Readers, Kallee needs some advice. She says:
I’ve been reading love and hisses for years, never commented, but I’ve
always admired what you do. I’ve considered doing it myself, but
there’s no no-kill shelter in the small Australian town I live in.
Yesterday I noticed an excruciatingly young mother cat and her two
kittens (from reading your blog I’d put the mother at less than a year
old and the kittens at 6 or 8 weeks tops) living in the roof of the
building next door to my work.
Mum is very friendly, leading me to suspect she was dumped as a kitten herself.
It’s breaking my heart seeing how they are living, and I fear they
will be caught and put down by our council. So I’m considering
trapping, desexing and fostering them.
So do you have any advice for a) trapping them, and b) going into a
fostering venture on my own? Is it madness?
I’d love any advice (from you or the L&H community) about how to get
set up, and how to find forever homes for these beautiful babies.
Anyone who has advice for Kallee, feel free to leave it in the comments (or if you prefer to email me, I can pass it along to her.)
Okay, I have a million pictures of MMM&D, and Reacher and Corbett. I’ll share some of them today, and then maybe the rest over the weekend.
Reacher and Jake.
Pretty pretty Corbett.
In this picture, I can absolutely see what Martin will look like when he’s grown up.
“What, lady? What you want?”
Moxie, Melodie, and Martin, hanging out in the guest bedroom.
Adopted before the weekend is out. GUARANTEED! (I hope.)
Reacher ADORES snoozing in the reusable grocery bag.
Kittens love an empty box. Shocking, right?
One couch, six cats.
Jake sure does like to tease Martin with his tail.
Okay, I’m going to leave with Martin, Melodie, Moxie, Dodger, Reacher, and Corbett in a few minutes. I refuse to be sad, because this is the next step toward their forever home, and I have a good feeling about this weekend. Hopefully at least a couple of them will be adopted this weekend (please please PLEASE) and go to loving homes.
So send good thoughts this way, would you?
(I sure am going to miss these guys!)
Starsky and Hutch, hanging out on the heating pad.
Houston, we has a complainer.
Starsky and Hutch are doing well. Yesterday, they both lapped formula off a shallow plate without crawling through it, and I didn’t have to supplement with a bottle or syringe at all. It was amazingly easy – Monday, they wouldn’t even look at the plate with the formula on it. Yesterday, they both bellied up to the plate. Today, I begin the messy job of offering them canned food mixed with formula. I don’t think it’s going to be too much of a problem – I think I mentioned that I put a bowl of Babycat kibble in their cage, and several times when I went into the room, Starsky was bellied up to the bowl. I don’t know how much he actually ate, but there’s definitely some interest there.
My plan is to put Bolitar and Rhyme in the foster room upstairs when I get home from Petsmart and then slowly reintroduce them to the rest of the house. Once they’re acclimated to being out and about, I’ll move Starsky and Hutch upstairs.
Coltrane, chilling in the back yard.
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Previously
2009: Life is good.
2008: Pet store kitties.
2007: Crazy Eyes struggles with a wee case of claustrophobia.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Did Kallee say where she lives? I live in a capital city in Aus, Perth, WA, and the no kill rescue I foster for often has rescuees sent in from country towns to be cared for. In fact I had one a couple of months ago that had been flown over 1000kms into my care. If she’s not too far from the capital city in her state I’m sure she could organise a similar transfer of care, or even start fostering through them long distance. If she has the money to start her only little rescue in her town, that would be amazing of her! Feel free to pass my email address on to Kallee.
I’m a lurker too by the way. Hi! 😀
Your couch looks in remarkably good condition considering the number of cats lounging on it! Do you do something to keep all your kitties from destroying the furniture?
(We got a new couch and armchair this year, and it’s currently swathed in doublestick anti-cat tape, which is great except when you’re peeling your own arm off the armrest. 🙂
P.S. Best of luck to Kallee! Having never fostered cats, I don’t have any advice, but I wish you and the kitty family the best!
Best of luck to Kallee – what a good thing you are doing!
Best of luck to Reacher, Corbett, Martin, Melody, Moxie and Dodger, too! I hope they all get adopted to great homes soonest.
Oh, oh my!
I’m all the way on the other side of the world, but nearly exactly in the same situation! While I live in a city with many animal welfare organisations, from a quick call around they’re all “swimming in kittens” right now, so I’ve decided to start my fostering career earlier than planned, with the three we found in our communal back garden on Wednesday
I’ve cleared a spare room and bought a guinea pig cage to keep them in to start with, and intend to try catching them this afternoon and/or tomorrow. I’ve spent hours sitting near them, reading, and they’re willing to come and eat a few feet away from me now, so I’m reasonably hopeful about being able to catch them.
I’ve read a lot about the socialising process, so that will hopefully be fine – what I’m most worried about is the immediate things after catching them: what if they have fleas? am I supposed to wash them? do i need to take them to the vet? what about worms? halp!
Best of luck to Kallee – go for it! Maybe the council would be willing to help with trapping the kittens if you’re willing to take them on?
bye bye reacher. 🙁
Awww what a lovely picture of Mr Corbett – Like Robyn says I bet he charms his new human in no time!
Kallee, if your own country or area does not have a Humane Society, then please Google and email a Humane Society or ASPCA in the U.S. for information on how to do a trap/neuter/(release).
How could they not get adopted all this time! They’re so lovely.
Zoe: She didn’t say where she lives, but I forwarded your comment (and email address) to her. And hi! 🙂
Katie: That must be a trick of the lighting, because our couches are in rough shape. The back corners are absolutely shredded (I put two-sided sticky tape on the corners, which worked for a while, but they got over their dislike of the sticky stuff and shredded that along with the couch), and there are stains on the couches (why, when there’s so much hardwood floor in the house, must they ALWAYS vomit on the couches or rugs, I ask you?). I recently bought a slipcover for the couch under the windows – though apparently took the picture before we put the slipcover on the couch last weekend. Once we got the slipcover put on, it looks really pretty good, so I’ve ordered a second one to put on the other couch. These couches are so comfortable – they were given to us by Fred’s father and stepmother, who had them for many years before buying new couches a couple of years ago – that I’m not even entertaining the idea of buying new couches. Boy, I can go on and on about the couches, can’t I? 🙂
Silkiebird, I emailed you – let me know if you don’t get it!
Hopin’ for the best families for the best kittehs!
Love the comment above about the vomit on the couch or rugs, soo true. The cleaner the rug the better of course! I have an older tortie who at least will run to the laundry room if she has time, and vomit on one of the little rugs there which are to trap the sand from the litter box…odds are greatest if I just washed them!
Non-cat comment on couches: they don’t make them like they used to!
Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for the comments, they’re both encouraging and helpful. I’ve been in touch with the RSPCA here and they might be able to help me out. Zoe, I’m in Bundaberg, Queensland so a fair way from Perth 🙂 But there is a no-kill shelter on the Sunshine Coast (3 hrs away) so I’ll try them.
I’ve decided to take this family in and do my best for them. I might even start a Love & Hisses inspired web site too. In the meantime I’ll post updates on Twitter form time to time if you’re interested.
Thanks again, what a great community this is to be a part of.
How excellent, Kallee! Do let us know if you start to blog and, even if you don’t, we’d love to see updates through L&H (if that’s OK w/you, Robyn!).
When I got my first foster and talked about stuff I needed to get, I was amazed by all the folks who loaned or outright gave me stuff (crates, catbeds, toys, even food and litter)! Since then, I’ve done the same for others who started fostering. So, let your needs be known to friends/family/co-workers. Generally, folks are pretty excited to be able to help!