Stray Cats Update 30/01/09
Ok apologies this has become a 2-week update this time, since I last did a summary on 16/01/09! My rather poor excuse is that is has been a busy 2 weeks for lots of reasons, but I am left wondering where January has gone, and I am even more determined to manage my time better and get more done!
Anyway back to the cats. We currently have 6 kittens and one beautiful male cat Charlie in foster homes here in Almerimar, and my hope is that they will all travel to Germany in late February. Charlie for one already has a home waiting for him which is great, and led Chris to comment that soon we may be catching cats to order.
This is not actually a bad idea, as most of the strays here are being well fed, and with the shortage of foster homes, it makes sense to pick-up the easiest to re-home first. I am already looking for a longer-haired cat for a lady in Germany who is wanting to give a home to another stray. Also if cats go straight to a home in Germany rather than into foster care, we get money back faster to help another one.
I have written a lot about Bono, our little kitten with the locked mouth. We have some more improvement this week but it is a long process keeping him alive with syringes while we wait for the medicines to take effect. He goes back to the vet again on Monday, when we will decide what to do for him next. Manipulation under anaesthetic is one option.
Also back to the vet with be 2 of the Almerimar 5 , our litter of kittens, the last 3 of whom I rescued about 2 weeks ago now. Bonny, Bruno and Jack are doing well, but little Felix is still struggling with a bad chest and on antibiotics, and little Jasper is due to have his plaster removed. All, apart from Felix have now been tested, chipped and vaccinated in preparation for travel to Germany. I’m hoping Felix will be well enough to start all this on Monday.
I have also been busy as usual communicating with Germany, sending photographs and updating my blog, and have also fitted in another visit to Casa De Los Gatos (cat rescue). Gisela wants to continue to help cats, but we remain concerned about her health, and whether she can even cope long term with the 20 odd cats she intends to keep. 3 more of her cats should be as I write on their way to Germany. I await news, particularly about Rabichu, whom I wrote about in my last update.
My big aim for the next week, is to start the sterilisation process of the female cats out there, that we can get hold of. Urgent is little Mimi who was seen doing the deed with a big ugly Tomcat the other day, but we have at least 5 others, and now is definitely mating season. We really do not want more feral kittens. I am still trying to sort with Jos cheaper operations as our funds are virtually dry AGAIN. This is a constant focus of mine … how to make the money go further and help more cats.
On that front, I am currently having a debate with Germany as to whether big cats like Charlie actually need 2 rounds of vaccinations. Begona our vet says not, but apparently the German vets can be difficult on this one. This raises the whole debate on whether vets are over-medicating animals for extra business, but more on that one later. Further on the subject of vets, I would like to thank again Begona out vet for her continued support and big discounts in treating the strays, and I can also say that she has been extremely kind and caring to all.
Further on the strays front, I remain worried about our beautiful siamese Monty and, as I have just written, I am now worried about Monster Mog, AND that is just the Calle Alcor cats. I must get out to the other ‘feeding stations’ and check who else is around and needs to be on my list.
I want us to make a difference fast this year but we have a number of blockers. Money is a big and constant one so if anyone can help sponsor a cat that would be fantastic. This could even be on a loan basis, as once a cat finds a home in Germany, we do get a lot of the money back. Foster homes are also urgent as we need 4-6 weeks to get a cat ready to travel once we rescue it, and some need one-to-one human contact if they are feral. SO if anyone can help please contact me, or if you are interested in hearing more and joining in, why not come along to our Wednesday coffee get-togethers in Darsena 1 cafe at 4pm?
Other news this time, is my impromptu interview with the Costa Almeria , and the fact that the monthly book sale has been postponed until next Saturday due to high winds!
More next week …
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Good update, explains where you have been all month
Impressive amount of activity!