Or just give progress reports to Checkers, and she can pass along the news. She did include her email in the booklets so maybe we'll get lucky! 
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Is this starving stray pregnant, or has she had her kittens?/ Thomas
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- #342
Thanks @misterwhiskers. I wish I had thought of that idea. I would have mentioned it in the booklets. But as @sarthur2 pointed out, I did encourage updates and give my email address in the booklets, so hopefully I will hear from the new 'parents' and I'll be able to tell them about the site and will definitely let you know any news I hear from them.
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- #343
@misterwhiskers you're right about it being very sad. Unfortunately I didn't get the owner's name at all. They don't provide that information. She did provide the name "Thomas' when she surrendered him, so I'm pretty sure that'd be what she would have called him.
I understand she was very elderly. I did ask the refuge to let her know that Thomas had gone to be looked after temporarily in a loving home with another elderly person in it, so I hope they pass it on. I'll do a separate post with an update on Thomas now.
Thanks @kntrygrl256 ! I was so delighted he came out and claimed the house, as it was too sad seeing him frightened. But I don't know about any gift. My gift is FOOD!
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- #344
Thomas coming out of his shell
You'll be pleased to know Thomas has spent quite some time on the sofa with me today, lying beside me, loving the pats, purring and kneading. What a change!
He is still very nervous, and if he hears a sound from somewhere else in the house, he looks alertly to see what it might be, or sometimes slithers away for a hiding spot again. But I've shut him out of my mother's room now as I couldn't reach him in his hiding spot there. Now at least I can pull the lounge away from the wall to get him if needs be, but I haven't had to do that. He almost always comes out, shyly, when I call him.
He is on antibiotics, I'm guessing for his terrible skin condition, and Prednisone. He has a weeping sore on his back as well as huge hair loss. He rolled on his back and exposed his tummy to me (very pleased he trusted me enough to do that a couple of times) and he has very little fur at all on his tummy. The backs of his legs are also very light on with fur and it's not normal fur. He has very thin patches here and there and when you pat him you can feel scabby kind of lumps all through his fur. The poor thing must be so uncomfortable, but surprisingly he doesn't scratch much.
He's also got little bits of ear missing, so he may have been a fighter. I sure wouldn't want to have taken him on if I was another cat. Despite having lost weight (hyperthyroidism), you can see he's been a very big boy, with a big, strong head.
I'm a bit nervous of him as he's very strong, has huge paws and claws, and is a bit erratic sometimes. He pushed away from me and hissed today, so I must have hit a sore spot when I was stroking him. Fortunately he's having his tablets hidden in his food, so I don't have to get his mouth open and stick my finger in it!
I put some old fabric on the sofa for him to lie on, but he chose the bit that wasn’t covered. It’s all covered now though, and he’s happy to lie on it. What do you think of those big eyes?
He has a bit of a look of Norwegian Forest Cat to me - the shape and size of his head, his overall size, and what should be long fur. His owner, however, said he was part Persian.
If I could photograph him outside in natural light, I could avoid those spooky eyes caused by the flash. His eyes are stunning, especially against the black fur.
You can see some of the hair loss in this photo, but the worst is on his back near his tail which is totally bald, and on his belly.
The lure: a combination of lots and lots of gentle talking, and a bowl of food!
He does look plump in this photo, but his tummy hangs a little and his sides are quite hollow.
I'll let you know how he gets on. I don't expect to have him more than another couple of days.
You'll be pleased to know Thomas has spent quite some time on the sofa with me today, lying beside me, loving the pats, purring and kneading. What a change!
He is still very nervous, and if he hears a sound from somewhere else in the house, he looks alertly to see what it might be, or sometimes slithers away for a hiding spot again. But I've shut him out of my mother's room now as I couldn't reach him in his hiding spot there. Now at least I can pull the lounge away from the wall to get him if needs be, but I haven't had to do that. He almost always comes out, shyly, when I call him.
He is on antibiotics, I'm guessing for his terrible skin condition, and Prednisone. He has a weeping sore on his back as well as huge hair loss. He rolled on his back and exposed his tummy to me (very pleased he trusted me enough to do that a couple of times) and he has very little fur at all on his tummy. The backs of his legs are also very light on with fur and it's not normal fur. He has very thin patches here and there and when you pat him you can feel scabby kind of lumps all through his fur. The poor thing must be so uncomfortable, but surprisingly he doesn't scratch much.
He's also got little bits of ear missing, so he may have been a fighter. I sure wouldn't want to have taken him on if I was another cat. Despite having lost weight (hyperthyroidism), you can see he's been a very big boy, with a big, strong head.
I'm a bit nervous of him as he's very strong, has huge paws and claws, and is a bit erratic sometimes. He pushed away from me and hissed today, so I must have hit a sore spot when I was stroking him. Fortunately he's having his tablets hidden in his food, so I don't have to get his mouth open and stick my finger in it!
