Character Cats

27 September 2006

Question Time

Three questions have cropped up this week;
  1. Are all our cats neutered?
  2. What do the cats eat and how do we feed them all?
  3. What do the helpers do?
The answer to the first question is very important and I'd like to clarify some of the earlier postings. Yes all our cats are neutered, the ones that live with us permanently and the ones that are homed. They also have any dental work that is necessary, have a general health check, and are treated for fleas and worms. This all happens as soon as possible after they come to us. The only exceptions would be nursing mothers, they are neutered when the kittens are about seven weeks and any cat that is in ill health or very underweight. Kittens must be neutered between five and six months and we ask anyone who adopts a kitten to get the vet to sign a form confirming this has been done.

The second question could be answered by saying they are fed very well. I don’t know why people think that cats that have had a rough time should be fed any old food, once they have settled in they are just as fussy as any pampered house cat. We have three areas where the permanent cats feed. Cats for re-homing are fed individually in their pens. What do they have? Two varieties of good quality dried food and fresh water are always available, and every morning they have generous helpings of once again good quality tinned food. Old cats, convalescing cats and nursing mothers get fed several times a day.

As for the third question, the helpers would say they do everything. Someone once asked me what hours the helpers worked and I could only answer "as many as were needed to finish the job that day."

Everything is cleaned and disinfected every day, litter trays scrubbed and refilled, bedding replaced where necessary, water changed, floors mopped. Whoever is on feeding duty also washes and disinfects the previous days dishes. These jobs are done every day without fail regardless of anything else that might be going on. The best part of the job of course is being with the cats and helpers are encouraged to spend time with them everyday, making a fuss of them and making sure they are well and in good health.

Posted by web-blogger at 11:43 PM

17 September 2006

Penny



In the introduction to the Kats & Kits blog I wrote about our commitment to all the cats we re-home for the rest of their lives. When the new owners sign the adoption papers their attention is drawn to the paragraph that states, in the event that they are unable to care for their new cat it should be returned to us and we will find it a suitable new home. This happens quite often as our original owners get older, people move abroad and relationships break up. As we have this lovely picture of Penny and her kittens I thought she would be a good illustration.

Penny started life in a very bad home, and when she had her kittens she carried them one by one through the catflap of an elderly lady who lived nearby. We were asked to care for Penny and the kittens, which we did, finding homes for the kittens when they were old enough to leave their mother. Penny went to live with the lady whose catflap she had found and this was very successful for several years until the lady became ill and Penny came back to us.

Her next home was with a nice couple who unfortunately went their separate ways and neither was able to look after a cat. Penny’s next home was with an older lady where she was very happy until recently. Her owner has been ill and is spending long periods in hospital, so once again at ten years old we have found Penny a new home.

This is an extreme case and it is very unusual for us to see a cat back so many times, but it does show how vulnerable cats are and dependent on us to be responsible in our care for them.

Posted by web-blogger at 12:29 AM

16 September 2006

Happy Birthday



A get-together for Dave’s birthday seemed a good opportunity for a photograph of some of our helpers. From left to right, Marilyn, Avril, Jenny and Judith, and in the front Olly who has been “helping” us since he could walk. Yes I know, no pictures of Lorraine and Dave yet. We are saving the best for last!

Posted by web-blogger at 9:40 AM

12 September 2006

Karolina's Cat

More pictures from our blog readers - this time it's Karolina's cat Ginger taking centre stage and clearly ruling the roost.



Karoline wrote:
Ginger came to us over 2 years ago and decided to stay! I think he was living in one of our barns before he decided to be an ‘inside cat’.

Ginger is a gourmet cat and always insists on having biscuits on top of his meat. Ginger hunts slow worms but never eats them. He hunts birds to eat and leaves a few feathers outside our door to show he is a killer! He goes up to the big pond in our field which has carp in but Ginger can never catch a fish. Ginger likes my Dad’s diggers and dumpers to sit on – especially on a sunny day and when they are outside the house. He sits on logs to sleep and it gives him a good view of the kitchen.
Many thanks for your lovely pictures Karolina!

Posted by web-blogger at 1:02 AM

10 September 2006

Lost and Found Response

Our recent post about tracing missing cats (Lost and Found 27 August) has provoked our biggest response yet and is probably best summrised by the comment That Cleaning Lady added to the original post:

Hi there, I stopped by your site today and feel the need to share the story of losing Benjamin. He was a stray that moved in with us a couple winters ago, he was sick and wild, but after a trip to the vet and some good food, he decided to stay in and stop streaking out the pet door every time he saw me or my husband.

Anyway, last fall Benny went missing and that was very unusual, we have a morning routine, and after a few days I feared the worst. We live out in the country and the coyotes here just love wild cat when they can get it. I feared that or a road disaster, but never thought of the animal shelter that is 10 miles away from us in town.

Our neighbor had a problem with a wild female cat having kittens under her trailer, and she got a trap from the shelter and turned over all her catches, one of which was Benny. He spent 7 days in the pound before my daughter asked me if I'd thought to check at the shelter, I said no, how would he get 10 miles into town, never realizing my neighbor was trapping strays and got Benny because he couldn't resist the tuna fish in the cage.

Well, I went to the pound and there he was sitting so forlorn in that cage, as soon as he saw me he practically leapt into my arms and we both had a good cry at our reunion. Now Benny doesn't go to the neighbors house, and I have given her pictures of all 4 of my cats with a note that if she traps any of them, I expect her to call me and I'll come get whoever it is that doesn't belong down the road.

Thank you for such a good suggestion to check the shelters and the cat rescue places if you lose a cat. Also check with neighbors too to find out if they're trapping strays.

The loss of a loved pet is a traumatic, but not hopeless, event. Cats' inate curiosity will always lead them into such unlikely situations that it is amost impossible to second guess where they might be. So when searching for a cat, be persistant, patient and always expect the unexpected!

Posted by web-blogger at 1:36 PM

05 September 2006

Hannah's Cats

Today we're posting some fantastic new pictures and words sent to Kats and Kits by Hannah of her cats.. Amber, Spicy and Tipsy. Many thanks for sending them in Hannah and I hope you enjoy seeing them on the Kats and Kits Web Site.

Amber: My ginger kitty cat. She is now 3. She's very cuddly, fluffy and is like a teddy bear. She's quite fussy on the food she eats though!

Spicy: She's a ginger and white cat and is 3. She doesn't really like cuddles that much but likes attention.Occasionally she's fussy about food

Tipsy: He's very old - about 19! Sometimes he gets a bit ratty but loves cuddling up on peoples laps. He'll eat basically any food that you put infront of him.

We think Hanna's cats are very cute - if you have a house full of cute cats why not send pictures of them to Kats and Kits and we'll start a gallery dedicated to reader's pets.

Posted by web-blogger at 12:16 AM

About Kats & Kits:

Kats & Kits is a long established cat sanctuary based in the depth of the UK's mystical Wiltshire countryside, on the edge of Salisbury Plain, near the white horses of Alton Barnes and Westbury.

Run by a small dedicated team we aim to provide a home to rescued cats where re-homing is not a viable option.

This blog documents the daily challenges the group has overcome since 1994 to provide care and shelter for abandonded, stray and unwanted cats.

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