Get a second veterinary opinion

Hunter, aka Joey, (above) is lucky to be alive.  I will never forget the day I rescued him back in Autumn 2007.  He was a young sickly kitten with spindly legs barely able to walk, living in an cold old shed on an old armchair with his mother and assorted feline family.  I trapped all the adults including his mum, they were all in good shape, spayed/neutered them all, returned them and took Hunter home with me.  He had ulcers on both eyes which healed completely with treatment and everything seemed fine until I noticed he began meowing when having a bowel movement.  This wasn't normal and very quickly the meows became howls. He was in pain.  Vet No 1 said he had haemorrhoids and there was no cure except put him to sleep.  Vet No 2 said intestinal problems, a biopsy was necessary.  So he had a biopsy which proved inconclusive and it was suggested he be put on a "sensitive" diet.  Within days the howling decreased but there were still episodes.  He was almost a year old before he had painfree bowel movements and thankfully he hasn't looked back since.  Whatever he had he has obviously outgrown though he still has a sensitive tummy with occasional bouts of diarrhoea if he eats something rich like gravy.  He has turned out to be a fine big cat who loves to hunt and also loves curling up on a lap for a nap.   

The moral of the story; don't give up.  Get a second opinion.  Some vets are too quick to suggest putting animals to sleep, in my opinion, without first exploring other options.  The internet is a fantastic tool for researching health issues and finding support groups (see some listed in the links label) for various health issues in pets. Consider alternative medicines.  

Lucy and Lizzie doing great

This evening Lucy and Lizzie's new owners phoned to let me know how things were going. Great, apparently!  I have been thinking about them every day since they went to their new home on the 20th, wondering if they were settling in ok and making friends with their new owners and the dog and they have. Lizzie the kitten is making great strides, coming into the kitchen and sitting in front of the fire and on the couch.  Mum Lucy is taking her time but she always was more cautious, she'll get there in the end.  They're getting on fine with the dog, no problems there, so all in all it's going really well.  

I am so delighted for them, especially after things not working out in the last home they went to. But as the saying goes; "what you put in you get back", and the new owners are making an effort and taking their time and being patient and it's working. They're not planning to let them outside yet for another week or two, by which time they should be more settled.  Anyway as we both said, there's no hurry.

That phone call made my day.

Three kittens have a great time

The three kittens are having a great time.  They have conquered the great outdoors.  As the weather has been quite good these last few days, with dry sunny spells, they've been going out more and more and yesterday seeing Hunter climb a tree, decided they would have a go too, it was hilarious watching them.  They are so entertaining, I could cat watch for hours if I had nothing else to do!  I got a gorgeous photo of two of them on a branch, sadly not with my digital camera which is broken. Can't wait to see the photo.

They're getting braver every day, going a bit further. The new adventure is going outside at night, this is scary stuff, all that darkness!  So there's much running in and out the patio door, but there is safety in numbers and if one goes, they all go.  And when they see the other cats outside, they get braver. They've been in the catflap to the utility room so they know that's a safe haven if things get too hairy outside. They're dotes.

Halle was already spayed

So I brought Halle to the vet recently to have her spayed.  She's the black cat dumped here a few days before Christmas with no note, no call, nothing.  She wailed all the way in the car to the vets, she was really quite distressed, I wonder was she worried she was going to be dumped again after her last experience in a car.  Well, it turns out she was already spayed.  The poor pet went through an unnecessary operation, there's no other way of telling with a female cat except opening them up. At least with the males, it's obvious if they've been neutered.  So, unnecessary stress for Halle, unnecessary time wasted by the vet and unnecessary money spent by Mayo Cat Rescue paying for it.  

Words fail me.  Couldn't the person who dumped her at the very least have left a note in the door giving her name, age, what food she likes, whether vaxed, spayed, any other health issues? Is it too much to ask?  Clearly it is.  I CANNOT understand such people, cannot understand how anyone could dump an animal in a strange environment in freezing cold weather without as much as a backward glance or a second thought.  Such people are a million miles away from the way I and many others think, regard and treat animals.  