I put some old fabric on the sofa for him to lie on, but he chose the bit that wasn’t covered. It’s all covered now though, and he’s happy to lie on it. What do you think of those big eyes?
He has a bit of a look of Norwegian Forest Cat to me - the shape and size of his head, his overall size, and what should be long fur. His owner, however, said he was part Persian.
If I could photograph him outside in natural light, I could avoid those spooky eyes caused by the flash. His eyes are stunning, especially against the black fur.
You can see some of the hair loss in this photo, but the worst is on his back near his tail which is totally bald, and on his belly.
The lure: a combination of lots and lots of gentle talking, and a bowl of food!
He does look plump in this photo, but his tummy hangs a little and his sides are quite hollow.
I'll let you know how he gets on. I don't expect to have him more than another couple of days.
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Bless his heart! It's nice he's getting love, rest, and care from you for this brief spell. He must have been a truly handsome boy in his heyday, as he is still quite stunning with that black coat!
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- #346
KITTENS UPDATE
I was very surprised with what I found this afternoon when I went to the shelter to see how my kittens were going on the adoption market. I arrived about 90 minutes before closing time.
The shelter had 2 large kitten enclosures. I could find no familiar faces in the first so went to the second, and there was Ginge, sitting in the corner on a small cat tree. I went straight to the side of the enclosure, called her and stuck my fingers through the mesh to pat her. She responded and rubbed up against me, but I’m not sure she recognised me. I didn’t really expect her to in this foreign and busy environment, and at such a young age.
I went to the enquiry counter, explained who I was and asked where Possum and Minstrel were. They told me they were both adopted early in the day, and that they were surprised Ginge didn’t go first but were sure she would be snapped up tomorrow. They said the people who adopted the other kittens loved the take-home packs, and both kittens had gone to families with children. Possum and Minstrel were sold for $300 each - the same price that's on Ginge.
I went back to sit on the bench beside Ginge’s cage and spend more time with her. She sat on her hind legs (as usual) and played with my hand, exposing her shaved belly and fresh stitches from yesterday's surgery.
A darling, gentle child, about 5yo, who was looking at the kittens with her mother pointed at Ginge and said, ‘she’s the one I want Mummy.’ But Mummy said, ‘no, we’re going to get a cat who’s been at the shelter a long time’, as she walked off to view the older cats. (I did admire that stance, but was kind of hoping this darling little girl would get Ginge.)
The little girl returned a few minutes later, without her mother (who had gone to the enquiry desk), to see Ginge again. She told me Ginge was her favourite kitten and she would love to have her. I told her I had found Ginge and her 4 brothers and sisters, and had been looking after Ginge and some of them. She was so excited and started firing all these questions at me. "Where did you find them... what did each one look like...", etc. And all her questions were intelligent and caring. So sweet.
I wandered off to look in the other pet cages for a a few minutes and the child's father appeared. She ran up to him and I heard her say, "Daddy, that lady found Ginge....." etc., but I'm pretty sure they ended up with a great big cat Mummy was inspecting.
But now the distressing part comes. The other two kittens in the cage were older and larger than Ginge. She was a bit wary of them and they were quite rough in play. Then I recognised one - a gorgeous long-haired ginger and white - as one I'd seen on the website and recalled reading it had cat flu. So I checked the information sheet hanging on the enclosure, and sure enough, it was recovering from the flu. All three kittens were drinking from the same water bowl, eating the same food, and playing with each other. I went to the staff at the desk and commented that a flu kitten had been put in the cage with Ginge. She said she'd noticed that and wondered why the handlers had done that as they were supposed to check those details before they combined cats in cages, but she had no authority.
I returned to the cage again to check the other kitten and saw it had runny eyes so looked at his info sheet and sure enough, he also had the flu. I went back to the desk where there was now another staffer and complained that Ginge had been put in a cage with two flu kittens. She said the handlers had done that this morning when Ginge's brother and sister were adopted so she wouldn't be left in a cage by herself. I pleaded that she was 100% healthy when I brought her to the shelter and she responded that perhaps the records showed she'd sneezed and they suspected flu. Getting upset, I pleaded again and was told they couldn't do anything because the handlers had gone home an hour earlier and they couldn't move the animals. In any case, she said, Ginge had been in the cage most of the day and would have picked up the flu from the others by now. I argued that she may not have, and that to leave her in the cage overnight with them might result in her getting the flu. Her response was the same - she would have it already. It was too late.
I left the place in tears and tried to contact the wonderful foster people I'd been dealing with, but they had gone home and neither of their phones were answering.
