CataBlog

A lovely email in from Pansy and Poppy

Pansy and Poppy came to us when their elderly owner died, and were adopted almost a year ago by a lovely family in (from memory) Palmerston North. They sent us a lovely email and some photos last week that I'd like to share with you all:

"Hi Everyone,

We would just like to let you know that we are doing really well in our new home and its nearly a year since we left the shelter.

Our family seem to love us to bits and we get loads of cuddles, sometimes we think its a bit over the top.

From PANSY- I sleep on Mum & Dads bed nearly everynight, once they turn the lounge lights out and give us a cuddle good night I am off to their bed. I have been known to push my Mum over to the edge of the bed, one night she didn't want to wake me so she woke Dad up and got out his side so she could go the toilet. Dad didn't find that very funny.

I have been outside with a family member from time to time, but then when I came in I would get very nasty and hiss at who ever took me out then I would start on Poppy.She didn't even want to eat tea with me each night as I would bite her on the back etc etc, so I was put on a trial and stayed inside to see if my behavior improved and it did so we eat together again.

I still fight with Poppy but I am not as mean to her as I was. I think I am a jealous of Poppy even though I get plenty of attention too.

I am a bit fatter than when you saw me last. I love those Hills science nuts for breakfast and whiskers for tea, I am a bit fussy with the flavours of them and have been known not to eat them until they are binned and I get one I like.
I usually sleep during the day till Mum comes home and says hello to me then I am up and about for the rest of the day.

From POPPY - I usually sleep in the lounge at night, but sometimes I sleep on Bekas bed or sometimes on Andrew's bed. I don't like being put under a blanket.

Dad brings out the cane basket from their room each night and I sleep on that in the lounge that way I am higher up than Pansy if she comes out, when the basket was in their room at night I would wake them up when I attacked it.
I have been outside too, but not very often as I got really scared and bolted and my Mum couldn't catch me and I was a bit stressed the next day.

I had to get my nails cut at the vets the other day as they were really long and we both have made a bit of a mess of our lounge furniture, but we don't get smacked for it hehe.

I too am fatter than when you last saw me, probably bigger than Pansy but then my legs are shorter than hers . I LOVE my food , when Mum cleans the dishes out each morning I eat the scraps from the night before off the paper towel while she washes our dishes.

I still fight with Pansy, but she stares at me and I don't like that so she usually wins.

I tend to sleep when everyone has gone to work but I am up and about when Mum comes home and says hello to me.

Anyway we are both very happy with our new family and they seem to love us soooo much, its great to be loved.

We are 7 years old now we got some new toys and a tin of special meat each for our birthday tea and plenty of cuddles.

We have added some photos of ourselves for you to see.

Love Pansy & Poppy"

Pansy
Poppy

Shrek the ankle biter

For those of you who remember our grouchy persian lad Shrek, here's a lovely update from his new people.

"It's hard to believe he's been with us nearly 6 months, but we can't imagine life without him now. He is a really cool cat and has settled in so much better than we expected. All of our concerns about keeping his coat in order have not been realised and he seems to cope with a once a week grooming session. He holds it against us for about 5 minutes and is then ready to play again.

He has a really annoying habit of attacking ankles in the mornings ... it gives us huge frights and he is so quick that you don't have time to move when you hear him running! He is a talkative cat and spends five minutes telling us about his day when we get home each evening.

He has recently taken over the bed, and spends more and more time there now that it's so cold. He does of course take up half the bed! He has also discovered the valule of lying in front of the heater!
We still struggle to encourage him to go outdoors, and he'll really only leave the house when we do. But that's not really a problem.

The only thing that concerns me is that he wont eat anyting other than biscuits! I have nevet met a cat that would rather have Iams than some nice roast lamb, some slamon or even just wet cat food! But he seems pretty happy with biscuits.

He sends his love to all!"

With his new octopus toy	He was in his playful pouncing mood when this was taken, hence the wide eyes
He was falling asleep on the bed when this was taken	Having a cuddle with me

And an aside from Heather who's good mates with Judy who owns Rushcroft Cattery and has (aside from her own persians, a solid client base of persians)

"Do pass onto them that Persians actually just prefer biscuits. Judys own Persians have nothing else but Iams and Hills Science diet. Would never touch wet food. Also 95% of her Persian boarders are the same - they come in with instructions from their owners to only feed dry so H. and M. don't need to worry."

Which I shall duely pass on .

A Photo Day in the Life

Well, it's been a good Sunday. 2 cats homed, 2 new very enthusiastic new members who are keen to help out with fostering, and two people in with donations of food etc for us.

First off, our dear Sooty finally has a new home. He's been with us for ages, and had gotten quite depressed, so great to see him go to such a good home.

Then wee Isabell, who came to us after having 4 litters of kittens (then her owners decided they didn't want her any more) has been adopted by a lovely couple.

God, and how could I forget! Winnie, who was left, wet and frightened outside our gate overnight about 2 years ago has been fostered!

Updates as I get them folks.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, here's a day in the life of the CPL shelter in photo form. (Cos of course everyone turned up at once, so I had plenty of time to take lots of pics once the rush was over).