Anyway she's fine now, back home and settled again.   

Daphne makes friends

This morning I went to clean out Daphne's pen and approached her very cautiously, but no need, she was more than happy to receive head pets which quickly became full body pets, all down her back to her tail, then ear tickles and head butts.  She was loving the attention and meowed away at me, but all the while inching closer to the pen door and looking for an exit! She's a clever girl.  Still, it was good to be able to pet her.  She's always been a bit wary, a bit unapproachable.  This week in the pen may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. 

She's taking her anti-biotics very well in her food which is great.  Her face is dry today but still a bit of a lump there which hopefully will go down as the anti-biotics do their work.

I have her pen facing the downstairs window of the blue shed so she can sit in her bed and look out the window and see what's happening in the outside world.  Not much today, it was raining!  

 

Daphne is not a happy cat

Sunday evening I noticed the gorgeous Daphne (left, above) had a large lump on the side of her face.  Daphne is one of the semi-ferals who lives in the blue shed.  I rescued her in autumn '08 along with her brother (above, right). Both were left into a vets to be put to sleep.  Her brother had major litter tray issues, mainly he wasn't using it, hence the reason for being left into the vets. Not sure why Daphne was left in to be put down, she's very shy so that may have been it. Anyway it turned out that her brother was deaf and partially blind, so no wonder the litter tray issues.  Got him all sorted.  Had him neutered and bought a large litter tray and placed it on newspaper and most of the time he hit the mark without a problem and even when he didn't, the newspaper caught the spills so problem solved.  Blind cats need large litter trays to give them a better chance of going "inside" the tray.  A lady phoned who was looking for an indoor cat so off he went.  He was a complete dote, very docile.

Daphne on the other hand was completely different.  Shy, nervous and wary of people, she eventually decided early last year she wanted to live outside.  I had been hoping to home her all during the year but the homing was down over all and the tame cats went first.  She's been doing fine, living in the blue shed and pottering about.  The only downside is Chase, who chases and attacks her from time to time.  

So on Sunday she has a large lump on her right cheek, immediately I thought it might be a tumour.  Then on Monday morning at feeding time I noticed the lump is gone and the fur on her face is wet, a burst abscess, I'm relieved.  It takes about a half an hour talking to her and letting her sniff my fingers before she lets me pet her and eventually I'm able to grab her and put her in a cage.  I set up a large dogpen in the blue shed for her with a bed, litter tray and there she has to stay while she takes anti-biotics for the next week.  She is not a happy camper, mainly because Chase is hanging around, and I think she's worried he'll get her but he can't.   She was more relaxed today.  

Still, it would be great to get a home for her where she wouldn't have to worry about Chase anymore.  She's lovely when she gets to know you, she just needs a patient owner who takes the time to get to know her and let her come out of her shell.  Anyone?  Isn't she beautiful?

Tripod is home

Yesterday I picked up Tripod from the vets to bring him home.  Poor baby, he's wearing the lampshade collar I put on him when I brought him to the vets and boy is he not happy about it! On the way home in the car, I could hear it banging off the cage and then when we got home and I let him out, the dramatic headturning, the pitiful meows, as if to say "what is this thing on me, get it off" it was funny.  So I relented and took it off him and he had a good old grooming session, then food and then started wailing to get out, so I let him outside and he ran around like a mad thing.  After three days stuck at the vets, there's a lot of pent up energy to get rid off. 

My heart was in my mouth worrying the wound would open up again with all the tearing around he was doing and sure enough, when he came back in, there was blood on the wound, but looking into the cage he came home in, there was blood on the newspaper so it happened between the vets and home.  Back on with the collar and he settled down and is doing fine.  I take it off morning and evening so he can have a good groom, which is very important to cats, and eat in comfort. He has to wear it for the next week.  He's taking his antibiotics fine so hopefully all will go according to plan and the wound will heal nicely and there will be no more problems.  The opening occurred right at the bone so I hope that's not going to be a weak spot in the future. Fingers crossed.

