On the move again....

Some time last year I wrote about Adolfo, Kenzo and Zara - three very well travelled cats that live with Robert and Andrew. In case you didn't get to read it, they were rehomed from a rescue centre in Spain by Robert and Andrew while they were living there.

A couple of years later they returned to the UK, with cats in tow, and a couple of years after that, they were all off to South Africa. I went and stayed with them for a couple of weeks while Robert and Andrew had a holiday in one of the homes they retained in Spain, and got to know them all really well. That's probably the best cat sitting job I've ever had!!

Last time I wrote about them I said that they'd be on the move again, and Andrew added a comment to say that they'd have to all go and live in Spain for 6 months on the way back! South Africa isn't part of the pet passport scheme, so they would have to be in quarantine for 6 months, which isn't nice. There's no problem going direct from South Africa to Spain, and of course Spain is a member of the pet passport scheme, so after 6 months there, they can all come back to the UK. Keeping up???????

Well, Robert and Andrew are finally leaving South Africa at the beginning of April after their 4 years there - but the cats have got a head start on them, and are already on the way. I say on the way, because it's not a straightforward journey, and as I write I hear that they're only now approaching Barcelona.

They set off last week, 11th February, on a flight from Cape Town to Heathrow. The plan then was to be picked up by a wonderful company called Animal Couriers and taken by road to Southern Spain. Problems though with snow in Kent meant that they're return was delayed. But it was reported that they were doing well eating and sleeping in the quarantine centre.

Adolfo, Zara and Kenzo should be back in Andalucia later on tonight, or perhaps tomorrow, and will remain in a cattery there until Robert and Andrew finally arrive - at the moment, they're busy shutting up 4 years of life in South Africa, and it's much easier and less fraught for the cats to do that while they're not around. They're missing their "kids" very much, getting up in the mornings and not having them trotting in to see them..... But they'll all be together again very soon.

They are well travelled cats, although not as young as they were last time - I'm sure that, despite all the love and care that's gone into helping them to have a comfortable journey, this will still be a little stressful for them. So, I've been sending them Reiki every day since their journey started, to help them to be more relaxed and happy, and also for them to know that they've not been abandoned - they will be reunited again with their lovely dads very soon now.

No doubt I'll be writing again when they return to the UK in August; and perhaps when Robert and Andrew decide to move on again.............??

By the way, apologies for using the same photo as last time, but it's the only one I have of the three of them. If Robert or Andrew send me a new photo, I'll post it here. Oh, and I thought you'd also like to see this lovely penguin I captured (photographically speaking!) while I was in South Africa. Isn't he beautiful?

Stop Press!!! Just had a message from Robert they've all arrived safe and well. Click below on "Comments" to see what he has to say. Good news.

Our Fussy Eaters

How many times have you put a dish of food down, only for your cat to turn his nose up at it and walk away? And doesn't want it tomorrow or the next day? It can seem baffling that what was previously his favourite really doesn't interest him any more...

You keep leaving it out in the expectation that "if he's hungry he'll eat it." But that doesn't really happen with cats, does it? If they really don't want something, they don't want it.

It might actually be a favourite, but he doesn't want it ALL the time. The key to keeping a cat interested in his food is variety. And by that I don't mean different flavours of Felix.

Strays and ferals who have to hunt for their own food will eat pretty much what they can find or catch. But it's never the same thing. Even they will have some variety in their diet, although they might go a little longer between meals than the cats that live in our homes. Food raided from bins, left out for other animals, mice, voles, birds.......

I know that I'd go off my favourite food very quickly if I was fed it all the time, and our cats are no different.

When Bella came to live with me she was happy to eat dry food all the time, and didn't complain. When she had her accident and went to hospital, she was very poorly and didn't want to eat at all. The vets tried to tempt her appetite and found that she loved Sheba. So that got added to her diet when she got home, as, all of a sudden, dry food wasn't good enough any more.

After a little while though, that bored her, so off I went to find something else. We must have tried just about everything there is, and finally have settled into a diverse range of food that she likes. Some days she'll only want dry food and leave the wet food, and other days she'll only eat the wet food. She's a bit of a grazer, so the wet food can get a little unappetising after a couple of hours. She only eats little bits at a time, and has never eaten big meals.