The ever lovely Miss Moppett	The rather handsome Milo
"I'm just big boned" Milly	And her lovely sister Bella
Marmalade chilling out on the couch in the sun	With Magdelena and Caruso at the other end
Madeline still looking annoyed and suspicious	Loopy just hanging out in her basket
Isabel and Ratty hanging out	Crookshanks checking me out (and determining if the camera is dangerous!)
Chipper chilling out in "his" beach chair	Chicken and Gypsy buddying up in our Timid's area
Katt and Sylvie doing the same in the main shelter area	Jonah enjoying Shyla's wonderfully revamped tree house
And a closer look at that	Caruso just being Caruso
Buster in his favourite basket	Little Becki hoping the camera might be food
The Yard Gang hanging out in the sun	Slinky doing the same
Sylvie having a snooze in Katt's cage	Ollie and Ciaran hanging out
Shanti looking hopefully for more food	Sasha enjoying the comfy top of the tree house (Jonah still hogging the inside)
pepsi having a snooze	Ringo wanting to know why the biscuit bowel is empty
A relaxing day for Ratty	Very relaxing
And very smoochy. Sadly I'd put my camera away when he sat on my lap and pinned me to the couch for half an hour. Circulation to the lower limbs slowly being restored!	Strawberry wanting love (and blood). Wee bit conflicted at the moment is our girl
And home now, to the most handsome man in the world	Who after I shower and change, forgives me for being an unfaithful sl*t and loves me again

Updates on Lucy and Thomas, and our lovely Douggie (aka Panic)

Hi there everyone. I've had a couple of lovely updates via email from the people who adopted Lucy and Thomas, and Douggie's new person. Really have nothing to add, their just too damn lovely for words :o)

"Hello,

It's almost been a year that the cats have been with us, and I totally forgot to send photos of the cats for you to enjoy.

Lucy and Thomas have settled in so well and we love them to bits. Lucy is such a smoochy cat and Thomas is also when he wants to be!!! Sometimes all you have to do is look at him and he starts to purr.

With winter fast approaching Lucy spends most of the night curled up under the blankets on my tummy, very cute!! We had the fire place going today and Lucy was loving the warmth.

Thomas loves being outside. You can always spot him hiding in the bushes or curled up on chicken wire (don't know why!?!). He likes to play with us out there, and his sister of course.

They are always cuddled up with each other, but also have some great fights too. We had a new flatmate move into the house and he has a kitten Tomei, so they have a little brother. They tolerate him, but it is clear Thomas is still boss!!

Attached are some photos, I hope you like them "

Thomas and Lucy

Thomas

Lucy

And yet another delightful update from Douggie's new person:

"Our little Douglas is doing just fine in his own shy way. He's such a sweetie. But he still spends the whole day under the bed most days. Occasionally, if it's a nice sunny day, he'll spend the day outside, but either way he HAS to be out of sight. He only comes out for cuddles at night, he feels safer then for some reason.
We have embarked on Music Therapy to help his emotional healing... every day we sing 'Walk Tall' to him:
"Walk tall
walk straight
and look the world right in the eye.
That's what my mamma told me,
When I was about knee-high.
She said: son, be a proud man, and hold your head up high.
Walk tall
Walk straight
And look the world right in the eye."

So far the therapy doesn't seem to be working (no reflection on our singing voices, obviously) and he still slinks everywhere very low to the ground and looks about him with a startled expression.
We always laugh because he THINKS he creeps about with stealth like sleek panther, but of all our cats he is the loudest of the lot. It intrigues us that he can make such clomping noises while creeping along so low to the ground. He also eats very noisily, quickly munching it all down before some terrible fate befalls him while 'exposed' in the kitchen standing over his dinner plate.

Poor little man, it is really going to be some months before he lets himself relax a bit and trust us more, I think. Of course he will never be brimming with confidence, but with lots of love and patience he'll come round in his own time.

In saying that, he is certainly an affectionate little soul, he LOVES night time when I am in bed and he feels he can come in and have a snuggle and some cuddles. I must be less threatening lying down :-)

We had to give him a bath! He was really putrid and we put up with it for about three weeks because we thought it might really traumatise him to subject him to that process. But it just got too rich in the end and he experienced the joy of a nice massage with Tresemme shampoo and conditioner. It has certainly made the night time cuddles a bit more pleasant for everybody but we have realised that he still has his own... ermmmm.. 'aroma' and I am going to take him to the vet to get it checked out. His ears stink, and he dribbles a LOT, so maybe he has a couple of problems there that may account for his 'personal problem'.

He only has the very best of food: Hill's Science Diet biscuits, Fancy Feast, Gourmet, and Dine tinned food, tinned salmon, and fresh meat and fish with the occasional dish of prawns :-) Unlike the other two cats he is not at all fussy and will wolf down whatever is being offered for dinner.

He LOVES and adores out little blind girl Pixie, and as soon as she hops onto my bed he immediately smooches up to her. She is a teensy bit haughty which amazed me, I didn't think I could find a cat lower on the social hierarchy than Pixie, but poor old Douggie is certainly not a macho man in any way. But when I say 'haughty', she never fights, it's just not in her nature. But she will pick and choose the time that suits her to groom him, ignoring the way he offers his head lowered to her for grooming unless she is in the mood.

So, all in all everything is going as well as can be expected for such a little scaredy-cat! He is just a darling and we wouldn't be without him. Feel free to call in any time to visit.. although I have to warn you if you want to say hello to him you will have to do it on your hands and knees peering under my bed."

Sorry, been a bit out of sorts

And not really up to blogging over the last couple of weeks.

Truth to tell, not been a great deal to report. However this weekend (or at least yesterday) our Lucky lad got a new home! Fingers crossed he'll settle in just as well (or if not better) than his pal Panic (now Douggie).

And got this photo in from Toby's people. Apparently he just loves his Dad!

I think from the quick look I had at the board when I brought Pepsi in last night that Mimi is on hold and will go to her new home soon.

Sorry to be a bit vague, but that's just how it is at the moment. Will try to update more regularly in the next week or so.