Tripod is at the vets over the weekend

On Friday I noticed blood on the floor and sourced it to Tripod, the three legged cat.  A section of the site where his leg was removed was open, it looked awful.  I knew it would need stitches so off to the vet.  I'm not sure what happened.  His leg was removed back in late November but there was still a small scab remaining this month, so whether it was that weak spot that opened and he started licking it or whether he injured it outside, I don't know.  I noticed he's been licking that spot for a few days.  The vet suggested a cat fight and I have noticed him and Jamie roughhousing from time to time.  Having just one front leg doesn't help in a catfight. 

Anyway he's been at the vet all weekend. I was away in Enniskillen yesterday stocking up on cat supplies (litter is so much cheaper there) and didn't make it back in time to pick him up.  So I'm looking forward to getting him back tomorrow.  He's such a loving cat.  

Links

Very useful links on different issues.

Keeping cats out of gardens and yards

http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/HOW_TO_KEEPING_CATS_OUT_OF_GARDENS_AND_YARDS

Warning signs your childs behaviour is dangerous to pets

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/kids-and-pets/warning-signs-that-your-childs-behavior-is-dangerous-to-pets.html

Taming feral kittens

http://www.icraeastbay.org/ICRAKittenSocializing.pdf

http://www.messybeast.com/feralkit.htm

Screening new owners

http://www.thecatsite.com/Care/219/Kittens-To-Good-Homes.html

Living with disabled cats

http://www.messybeast.com/disabled.htm

Kitten care/raising orphan kittens

http://www.kittenrescue.org/pages.php?pageid=15

Feline assisted feeding support group

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-Assisted-Feeding/

Chronic Renal Failure support group

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/

FIV Support group

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FIVCats/?yguid=218221246

Cerebellar Hypoplasia support group

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/chkittyclub/

Lucy and Lizzie go to their new home

Yesterday mum and daughter Lucy and Lizzie went to their new home in the middle of the countryside.  Lucy the mum was rescued with her kittens from a country home so it's nice for her to go back to what she knows.  I try and rehome to the environment as close to what the cat was used to.  It seems to work better.

They're going to be kept in the utility in the house for the first few weeks so they get used to their new owners, new home and the dog. They have a shed outside.  The son did a great job building two timber compartments for them in the shed which, with a nice cushion, will be just perfect. It's very well insulated also, has a new galvanised roof, and they are planning a catflap which I said was a very good idea.  The cats will have loads of space to run around and hopefully will become best friends with the dog, I included info on introducing new cats to resident pets in the educational pack I give out with every cat.  It has plenty of good tips (see link):

http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/catintro.pdf

I really hope this works out for them, they are two lovely cats but very shy and nervous, so not inclined to show themselves at their best but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Who knows, in an environment with no other cats, they may well come out of their shells and be fine, it's happened before.  I  remember homing a shy nervous ginger cat some time ago and spent ages explaining to the new owners about being patient with him, it may take a while for him to interact with them and they phoned me the following day to say he was purring up a storm and winding himself around their legs at every opportunity!!!  

Anyway as always, I said I'd take Lucy and Lizzie back if it wasn't working but it would be best for them to be in a home environment. It's their second shot at a new home so really hoping it works.  

My boy Tiger

My boy Tiger will be 17 years old sometime this spring.  I still remember the day all those years ago when I went to pick him and his brother Fluffy up. There were four kittens in all, two gingers and two grey tabbys, and I couldn't make up my mind whether to take the two gingers or the two greys or one of each and eventually I settled for one of each. They were about 3 - 4 months old and that was in May or June 1993.  Poor Fluffy developed leukaemia and died at the vets in May 2003 three weeks before we moved from town to live in the country.  I was sad I wasn't with him when he died and sad he didn't get to enjoy the wide open spaces which I know he would have loved.  He is buried here near the river. 

Tiger is living with chronic kidney failure, diagnosed last year but is doing well. He is under veterinary care and on medication every day which helps his kidneys.  He is a shadow of his former self, very thin, very bony.  His teeth and mouth are not great but he is not in any obvious discomfort.  He has a great appetite, ambles about, but likes to spend most of his time in the kitchen and overall is in good form. Still when he jumps up on my lap now, I give him an extra tight hug. Usually he waits until late at night when all the other cats have been looked after and then he'll hop up, purr into my face and we spend some me time together.   