She likes Sheba, Gourmet and Felix, but only a couple of flavours of each, and only certain varieties (ie in jelly, gravy, etc). But that's the key with her - the makes are different as are the textures and tastes. And that's the way to keep them all interested - vary the makes as well as the flavours.

The same happens when I go to feed cats too; although they're tricky characters, and there's more to it than that. Sometimes I might be told that Henry or Phoebe might leave lots of food, as that's their habit - yet when I go to feed them it all gets eaten! And the reverse..... they'll eat hardly anything, even though they must be very hungry. I'm told that even Bella eats all her food when I'm away, and that just doesn't happen otherwise!!

Those that eat all their food - and quite quickly too - are just tuning into their survival instincts. Something tells them that if their family are away there won't be any food, so whenever there is, they're sure to eat it, just in case... When they don't eat much, it could be that they're feeling anxious while their family are away, which takes away their appetite. But mostly I find that they're just bored with what they have to eat.

But I'm always prepared, and keep emergency cat food in my bag. If it's been a few days, I'll try them with something different. And that usually solves it - just give them something new and exciting (which it is to them), and their appetite comes straight back!! All I do is swap one of mine for one of theirs, and one day another cat might like that instead!

A little word of caution....... If you're wanting to try out different makes and flavours, do it gradually, and perhaps mix it in with their regular food at first - our cats' stomachs can sometimes be easy to upset!!

Busy Birds

Just a quick post, this.

Earlier this morning Bella and I were sitting in the kitchen by the patio doors watching all the activity in the garden. No doubt we were watching for different reasons though!

The birds were having a great time, lots of chasing each other, lots of showing off. There was a gorgeous male blackbird and his mate - a beautiful tawny brown with a huge belly. As usual the starlings were there in their numbers, squabbling with each other, and eating all the bird cakes I'd made for them.

I never know whether the small brown ones are sparrows or dunnocks - we've been told that sparrows are in decline and that they're more likely to be dunnocks. Whichever, they were all being cheeky and daring. The magpies have become more cautious of late. They never used to care who was around, but if they come onto the lawn to eat and a blackbird joins them, off they fly! Then there's the daft pigeons who come and sit on the gutter, watching all the goings on - eventually deciding to come to land. But so difficult for them - they're really not built for it are they?

And of course all the lovely blue tits with their pretty songs, flitting all over the place, sitting on the washing line, and pecking away at everything. But I mustn't forget the robin. There's always one, and there's only ever one on its own. They look sweet but get a bad press; they're reckoned to be bullies, scaring off the other birds. Well, this robin doesn't. He just mingles with them all, going about his business, gets on with everyone - well at least no-one is put off by him.

Then I realised my peppermint tea had gone cold, I really did need to get showered and on with my day......... If I didn't have to earn a living, I could spend all my day just watching this amazing theatre.

Water, water everywhere

Like most people, I tend to put Bella's food and water close together. Most of the cats I look after have this arrangement too, and some even have those double bowls where you put the food in one side and the water in the other. Always a bit tricky when it comes to emptying and cleaning I find - either the remaining food or the water goes everywhere!!

It must have been a couple of years ago now, that I was sitting watching tv, with a glass of water on the floor by my feet. Bella came along, sniffed it and had a drink. Then this started to happen all the time. Even if the water was quite low she'd manage to get her face squeezed in and drink! Can't have been comfortable. So, I thought, well she likes to drink out of glasses, so I'll swap her drinking bowl for a glass. But she still came along and drunk mine!!

Not long after, I went to meet a new client for the first time, and they told me, almost apologetically that their cat likes to drink out of a glass! They thought it was only their cat, so I had to tell them that Bella also does that. And they weren't the only ones either. More and more new customers were telling me the same thing!

