Wednesday 30 July 2014

MAISIE THE LAST CAT

Maisie the young pregnant cat has been with me for about forty hours now and I think I'm in love. She's pretty, she's very friendly now she's settled in and got more space in the conservatory. She stares through the glass door at other cats and, when the kitten slipped in appeared to exhibit a friendly curiosity towards him. I've picked her up and put her on my knee where she sat and purred.

Her health seems very good. She has a good appetite and her stools are nice and solid -always a good indicator. No sign of her giving birth yet but I'm keeping a close eye on her.




So what's this about her being the last cat? you ask.  Well I'm glad you did and I'll tell you.

When I moved into this house after splitting up with Susan Hardy it was never my intention to foster cats, though I did expect to acquire one or three permanent residents. But foster I did and, to be honest, most of them were pushed on me by Susan and Andrea starting with Aoife and her kittens last year and culminating with the Fluffy siblings currently upstairs but going to the re-homing centre next week. This resulted in me looking after, at one point, ten adult cats and four kittens and all in a small house and, to be honest, I couldn't cope with that number. It was just too much.

My house is a smelly tip. The tip part is because I'm not a very tidy person and ought to make more effort (or employ a cleaner). The smelly is because the only safe way for cats into my garden is through the conservatory and, despite spending a grand on a new door with cat flap earlier this year, the cats can't use it because the conservatory has been in constant use as an isolation ward for fostered cats and their kittens and cats which are aggressive to other cats. Maisie, and her kittens to come, will be the last to use it.

I'm 66 years old in two days time and, as of now, I'm out of the fostering game. Once Maisie goes the only cats in my house will be the five permanent residents and maybe Arya if she catches no-one's attention from the fostering list. Maybe then they'll be able to get outside and go outside and the house will be less smelly and I'll spend less time cleaning out litter trays and more keeping the house clean and tidy.

What Animal Krackers desperately needs are fosterers who can keep cats for about three weeks until they've had both their flu jabs and can be transferred to our re-homing centre. I will personally kiss the feet of any such volunteers -if they want.

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