I drove home and determined by the time I got there I was going back to adopt Ginge. I rang the 24-hour number for the shelter and explained my distress. The operator (very considerate and helpful, I might say) spoke to her supervisor who contacted the adoption centre. She came back and told me by the time the supervisor rang the adoption centre staff were already in the process of relocating Ginge.
I certainly hope Ginge managed to avoid picking up the dreaded flu. I guess I'll never know. I've got to say it was a major disappointment after such a long journey. I will be sending in a report to the refuge about the incident in the hope they can prevent future mistakes like this. They're busy, and there's a lot to think about, but I don't think this is acceptable.
I'll check on Ginge again tomorrow.
I was very surprised with what I found this afternoon when I went to the shelter to see how my kittens were going on the adoption market. I arrived about 90 minutes before closing time.
The shelter had 2 large kitten enclosures. I could find no familiar faces in the first so went to the second, and there was Ginge, sitting in the corner on a small cat tree. I went straight to the side of the enclosure, called her and stuck my fingers through the mesh to pat her. She responded and rubbed up against me, but I’m not sure she recognised me. I didn’t really expect her to in this foreign and busy environment, and at such a young age.
I went to the enquiry counter, explained who I was and asked where Possum and Minstrel were. They told me they were both adopted early in the day, and that they were surprised Ginge didn’t go first but were sure she would be snapped up tomorrow. They said the people who adopted the other kittens loved the take-home packs, and both kittens had gone to families with children. Possum and Minstrel were sold for $300 each - the same price that's on Ginge.
I went back to sit on the bench beside Ginge’s cage and spend more time with her. She sat on her hind legs (as usual) and played with my hand, exposing her shaved belly and fresh stitches from yesterday's surgery.
A darling, gentle child, about 5yo, who was looking at the kittens with her mother pointed at Ginge and said, ‘she’s the one I want Mummy.’ But Mummy said, ‘no, we’re going to get a cat who’s been at the shelter a long time’, as she walked off to view the older cats. (I did admire that stance, but was kind of hoping this darling little girl would get Ginge.)
The little girl returned a few minutes later, without her mother (who had gone to the enquiry desk), to see Ginge again. She told me Ginge was her favourite kitten and she would love to have her. I told her I had found Ginge and her 4 brothers and sisters, and had been looking after Ginge and some of them. She was so excited and started firing all these questions at me. "Where did you find them... what did each one look like...", etc. And all her questions were intelligent and caring. So sweet.
I wandered off to look in the other pet cages for a a few minutes and the child's father appeared. She ran up to him and I heard her say, "Daddy, that lady found Ginge....." etc., but I'm pretty sure they ended up with a great big cat Mummy was inspecting.
But now the distressing part comes. The other two kittens in the cage were older and larger than Ginge. She was a bit wary of them and they were quite rough in play. Then I recognised one - a gorgeous long-haired ginger and white - as one I'd seen on the website and recalled reading it had cat flu. So I checked the information sheet hanging on the enclosure, and sure enough, it was recovering from the flu. All three kittens were drinking from the same water bowl, eating the same food, and playing with each other. I went to the staff at the desk and commented that a flu kitten had been put in the cage with Ginge. She said she'd noticed that and wondered why the handlers had done that as they were supposed to check those details before they combined cats in cages, but she had no authority.
I returned to the cage again to check the other kitten and saw it had runny eyes so looked at his info sheet and sure enough, he also had the flu. I went back to the desk where there was now another staffer and complained that Ginge had been put in a cage with two flu kittens. She said the handlers had done that this morning when Ginge's brother and sister were adopted so she wouldn't be left in a cage by herself. I pleaded that she was 100% healthy when I brought her to the shelter and she responded that perhaps the records showed she'd sneezed and they suspected flu. Getting upset, I pleaded again and was told they couldn't do anything because the handlers had gone home an hour earlier and they couldn't move the animals. In any case, she said, Ginge had been in the cage most of the day and would have picked up the flu from the others by now. I argued that she may not have, and that to leave her in the cage overnight with them might result in her getting the flu. Her response was the same - she would have it already. It was too late.
I left the place in tears and tried to contact the wonderful foster people I'd been dealing with, but they had gone home and neither of their phones were answering.
I drove home and determined by the time I got there I was going back to adopt Ginge. I rang the 24-hour number for the shelter and explained my distress. The operator (very considerate and helpful, I might say) spoke to her supervisor who contacted the adoption centre. She came back and told me by the time the supervisor rang the adoption centre staff were already in the process of relocating Ginge.
I certainly hope Ginge managed to avoid picking up the dreaded flu. I guess I'll never know. I've got to say it was a major disappointment after such a long journey. I will be sending in a report to the refuge about the incident in the hope they can prevent future mistakes like this. They're busy, and there's a lot to think about, but I don't think this is acceptable.
I'll check on Ginge again tomorrow.