If you've got a cat, and they go outside, you'll probably notice that they'll drink out of absolutely anything, and it's frequently quite disgusting! I've always got a couple of water bowls in the garden for Bella, as during the nicer months she'll spend most of her time outdoors - I'd rather encourage her to drink cleaner, fresher water than whatever she finds in a mucky puddle! I realise that it's probably no problem to them at all, after all if they lived wild that's exactly what they'd have to do. But still....... And then there are all the cats that like to drink running water from the tap, in the bath, or the toilet!

She went off drinking glasses after a while, so we returned to water bowls. But even then she'd have her food and want to go outside for a drink. Even when it was freezing cold - there was one morning we'd woken up to a heavy frost and the water outside had frozen. But she was still pawing it, trying to get it to behave! I watched for a bit, but then decided I ought to be kind and replenish it with running water. Happy cat drunk water, then hopped back indoors to the warm.

Then one day, I read an article that told me that cats don't like to eat and drink in the same place. I thought about this, and it made sense. Going way back, cats are desert animals, and when they caught something and ate it, there wouldn't naturally be water close by. So they've grown up, all through the thousands of generations, not expecting to eat and drink in the same place. It's not really that they don't like to, it's just that to them it's not normal.

Then I kicked myself!! How stupid had I been? Bella didn't particularly want to drink out of a glass, she just found it more normal to drink somewhere other than her food was. The signs were there, but I'd completely misinterpreted them. So now, she has water bowls everywhere, and happily drinks from them when she feels like it. She still has a water bowl by her food - but hardly touches it. Some habits are hard (for me) to break!

Once I realised, I communicated with her intuitively, to see why she'd not told me before. Well, in typical cat style, she told me she had, and repeatedly, I just wasn't listening. And she was right.........

My Cat Sit Kit

When I go pet sitting (mostly cats and rabbits), you'll see me carrying around a black bag that looks rather heavy! It's not just a matter of taking keys, and I'm off. It seemed to be getting heavier and heavier, so sat down with it just now to see what's in there.......

A bag of bin liners
I get through loads!! I've got bin liners of every size, from very small ones, to great big heavy duty black ones. I don't like to leave rubbish behind, it's not nice for someone to come home from their holiday to find it all - and after a few days it can smell. So, if I've had to throw away food left over from the day before, dispose of food containers, or have cleaned out the litter tray, it all goes into a plastic bag of some description, and then gets thrown away in the outside bin - every day.

Antiseptic wipes
Happily these aren't needed for every visit, but dealing with messes are more common than you'd think. Whether cats have missed the litter tray, or been sick, it all has to be cleaned up. And I always like to leave a spotless sink area, so will wipe down every day.

Kitchen roll
Sometimes people leave these out, but I can't rely on that so always bring a roll along with me. I never know when they'll come in handy.

Loo roll!!
On a busy day I'm going from house to house, and at some point I'll need to use the bathroom - I really can't just pop home! It's amazing how many times there's no loo paper on the roll when people leave to go on their hols, so I make sure I bring my own!

Tea towels
To my mind it's essential that cat bowls are properly washed every day - even if they just eat dry food. And of course they need drying, and I don't want to be using too much kitchen roll, as it's a waste of paper. Sometimes there are tea towels in the kitchen, but I don't like to use these - I prefer to use the ones I've specifically brought for drying cat (and rabbit) bowls.

Sporks
I don't use the forks in cutlery drawer as many people don't like to use the same implements for their pets - so I bring my own! I have lots of coloured plastic spork (cross between a spoon and a fork) that I take from house to house with me, ensuring they're always cleaned properly between visits.

Sanitiser gel
Sometimes cats pick up bugs and viruses, and I think it's important that I don't pass these around as I go from house to house. So I ensure that I always wash my hands then use sanitiser gel to kill of any remaining nasties at the end of each visit, before I go to the next one. I learnt about the necessity of being scrupulous with germs from my visits at Animals in Distress, and I think it's been a great lesson.

Hand cream
I'm always washing my hands so my hands can get very dry. The hand cream is in the bag, but to tell the truth, it doesn't often come out! Don't really get the time!

Mobile phone
Obviously an essential item these days, but even more so for me, so that I can send texts to all the animals' families while I'm out taking care of their little treasures.

