We know we’re full and that things are getting tricky when there are several nights in the week where we lay awake at 2am trying to work out how things can fit together …… and are still awake at 5am but without any clear solutions. Holding down a full time job, running a home, and organising 18 cats is tricky. It’s more tricky when currently 10 of those cats need sorting out with primary course of vaccinations, 2 of them need to be neutered (requiring a day of arriving late at work and leaving early), and 3 of them need microchipping. Thirteen of them need rehoming, requiring home checks, people coming to visit and ultimately cats need to be taken to their new homes. All the time new requests to take cats and kittens are coming in.
If things had gone to plan / expectations many of our cats wouldn’t be with us:
Take poor Domino for example: we were clear that we simply couldn’t take in any more adults and then we had a phone call from the vets to see if we could take in a pregnant cat. It was getting cold outside and we’re very fond of our vets, so we caved in and agreed. When the finders finally got her to the vets they discovered it wasn’t a pregnancy but a bloated tum from eating goodness knows what whilst she was a stray. At that stage we couldn’t say no and put her back on the street. So here she is:
And she’s gorgeous … but struggling in the cold conservatory as it was the only place to put her. Hence her huge fur hat. We’ve advertised her everywhere hoping someone will recognise her and claim her – but so far the only response we’ve had is from someone who told us that she’d been straying in the centre of town for a while, hanging our around the markets to beg for food. So she’s now getting herself sorted ready for finding a new home.
Then there’s Tilly and her kits. We responded to a plea to take an adult and a 12 week old kit into rescue. We said we’d take the kit but at the time didn’t have space for an adult. Someone else was going to take the adult but somehow we ended up with both, and then Tilly turned out to be pregnant again ….. and had 6 kittens! So that’s 7 more cats we didn’t plan for.
We’re glad now that we didn’t say “no” because they’re gorgeous ….. all of them.
Then last weekend, full to bursting and we had a desperate plea to take another couple of adults who were about to end up homeless. For a while it seemed like we had found them a space in another rescue – but somehow they’re here with us. Saying “no” days before bonfire night just didn’t seem an option though we know many poor souls will have been out there through it. So the Fs bunked up with the Ts and the adults have the Fs bedroom.
They’re sweet boys but quite confused about why their lives have suddenly changed.
It’s chaos of course but then we get photos back from kits in their new homes and it all seems worthwhile. Lovely Bosca is getting …. I was going to say “her feet under the table” in her new home – but it’s more like “over the table”
Our timid little Floyd has given us regular excited updates about settling into his new home and making friends with his new step brothers and sisters. His confidence has clearly come on in leaps and bounds:
Next week’s challenge is to work out how to juggle them around so that our long-suffering joiner can lay laminate in both of the main rescue cat rooms without: a) mixing the separated groups of cats, b) allowing un neutered tom cats into our bedroom (as it upsets the residents), c) letting any of the non-residents outdoors d) losing anyone e) anyone getting stood on and f) allowing Jango anywhere near the joiner (as he squared up to him last time he came and cornered him in the bathroom).
8 Lives: Sheffield 8 Cat Rescue 