so took a small cage for the girls.  I decided to take them with me as they are a Shelter success story really.  To think they were born outside to a Mum who had no home, had it not been for the Shelter where would they be now?

We also took harnesses and leads for the girls.  Unsure how they would react to being out of the home environment we monitored them carefully.  They were a little hesitant to start, so we had one each on the lead in our arms and they soon settled into it.  

Millie stayed happily in my arms for quite some time.  I began to feel like a Bond villian, stood there, stroking my kitten. 

So Mr Bond, I've been expecting you....

Willow found her investigative feet.  She was very interested in the rows of cat food and biscuits, but her attention was soon turned to a meaty fly in the store.  Here she is having a rest.

We had a lovely time chatting to people and selling tickets, but we could not compete with yesterdays attempt by Emma and volunteers Amanda and June. But then they did have a secret weapon.......

Cute as my little girls are, there really is no way we can compete with Ernest in his jumper! As he struggles to retain his body heat, a volunteer knitted him this lovely little top. He can be seen above with his Foster Dad, Matt, whom I'm told he loves very much. I think the feeling is mutual :)

Today Ernest has been having a well earned rest.

As we called back in at the Shelter on the way home we got up to date on the day's news. Tilly, Cuebee and Lego have all been pre-adopted today!

We took a few moments to snap some new pictures of the residents in room 1.

Tinkerbell

Tinkerbell is beautiful and very affectionate, she was very interested in getting some attention from us. It's hard to believe she was a stray.

Next up is Tilly, who was pre-adopted today.  Very unusual colour as you can see, but again very friendly and keen for a fuss.

Tilly

As soon as she's had all her vaccinations and checks she'll be off to her new home.

Another one wanting a fuss was this little lady.

Mitzy

There are so many lovely cats in this room and these are just a few.  Hopefully, the right person will come along for them very soon.