Photo above shows the two of them sometime before Fluffy left us.

Kitten with black collar found

A kitten, approx 3 - 4 months old, has been found in the Kiltimagh area wearing a black collar.  

Home/foster urgently needed

A lady phoned me today.  A cat strayed into them during the recent severe weather, thin, young and so starved it was eating the birdseed to survive. They have been feeding it but for some reason which I wasn't told, they decided today it had to go.....today.  Her husband wants it gone.  

I explained I am over run with cats and can't take it today or this week, but may be able to take it next week, in the meantime I will put an ad on MWR tomorrow in the hope someone will offer it a home.  She informed me that wasn't going to work!  Well, it may not, but we won't know til we try.  

I suggested she contact other rescues to see if they could take it.  No, she wants me to take it....today. 

Once again I explained I couldn't take it today.  I simply had nowhere to put it. But I would try to find it a home, I would in fact put the cat top of the list, despite my having several cats here waiting for homes for months. Or I would take it in the next week or two depending on how the homing goes in the meantime.  She wasn't a happy camper as I said goodbye.  

I really wish I could take this cat as I am now worried that something might happen to it like it's left to starve in the hope it will wander off somewhere else or it'll be dumped elsewhere. It sounds like it could do with some tender loving care.  Imagine eating bird feed to survive, heartbreaking.  

So if anyone can foster or give a home to this thin grey cat who needs some TLC, let me know. S/he will be spayed/neutered, microchipped, dewormed and deflead before going anywhere.

UPDATE:  The lady who phoned about this cat phoned me back a few days later to say they were keeping the cat.  Another rescue took it but after the cat left, the couple had a change of heart and went back to collect the cat.  So whatever crisis happened on Sunday has passed and all is well.  They brought the cat to their vet and it's a female and already spayed.  I like happy endings!

Visiting Mimi was a treat.

Yesterday a lady I know, who I rehomed a cat to last autumn, phoned to say she had collected a jar of small change she wished to donate to Mayo Cat Rescue. As I was going to town I offered to pick it up which I did.

I was there about a half an hour chatting and Mimi the cat spent most of the time on my lap.  I'd had Mimi since she was a kitten and of course grown very attached to her. It's a wrench to let them go so it's always fantastic to see them again and know they are doing fine.  I rarely see cats again once I've homed them, so it was a treat for me. She has a lovely home, sleeping on the bed, snoozing on the couch, a doting owner. Wish every cat has such a good home.

There's a dead cat in the forest

Some excuse for a human being threw a dead cat into the forest sometime before Christmas, my dogs sniffed it out though they can't reach it as it's across a ditch.  I can't reach it either, if I could I'd retrieve it, bring it home and bury it.  Because of the recent bad weather we haven't walked past the spot where it is lying very often except for the last few days.  Every time I walk by I look in, I find it very sad.  It's a black and white cat, thinnish, doesn't look too old, whatever happened to it.  I find it upsetting to see it lying there by a branch, it somehow seems vulnerable to the wind and the rain, the cold and the frost. Why the heartless idiot who dumped it couldn't have buried it, I don't know. Too much hard work I imagine.

I wonder do they have children and what is it teaching them? Here was a perfect opportunity to show children respect for an animal in death as in life, to show children the rituals surrounding death. Digging a grave, placing the body in a box, the burial, marking the grave, saying goodbye, dealing with grief.  Yes, hard to do, but necessary.

Instead they threw it in a forest where they thought no one would see it, but I do.  Everyday. And each time I pass I look in and acknowledge it.   

