all change

There have been quite a few changes here in the last couple of weeks.   Changi went off to her new home last weekend, giving Chi a room to herself ready for having her babies.  Chi has waddled around getting biggerer and biggerer but no sign of her having the kits yet.   We’re both starting to hope it will be soon.  She can’t settle and get comfy anywhere, and her tummy leaps randomly at odd angles as the little ones wriggle around inside her.

Merlin got his big chance too last weekend.  He’s been offered a foster home with no other cats.   Absolutely lovely home with two brilliant women who are patient with him and kind to him, and are determined to try to do whatever it takes to help him towards being able to settle in a permanent home.    He was full of it when he first arrived, loving all the attention, but then the scared Merlin kicked in and reminded him how he’s been hurt in the past.  His new foster humans have stuck with him whilst he’s bounced around the house hissing, and then spent a day hiding inside the duvet.  We trust he’ll make it and eventually be happy in a permanent home, because his temporary home is fab, and underneath the hissing and hiding he’s a lovely lovely boy.

Meanwhile, we were asked if we could help transport a pregnant lady from Chesterfield to a rescue place …. in Portsmouth or Gateshead … the nearest two places who could offer her space.   She’d been left behind when her humans moved house and neighbours were trying to sort her out.  To cut a long story short, she ended up in Merlin’s old bedroom.   Unfortunately when we went to pick her up we found there was another cat as well – an older kitten, also unspayed, who had been left behind.    After a brief interlude wherein we tried to convince ourselves we were full and couldn’t take the second cat as well, we caved in one rainy night and went over to fetch her …. so here we are …. welcome Arwen and Etha!

We also had a really nice surprise this week: Last week we had an email asking if we could take in an older kitten who had been found living in a neighbour’s shed. It’s often not too difficult to squeeze in a kitten, and the guy who emailed sounded genuinely concerned to do his best for the cat, so we offered a place and asked for more details. A day or two went by and then we had an email saying that the kit had been offered a permanent home, which was great news. A few more days went by and there was a knock on the door …. the postman …. with an enormous parcel of cat food from the man who had found the kit. Such a lovely surprise and so welcome when the pregnant ladies are eating us out of house and home.