Keys
I've usually got a large bunch of keys with me, all labelled up securely so that I can tell (and no-one else can) which houses they belong to. So they don't go astray in the bottom of my bag, I keep them all in a pencil case.

Emergency Food
Wouldn't it be lovely if all the cats I visited dutifully ate all the food that was left for them? Sometimes though, this doesn't happen, and I don't like to think of them going for days without eating. There can be many reasons for this but it's possibly because they're on their own all day and night, apart from my visits, getting bored. If they're used to eating the same food all the time, chances are they'll also be bored with that too. You know how it feels - if what you have to eat doesn't appetise you, you can lose your appetite. Plenty people tell me that if the cat is really hungry, he'll eat. Well, a lot of the time I find that's just not true - or at least they'll leave it far too many days to eat, and then I'd worry. So, when I'm visiting I like to be certain the cats are eating, and if that means I've got to tempt their taste buds with something different, then that's what I'll do!! Oh, and treats. Very useful for distracting cats who'd otherwise try to squeeze out the front door with me when I go!

Well, that'll be why it's so heavy then.......

Sidney and Edward's Good News

Sidney and Edward came into Animals in Distress in the middle of 2009. They were brothers and about 8 years old. Sidney was fully black and Edward ginger and white. Although different colours their fur had the same quality, and their faces were the same - you could tell they were brothers.

My hairdresser had told me about another of her clients who was having to rehome her very loved cats, and was struggling to find anyone to take them, so she turned to me. Now, I know lots of people who love cats, but mostly they've already got cats. But I tried anyway, after all, you never know.

Despite my efforts, I wasn't successful, so persuaded her to bring them into Animals in Distress. She had been a little concerned, knowing they weren't young cats, and that they might be there a while. In her own words "I really couldn't bear to think of them ending their days there." I reassured her that even the very difficult cats do find homes eventually, so although it might take a little while, they would be found loving new homes one day.

Well, it was difficult. Most people do want younger cats, and trying to find a home for two together was also challenging. Lots of people offered to take Edward - he was slightly more friendly and forthcoming, and ginger cats are always very popular. Black cats on the other hand do take a little longer. It's thought that it's because it's more difficult to see their faces - and that does make some sense.

Time went on, and I'd go to see them regularly. They were doing ok, but clearly getting a little frustrated from time to time - and with each other sometimes. They really needed to be in a new home very soon.

Then the recent cat flu virus hit. Despite my shock and sadness, there was a glimmer of happiness in that (so far) Sidney and Edward had survived. They'd very likely been immunised and had all their boosters, and perhaps being together took away some of the stress that other cats on their own might feel. All this may have protected them, but we didn't really know for certain. And it also wasn't certain they'd continue to survive.

In the days between then and New Year I didn't visit - as there were very few cats to visit and I was very busy with my own clients. I didn't dare to contact them to see whether Sidney and Edward were still with us - if not I couldn't bear to hear of it. I also didn't try to contact them intuitively, as I was afraid what I might pick up. I kept remembering what their previous human carer had said "I really couldn't bear to think of them ending their days there." I felt I'd have let her down.

I needn't have worried. On New Years Day I had a call from Jo at the sanctuary. A lady in Warrington had adopted the boys the day before!!! I couldn't stop crying with the joy of it. Normally they don't adopt animals over the Christmas and New Year period - for obvious reasons. But given recent circumstances, and this lovely lady was prepared to take the both of them, they relaxed their rules.

She'd recently moved to the area and also lost a beloved cat. She knew he couldn't be replaced, but wanted another cat. When she heard about Sidney and Edward's story her heart melted and she offered to take them both. So Sidney and Edward went off to live with this lovely lady and her little Westie in Warrington, and I wish them all a happy life together.

Another small silver lining from the awful cat flu situation....... and good to see how sad times can turn in to happier times.

Farewell and Rest in Peace to my Lovely Cat Friends

I've written before about animals passing, and how I've been able to help them and their human carers. It's something I feel privileged and honoured to be able to do. I feel happy for them knowing they're moving on in peace, but sad for those they leave behind.