Hoppy gets a cuddle

Hoppy, aka The Hopmeister, is a lovebug of a cat but only on his terms.  A fierce feral kitten when rescued a few years back, his back left leg had to be removed as it was badly smashed.  His tail is there in a coil at the end of his spine.  For some reason, it never developed properly after he was born.  It took years for me to be able to pet him.  And even now, he has to be in his basket before he allows me to tickle and rub his tummy, but he does enjoy it.  He also enjoys being picked up and cuddled although you'd never think it the way he protests.  I think the first few times I picked him up, he panicked with the insecurity of balance issues but now he knows he's safe.  

Today I picked him up when he was at the food dishes.  Of course he protested then sank into it. It doesn't happen every day or very often, but we both enjoy it when it does. 

I'm in love with a shed

http://www.timbersheds.net/playhouses.php

I'm in love with a shed at the moment, make that several sheds.  Take a look at the playhouses on the above site. Gorgeous! I particularly love the Prairie Cottage (very similar to the blue shed but nicer) and also the massive Colonial Playhouse.  How many rescued cats could live in that! The Tulip Cottage is very sweet, the High Chaprell is nice too.

There are three cats, one aged 13, one 14 and one 15 who need to be rescued from where they are and live out the rest of their lives in comfort, but there is no space to take them at present so hence the searching for a shed.  I am having fantasies of the three cats in one of these sheds with snuggly igloo beds and heatpads to keep them toasty warm in the winter and snoozing in the sun on the verandas during summer days.  It would be just perfect.  

Three kittens step outside

Today, as the snow was all gone, and the temperature was almost balmy (!), I decided to let the three kittens outside.  So as they have the run of the kitchen, I opened the patio door and left it open a couple of inches.  After a few minutes they were all at the door, noses sniffing the air, necks craning to see outside.  It was so funny, they looked out, each vying for the best spot, and then one, with supreme bravado, stepped outside onto the step.  And then immediately ran back into the kitchen again!  They took turns doing this, sometimes going out onto the step in pairs but none actually braved going out onto the pavement or venturing further.  After a while they tired of this new game and it was back playing with the toy balls around the kitchen again.

Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

I must devote more time to taming them.  I can pick them up sometimes if they are near me but if they see me coming they tend to run in the opposite direction.  They are three of about fourteen that need more time taming!   

Halle doing well

Halle is doing really well.  Last Tuesday I brought her into the conservatory to join the rest of the gang there.  It had started snowing outside and I was beginning to worry about her as I hardly saw her from one day to the next.  I think Chase was chasing her away which he's very good at. Anyway she didn't seem at all happy to be with the other cats and growled if one of them approached her but on the other hand I think she was happy to be in out of the snow and cold. Who wouldn't? She decided to sit on a blanket on top of Peaches pen, glowering down at the other cats and hardly moving a muscle for two days.  I had to place her food bowls beside her to be sure she was eating. 

None of the other cats took too much notice of her and gradually she relaxed and this evening decided to come out of the conservatory and join us in the kitchen.  In the next few days I must bring her to the vet to be spayed, etc.  She may already be spayed, there's no way of telling unfortunately.  I scanned her for a microchip, but nothing. She's a sweet cat and would be a lovely pet for someone.  Wonder why she was dumped.

Lucy and Lizzie may have a home

Got a call today from a lady I homed 2 cats to, 10 maybe 12 years ago.  Boris and Pip, the names did ring a bell but I couldn't picture them in my head. Anyway she gave me an update, Pip went to the great cattery in the sky two years ago aged 12/13 and Boris two months ago aged 16. Although it was sad to hear they were no longer around, it was good to know they had a long healthy life more or less to the end. 

She's now looking for another two cats and I thought of mum and daughter Lucy and Lizzie immediately.  I took in both during late summer last year and homed them in November to a farmer but Lucy, who is very shy, didn't come out of her shell, hid most of the time during the month she was there and the farmer thought she wouldn't be a good hunter because she's so shy!!! The poor cat didn't even get a chance to prove herself one way or the other. He didn't think they were suitable for his needs so I offered to take them back and he agreed.  At the time I was stuck for space but managed.  

This evening the people called to have a look at Lucy and Lizzie, I think they got a glimpse of Lizzie in the torchlight in the chalet but Lucy did her usual disappearing act.  They said they'd take them.  The cats won't be going for a while yet as the shed they will be living in needs a bit of work so I'll do a homecheck first and go from there but fingers crossed it works for them this time.