Oh dear ......
Happy to hear about Possum and Minstrel. Do you know if they allowed them to keep their names?
Hope Ginge did not contract the flu, and that she was re-homed to a wonderful family.
Will anxiously wait for your next report.
Happy to hear about Possum and Minstrel. Do you know if they allowed them to keep their names?
Hope Ginge did not contract the flu, and that she was re-homed to a wonderful family.
Will anxiously wait for your next report.
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- #348
Thanks @sarthur2 . The refuge certainly kept the names I gave them (the booklets wouldn't have matched otherwise
Hopefully Ginge will be adopted tomorrow. I'd be surprised if she wasn't. Will let you know.
If she's not, will you take her then?
I think we all love the kittens.
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- #351
@sarthur2, it's a tough one, but if I think she's been placed in a bad situation tomorrow, I think I will unless I can sort it out.If she's not, will you take her then?
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- #353
KITTEN UPDATE
@Mani, yes, there's news!
I guess you read last night's update about Minstrel and Possum being adopted by separate families yesterday morning,
I went to the refuge again this afternoon to check on Ginge and she too had been adopted. They told me she went to "some lovely people". $300. So my three kitties have gone to good homes, and contributed $900 to the shelter. I hope all the new parents of the kittens send me emails and if they do, I'll let the forum know.
Old Thomas is dong well too. He does still retreat to behind the lounge but comes out when I call him. Tonight after his dinner he jumped on a lounge and I sat on another in front of TV. AFter awhile, he jumped up on my lap, then walked across my lap and lay beside me pressing against me. Very heartwarming.
He's got a good appetite, and tells me now when he's hungry rather than me having to lure him out with a dish of food. He's used the litter tray from the beginning, and when I shifted it to the bathroom he still sought it out. He's a big, old, scruffy, scabby, scary-looking darling with a meow that would do well in a horror movie soundtrack.
I haven't heard from the rescue group who did plan to collect him tomorrow, so I may have him a little longer.
@Mani, yes, there's news!
I guess you read last night's update about Minstrel and Possum being adopted by separate families yesterday morning,
I went to the refuge again this afternoon to check on Ginge and she too had been adopted. They told me she went to "some lovely people". $300. So my three kitties have gone to good homes, and contributed $900 to the shelter. I hope all the new parents of the kittens send me emails and if they do, I'll let the forum know.
Old Thomas is dong well too. He does still retreat to behind the lounge but comes out when I call him. Tonight after his dinner he jumped on a lounge and I sat on another in front of TV. AFter awhile, he jumped up on my lap, then walked across my lap and lay beside me pressing against me. Very heartwarming.
He's got a good appetite, and tells me now when he's hungry rather than me having to lure him out with a dish of food. He's used the litter tray from the beginning, and when I shifted it to the bathroom he still sought it out. He's a big, old, scruffy, scabby, scary-looking darling with a meow that would do well in a horror movie soundtrack.
I haven't heard from the rescue group who did plan to collect him tomorrow, so I may have him a little longer.
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@Checkers I'm going to miss the kitten updates. I've become addicted to their cuteness! Planning to visit the rescue today to see the little ones finally big enough for adoption. Just to look though.
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We don't OWN cats so there are no "new owners", just new pet parents, hope that makes you feel better.
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- #357
@Handsome Kitty , me too! They had really become a big part of my life and I guess if it wasn't for Thomas suddenly and unexpectedly arriving, I'd be feeling it even more a'cute'ly (no pun intended).
Now, only VISIT the rescue place today, won't you @Handsome Kitty!
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- #358
@Stewball, thanks for your concern - all the way through this saga. But Ginge was far from alone in that enclosure. She had two other exuberant kittens anxious to play (albeit kittens getting over the flu!), and a steady flow of passers-by adoring her and poking their fingers through the mesh to play and pat her. And she responded well to them.
Ginge always cried loudly and persistently when she wanted company or food, and she certainly wasn't crying in that enclosure. She may have looked alone as I only photographed her when the other kittens weren't playing with her. (I was there awhile...!)
Thanks too for your comment on Thomas. Yep, he sure needs some TLC. I don't mind if they leave him with me a few more days but the sooner he gets his dreadful skin condition treated the better, and that's where the rescue people will come into it.
I emailed Thomas's photo to a friend yesterday, saying he was described (by his former 'parent') as a part Persian. My friend responded this morning saying she thought he was at least part Burmese, if not full. I know nothing about Burmese, but having Googled I can certainly see what she means. My friend loves Burmese and has a pedigree female at present who is the same colour as Thomas. I know a lot of us like to attach a breed to a cat. He'd be loved and appreciated whether he was purebred, cross, or a total common garden variety, but I do find it fascinating if you can establish a dominant breed, especially when it comes to personality traits.
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