Over the last two months I've been personally tested in this way too, as I've had to say goodbye to a number of cats I've come to love very much, as well as some others I've not known so well. It's difficult to write about, and I must admit I've put off writing this post, although I knew I had to eventually. To leave it out would be to leave out something so big and important, such that the other posts would almost seem pointless. And then something happened this week which told me the time was right. So here goes.....

My birthday is just before Christmas, and it was a quiet day, just before the Christmas rush started. I try to get to Animals in Distress at least once a week, and it seemed perfect. Go to see all my lovely animal friends on my birthday, and bring them lots of love and Reiki cuddles.

I got there and started to walk towards the office as usual, to get an update on who'd been homed, any new residents, etc. But I didn't get that far, as Brian - one of the regular staff - came walking across the yard towards me with a serious look on his face. His news was devastating. They'd been hit by a cat flu bug so vicious that it had very quickly killed nearly all the cats they were caring for. I felt I'd been hit in the heart, and I could see and feel his pain too.

Now, at a sanctuary this is one of those things than can, and does, happen from time to time. But never usually with such speed and severity - thankfully that is extremely rare. Given that people bring cats in with all sorts of backgrounds, most of which we'll never know, there is a good chance that some of these will be carrying the virus. But mostly the virus will lie dormant unless there's a trigger to set it off.

If a cat does start to show symptoms, they have a tried and tested process to contain it so that none of the other cats will even be aware there's been a bug around. And most of the time this works well. One or two cats might be lost, but the majority will never know, and things can continue as normal.

All this could be helped of course, if people would take their cats along to the vet once a year for their injections/boosters and a health check. It doesn't cost much, and to help people, there's often an amnesty for a month every year where people can bring their cats (and dogs) in to have them immunised for free. Then, even if strays are brought in that have maybe lapsed and are carrying, the rest of the population will stand a better chance if they've had their boosters regularly.

So, I went into the office, and sat with the other staff. The mood was very sombre, and although they had to go about their jobs - they had other animals to care for too - it was clear that this was all very difficult for them to bear. I could go home after my visit, but they had to return day after day to somewhere that had such sadness associated with it. They do get used to it up to a point - after all, it's the nature of the job. But the scale of the loss was almost too much to take.

While I was sitting there though, they were working hard trying to find good things to talk about. It gave them the opportunity to give all the cubicles and pens a really, REALLY good clean (although I have to say they're always scrupulous), and they showed me some pictures of a cat that had recently been rehomed, with a lovely letter from his new person, telling us how well he was settling in. This helped us all.

I went home, and since then have been sending them regular Reiki - to help them all to cope with the devastating loss. There were also a very small number of cats who had survived up to the point of my visit, so I also sent them Reiki - to help to strengthen them against the virus, and to bring them comfort, as they will have been acutely aware of what had happened to their friends. As you do at times like this, you find yourself trying to find answers - why did this happen?

A few days later the big freeze started. As we all know, much much colder than we've known for a long time. There were a couple of cats still in the outside cattery - which is where they go when they're ready for rehoming - and they were moved inside. Had the inside cattery been full, as it nearly always is, there would have been nowhere to put these cats, and it would have been extremely difficult to keep them warm. Even the water in their water bowls was freezing up, so they couldn't drink. It was then that I could start to see that some good came out of the very sad event a few days before. Who knows - many of the older and weaker cats may not have been able to survive the cold.

I lost some great friends, some cats who had been with us for a while, who had proved to be difficult to rehome, but had great characters, all the same. Some I had become particularly close to. It was very hard.......

So, then headlong into a very busy (and challenging due to the weather) Christmas and New Year period, which was probably what I needed. It helped me to put things in perspective, to be with cats who were healthy and thriving. It also reminded me that although we lost a few cats in that awful week, it was a drop in the ocean compared to the cats that are rehomed by Animals in Distress every year. The great majority do, and always have done, go on to lead happy, healthy lives in new homes.