When the people were leaving they produced photos of Pip and Boris for me to have a look at which was truly lovely. Great to see the two cats looking so healthy and content in their home. It looks like they had good lives and I'm glad I had a part in that. Some days I love doing this work!

Stevie's auto immune disease

Stevie has auto immune disease which affects his skin.  It attacks and rejects the bodys own tissue as foreign.  He's been on steroids for a while which is helping but he still gets attacks which is stressing for him.  We haven't quite got the timing right yet with the injections but we're working on it.  It would be great if I could find something along the homeopathy line which would help. The less steroids the better.  Trying a couple of things at the moment, maritime pine bark and wheatgerm oil, both of which have been recommended.  I'm giving him a quarter of a tablet once a day of the maritime pine bark and massaging the wheatgerm oil onto the affected skin.  Just started yesterday so it'll probably be a while before we see any signs of improvement if there is any. I really hope there is.

Stevie is a dote and was fine until he was about 8/9 months old and then this suddenly developed around summertime last year. There's no doubt it affects him and he seems a bit down when having an attack so fingers and toes crossed this works and he can come off the steroids.

I'm in love with Tripod

Tripod, (not a great name and I may change it) so called because he had to have his front left leg amputated is such a dote.  He is the most loving cat.  He hopped up on my lap just a while ago, tucked his back into my chest, placed his head under my chin, closed his eyes and purred away with a look of pure satisfaction, it was priceless.  Now, I'm sure there are people who will argue that cats don't "do" facial expressions, but us cat owners know different, don't we? 

He's one of the sweetest cats I've rescued in some time (ok, they're all sweet in their own way) and it'll break my heart to home him but he will make someone a wonderful pet.  I must find someone who will appreciate him, so many people don't appreciate cats, or take the time to get to know them and their little ways. Which is sad for them because cats will enrich your life so much if given half a chance. They lower your stress levels, make you laugh with their antics and are so easy to care for IF you do the basics.

Tripod is fully recovered from his op, (some of his tail is missing also), so hopefully it won't be long before he gets a new home where he'll get all the love he deserves.  But I'll sure miss him.

Animals don't belong in the circus

The following link shows disturbing photos of baby elephants being trained for the circus.  The photos were supplied by a former elephant trainer to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) before he died.

A couple of years ago I was in a shop in Westport when I saw two elephants passing by on the street outside, a publicity stunt to advertise the circus was in town.  Although it was amazing to see these huge animals so close up, I felt sadness also, they were far from their home and natural environment. Elephants don't belong in the concrete jungle, they don't belong in the circus.

Please distribute these photos far and wide, particularly to parents with young children.  If we stop going to the circus where animals are used to entertain, baby elephants won't have to go through this anymore for our entertainment and enjoyment.  

http://www.ringlingbeatsanimals.com/bound-babies.asp

Peaches lets loose

I've set up the 48" dog pen for Peaches (who has CH) in the conservatory.  I've noticed one of the kittens is picking on her and, with her condition, she's just not able to fight back.  As I'm at home during the day at the moment due to the bad weather, I can keep an eye on things but at night I can pop her in there, with her bed with the heat pad, her litter tray, custom made food stand and some toys and know she is safe and sound.  She's seems to be very happy with it.  

It was so funny yesterday, I have the floor of the pen covered in newspaper and Peaches decided to have a go at shredding it.  She was throwing herself around and rolling about in the newspaper having a great time.  It's good to see her having fun but it's always tinged with sadness.  I see her watching the kittens flying around, jumping on the furniture and I'm sure she wants to also.

But I think she accepts her limitations and so long as she can have fun her own way, that's all that matters.  

Tramp is in the house.

Tramp is a tortie I rescued a couple of years back.   She doesn't bond easily with people. I homed her at one point to a home with a father and adult son but she hid behind the couch for the six weeks she was there and only came out at night.  They asked me to take her back and I did and she's been here ever since.  

