Monthly Archives: August 2013

The gorgeous Jake has been fitted with a collar in preparation for him being allowed to venture out from here for the first time. It’s a bit of slow process – first he needs to come downstairs and get to know my cats so he can then access the cat flap. He started with Jango’s cast off beastie band which is soft and comfy to wear, but has since upgraded to reflective collar with name barrel and bell. We might review that tomorrow – he’s currently rattling around the house causing everyone else to scream “the bells, the bells”.

Here’s a photo shoot of him with his beastie band ……

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…. isn’t he just one gorgeous puss?

The blog has been a little bit neglected over the last few days while I’ve been trying to set up my website. It’s a bit of a steep learning curve, but I think we’re getting there gradually. One of the lessons I’ve learned is not to faff around loads with the layout and aligning everything before I’ve finished adding text. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve got it all tidied up, text aligned, images fitting alongside text, and then thought of something else I want to say in the text.

Anyway, we’re here: http://www.8livescatrescue.org The site is live, but still needs tidying up. There’s a load of images of palm trees on a beach because that’s the default pic the web builder gives you until you upload your own images.

What I’m ultimately aiming for is a website that explains who 8lives are and what we do, details the process of adopting from us, and has a collection of links and and information that I tend to share with people who are wanting to adopt. I also want it to have a comprehensive list of tips for searching for lost cats, and a selection of links to what I think are the best services and products I’ve found. There’s a link on the website to this blog which will continue to have all the latest news.

I welcome anyone’s comments on the website, what they think should be included, point out any typos etc.

When I brought little Meg home with me last Thursday I thought we had a couple of weeks for her to settle into the nursery before she had her kits.   So I focused on just getting her settled and getting used to me, and didn’t think too much about the kittens.   She was  hiding under my desk most of the time, but had got confident enough to occasionally sit on top of the desk, or come out to talk to me and even have a wander around on the landing.

meg – a rare moment on top of the desk

However when I went in to feed her this morning she was back under the desk, there was a patch of blood on the carpet and a lot of purring going on.   She’d clearly just given birth to her second kitten.

When Smudge had her kittens it was clear she wanted me around and was happy with me being there.  Less clear with Meg.   She was meowing to me but we both kept our distance from each other.   So I stayed around but at a distance while she had numbers 3 and 4.

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Unlike my previous pregnant ladies she didn’t opt to have her babies in a box or a bed, so they were just crawling around on the floor under the desk.  I was quite anxious about them.    Kitten 3 didn’t get fully cleaned up, and kitten 4 was on the way.   She cleaned K4, picked him/her up and took him/her off into the corner.    She started feeding that one and ignoring the others who were tumbling over each other in a mewling heap trying to work out what to do next.    Hard to know whether to intervene or not.   Had horrors of a) my doing nothing and them all crawling off in different directions across the study, getting hurt or trapped, or simply cold and unfed, or b) my gathering them all together into a box and Meg then rejecting them.   We compromised by rolling up a nice big towel that had come as part of Meg’s dowry, gently nudging the kittens towards her in the corner, and then cordoning that area off with the towel so hopefully they can’t wander too far.   Paws crossed, that seems to have worked ok for today at least.  Food and water bowls just outside of the towel fence.

So this young  man is the first official 8Lives cat who is from S8 and actually has arrived here!

jake

A lovely couple saw him in their garden about a month ago, very thin and sad.   They hoped he had a home somewhere that he would go back to, but after a few days of seeing the poor lad there, they couldn’t leave him any longer.   They took him to their local vet to check for a microchip but none was found.  So  they started feeding him, and he rewarded them by moving in and being totally adorable.   I got the impression they would have adopted him in a heart beat – however there are very genuine reasons why this is not possible for them to do so.

He’s a gorgeous lad, very laid back.   No problem getting him into the carrier to come here,  He settled down and enjoyed the ride. Happily explored his new room and then settled on a fleece with a view out the window.   Morris’ humans popped round this evening and were so impressed with Jake’s personality and lovely soft coat.   He’a real sweetheart.

Jake will need to pop in to the vets for a little family planning advice and a well man check then he’ll be up for adoption.

Please form an orderly queue.

Today has been an interesting and record breaking day.   I went to collect Bracken, my very first cat who was officially an 8Lives rescue cat.   He’d been taken in as a stray by an elderly man a couple of years ago, but sadly the man had died.   The family were anxious to find him a rescue place as they were unable to keep him, and the pressure was on as the gent’s house had to be cleared and the keys handed back.

Bracken was a lovely black lad … and the only one apart from my Sooty who I’ve seen with white whiskers.    Unfortunately he’d got very stressed whilst his human had been poorly and had taken to over-grooming himself.   His back legs and tummy were almost bald poor lad.  On the journey across town we established that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his voice.  However I thought it might be best to pop in to the vet on the way home just so they could check him out.  

Bracken waiting at the vets to go home

Lovely Vets4Pets at Millhouses – managed to slot him in to an appointment.  He was healthy apart from his over grooming and Alastair gave him a shot to stop the irritation in his skin so he wouldn’t be so tempted to pick at it.  Just as an afterthought we checked for a chip.  Goodness knows how many cats I’ve waved a scanner over knowing deep down that there would be nothing.  But this time ……… PING! …….. chip found!   Various phone calls made and finally one to his baffled ‘owner’.   She couldn’t quite believe that a vet practice  were phoning her about the cat she lost 3 years ago!  But yes he was her cat, and yes she wanted him back, and yes she could come and collect him later.  

So Bracken stayed at the vets to await his ride home.   He never actually made it to my house.   I reckon I had him for about 45 minutes – which is probably the quickest turn around time I’ll ever have.   I also reckon he cost me just under £1 per minute during the time I had him.   I sooooo hope this remains the record for most expensive cat for a long long time to come.

I called the surgery just before closing time to check Bracken was sorted, and sure enough his humans had collected him.  I so hope I hear more of this tail  so all concerned can fill in the gaps.