The last couple of weeks it's calmed down a little, and I've been back to looking after some of my regulars. I've taken care of Oscar and Felix for a couple of years, going to see them whenever their person, Kath, was working away or on holiday. Lovely, gentle boys who were rather shy at first, but became incredibly warm and soppy. I'd grown to love them very much.

Oscar had some tummy problems from time to time, with little episodes of sickness, which had always been checked out by the vet but nothing serious found. We'd had a pretty clear couple of weeks, and things looked good, so when I went back in last Monday I wasn't surprised to see that no little presents had been left for me. However, just after he'd had his food, up it all came, and then even more.

He went back into the bedroom and sat under the bed - so clearly wasn't feeling his best. I went and sat on a little stool in the corner, and started to send him some Reiki to try and help him with whatever it was he needed. He then crawled out and lay on his scratchpad by my feet, continuing to soak up the Reiki. Felix would come up and sniff him from time to time - he could also tell that Oscar wasn't feeling well. I stayed with him for as long as I could, to ensure that he was comfortable.

I texted Kath to update her as I always do, and said that if he wasn't feeling better by the next day I could stay a while longer (and I thought, if necessary, I'd take him to the vet). However, he'd suffered with similar symptoms before, more than once, and got over it a few days later. It was really nothing unusual for him.

As I walked towards Kath's front door the next day something told me that Oscar wasn't going to be there to greet me. Don't know how I knew, I just knew. So when I opened the door, and only Felix was there I wasn't surprised. Sometimes Oscar is a bit lazier, and is still dozing on the bed, so I thought that's where he'd be. Well, he was in the bedroom lying down by the tall window that goes down to the floor - looking like he was watching the world go by. But as I approached I could tell that he was no longer with us.

I stroked him for a while, and talked to his spirit, and told Felix what had happened. He looked very peaceful, lying in his favourite place. And he had had his brother with him, taking care of him until the very end. They had been brothers since the start, litter mates, and together for 15 years. I know that that was the way he wanted to go.

Of course, I had to tell Kath, and that has to be the hardest phone call I've had to make. Obviously completely distraught, she jumped on a train and headed back home. I waited with Oscar and Felix until she got there, making sure that Felix was ok as I didn't want him to be on his own, and then taking Kath and Oscar to the vet, where we left him for cremation. Felix and Kath are both grieving, but helping each other to heal. And I'm there for them whenever they need me, and sending them Reiki to help each day. Miss you Oscar, you lovely, gentle boy.......

I looked after Bentley and Tiger for the first time at Christmas, and was also booked to take care of them from tomorrow while Ana goes on holiday. On Wednesday evening I had a call from a very distressed Ana. Bentley was the older cat, at about 15, and had had some toilet problems while I'd been there at Christmas, and apparently this hadn't got better. From what Ana was describing it sounded like kidney problems (very typical in cats), but of course it could be a number of other things.

I asked if she'd taken him to the vet. She had done about 6 months previously, and was planning to again after her holiday. I took a deep breath and said I didn't want to upset her, but told her about Oscar. And Bentley's condition did seem a lot more acute. So she did the right, and very brave thing, and took him to the vet on Friday. I had a call from her mum yesterday to say that Bentley had been put to sleep. I hope that Ana can enjoy her holiday, and I know there will be lots of tears for Bentley while she's away. Imagine if she'd been worrying every day she was away whether he was ok, and worse, if I needed to call her to let her know he'd passed away?

Bentley was ready to go, but like most animals had kept going on for longer because he cared for Ana. I was a little confused about Oscar at first, as he and Felix also have (had) a very strong bond with Kath. But he's told me since that he has been hanging on for a long time too. His signs weren't as obvious and he was very good at masking any problems - as many cats are. He felt that the right time to go was when Kath was away; that she could cope with that better. He knew he had bis brother with him always, and they were very close at the end.

I'm off to see Tiger in a bit, and will see how he is coping without his friend. Of course, he'll get plenty of Reiki to help him, and lots of cuddles from me.

So, this very sad post is dedicated to the memory of all those lovely cats - Oscar, Bentley, and the Animals in Distress cats too numerous to mention. Peace and blessings with you all, always, and with those you've left behind. xx