She wasn't one for hanging out in the utility room like most of the other cats here.  The utility room has about 12 cat beds of different shapes, sizes and models and most of the cats sleep, eat and chill there.  She decided after she returned here that she was going to take her chances living outside.  There are sheds at the back for her to sleep in so I wasn't too worried but the plan was always to get a designated shed for the outside cats.  

Last August I found just the shed, it's actually a playhouse for kids with stairs and a loft. Perfect.  So she's been living in the blue shed since but recently due to the very cold weather, she's been flitting in and out of the utility room, toying with the idea of moving in I guess. Testing the waters with the other cats. It's really only Chase, the white deaf bully cat, who's the main problem but Grey keeps him mostly in order.  Still Chase has his moments.  Anyway Tramp seems to be accepted as the other day she choose her bed and moved in permanently. I'm delighted as she is a bit on the delicate side, bad chest, teeth problems, she will be warmer in the utility room.  She's lost a bit of weight recently but seems to be eating well.  Will keep an eye on her.

Fantastic site on litter box maintenance/problems

http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm

Came across this site today, possibly the best on litter box maintenance.  For anyone experiencing litter box problems with their cat(s), there's a lot of info to be found here.  

Lady the ghost cat.

Lady is a beautiful longhaired black and white female cat I rescued about two years ago in less than ideal circumstances.  She is completely feral.  When I rescued her I kept her in for about 6 weeks to acclimatise her to her new home, environment and owner but the minute I let her out, she took off and I am lucky if I see her once a week.  She sleeps in one of the sheds at the back, comes for food but is very elusive. She is like a ghost cat.  I've spotted her a few times in the blue shed and I think she was sleeping in there for a while.  We only got the blue shed in late August, specifically for her, Daphne, Tramp and anyone else who wants to sleep in it.  It took all of them a while to start using it.  I've seen her in it several times when I've been putting food and water in but she literally disappeared about three/four weeks ago.  Not a sign of her anywhere. Usually I'll see her scurrying about somewhere but nothing.  I was becoming very concerned and wondered had something happened to her, especially in this extremely cold weather but thankfully I saw her yesterday evening, sitting at the entrance to the blue shed and she seemed completely fine.  What a relief!

Is all what it seems?

http://www.kerryman.ie/news/rough-time-for-puppies-cruelly-abandoned-and-left-to-perish-1992764.html

The above story is heart warming.  Six collie pups, just seven weeks old are abandoned in a box on a walkway the Wednesday before Christmas, one of the coldest nights of the year. Spotted by a passerby, they are rescued, taken in by a vet who vaccinates, worms and washes them, an adorable photo of all six plus vet appears in local and national media and people queue up to home them. It's the kind of thing we all love to read. A story guaranteed to give everyone a warm fuzzy feeling and a win win situation for the pups.  

Stories such as this appear in local and national media on a regular basis.  But I can't help wondering if such stories give some people ideas. I would say the answer is yes.  Think about it. It's a perfect strategy.  You're stuck with unwanted pups or kittens, you've tried to get homes yourself with no luck.  You've tried the rescues - they're full.  What to do? You dump them somewhere there is a very good chance they'll be found, they are found, they receive veterinary care, there's a big splash in the papers and all of them get homes.  A happy outcome for all.  Are we really surprised this happens on a regular basis?

Of course there are people who dump animals in remote places where there is no possible chance of them ever being found and there are no words to adequately describe such people though I could try!  But there's no doubt people use this particular strategy successfully.  It was interesting that in one of the reports it stated: "a wooden lid was placed on top of the box to prevent their escape."  Exactly.  So none would escape, wander off and get genuinely lost.  The owner may well have been close by keeping a discreet eye on the situation.

 

It's disappointing that in none of the reports I read was spaying or neutering mentioned. Maybe the vet or rescue spokesperson did bring up the topic but the papers decided not to publish it. It's a lost opportunity. Promoting spaying and neutering gets the message out there to people that there is no need for unwanted pups and kittens, no need for sneaky strategies, no need to dump anything anywhere.