It is that time of year when some Spring cleaning is in order and some ‘out with the old and in with the new’ so here at Mama Cat Trust, in what is supposed to be a quieter time, I have been trying to catch up with everything I haven’t had time to do because there are always animals to be be rescued. As well as pulling out all the stops to re-home animals who have been waiting quite a while, helping with the neutering of many of the owned neighbourhood cats here in London and dealing with all the day to day animal problems of which there are as many as ever, I’ve been planning projects, reassessing things and freshening things up. I am in the process of designing a new logo and changing the website-and I am hoping to have a bit of a relaunch!

I have also been trying to plan much needed fund-raising events but this gets pushed to the back when there are animal emergencies…which there always are! Fundraising really should be a priority as I cannot help animals without money and funds are always low-I am very resourceful and am quite proud that I can make a little go a long way but I am not a magician and there is nothing I can do about expensive vet fees. I am off to Spain soon but fear I will not be able to get much done as I do not have the funds-it is 70 euros for a cat spay for a start-that is with discount. I will do my best and will also try to meet up with as many of my Spanish contacts as possible to see if there is anything else we can do by working together but it’s the same story, without funds, it is almost impossible. The problem is getting worse out there with the recession combined with the general attitude to street animals.

On my last trip, I was happy to find homes for a record number of cats but it was so stressful-so much so that I was wondering if I would be able to continue in Spain. I definitely won’t be able to do much neutering without the funds but will always do whatever I can including other veterinary treatment. I am dreading what I will see this time to be honest. Last time I ended up having to arrange for almost blind Carmen to be fostered and brought to the UK where she is now thriving and before that, two abandoned kittens who were causing mayhem in one of my settled, neutered colonies where they had been rejected. There was nowhere else for them to go and the same with Carmen and I just could not in good conscience leave them on the street as I would have been as bad as the people who had abandoned them in the first place.

 

Of course, I have to leave many, many cats on the streets but when they are feral, this is best for them. This is also not a bad life even for friendly strays especially when they are in settled, safe, sterilised, fed colonies and certainly better than being stuck in a shelter with no chance of a home but for some, it is so distressing and hazardous. Many are in danger of serious injury, abuse and poisoning. The kittens that I have brought over have definitely been in that category. I have now found a great transport company who I can rely on and who give me a good rate so the costs in doing this are not bad at all-hello Chris!

Thanks again to those who responded so positively by pledging to donate by monthly standing order-it is so reassuring to know that people care and that there is some regular money coming in. It really is invaluable and if anybody else would like to make a regular donation in this way, please contact me for the Mama Cat Trust bank account details.

Another way to donate is to buy something from the Amazon wishlist-I was delighted to receive several items from it soon after I compiled it!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/wishlist/1MDQNDQIPCDT6/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_ws_Cj1htb0BXGHP8

Or there is a link to the list on the Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/MamaCatTrust

There is also the Paypal button on this page.

Carmen, who I rescued in Spain on my last visit is doing extraordinarily well after having her damaged eye removed in January. She went in for a simple procedure but when the vet examined her under anaesthetic, although we had tried so hard to save it, she said the eye needed to be removed. She was spayed at the same time, at about 4 and a half months of age, having come into season on top of everything else over the new year. People find it hard to believe that a kitten can become pregnant so young but they can and do so it is best to have them spayed at 4 months old. Some vets will do it even sooner now as they realise that is preferable to adding yet another litter of kittens for which there are never enough homes.

Carmen was a ball of energy after her op and was racing around like a mad thing, demolishing everything in her path! Her remaining eye is cloudy but she has some vision which is really great news. She is always playing and ambushing the other cats and plays Fetch!

Over this last week, I said goodbye to my lovely pigeon, Red Legs who I have keeping an eye on and feeding for a few years. He always had damaged feet and although he was part of a small group of pigeons, was also slightly apart from them and would sometimes come to my window on his own for a treat. I don’t know what happened-I just noticed him in the distance seeming a little slow so made a note to try to check him out but the next day when I was going to do so, he didn’t come to my call so I walked over to the park opposite and found his little body immediately. I felt so sad and took him home and buried him in my front garden where he loved to hang out. I miss him.

On a happier note for this last week, I homed Miffy the cat who had been living as a stray in someone’s garden-she is such a sweet and laid back girl and settled into her new life immediately as if she had been there forever-she was sleeping on a human’s bed that very night, lucky Miffy!

I also homed Dudley the rabbit who had been in a long term foster home where he had the sitting room to himself as a big bunny playground where he could do what he liked! He had not had much interaction recently so I wasn’t sure how he would react when I went to catch him but he was fine after his initial surprise that he wasn’t just to continue doing his own thing! He was so sweet and receptive to strokes and lap sitting-he had a sleepover here for a couple of nights before taking his trip up to his lovely new home in Hull where he will be an indoor rabbit with lots of freedom and lots of rabbit items in pink! He too has settled in wonderfully.

Finally, I would like to thank the family of Doris James who died on Christmas Day-at her funeral, they requested donations instead of flowers to two charities close to Doris’s heart, one of which was Mama Cat. I had helped Doris with many cats over the years-all the strays seemed to find her, in fact we first met about 20 years ago because of a stray who I called Chico. I had been feeding him in my garden and did my usual trick to see if had an owner, of putting a collar on him with a label attached saying ‘if this is your cat, please call…’  Doris called to say he wasn’t her cat either but she was also feeding him! The rest, as they say, is history and we had a long history of lots of cats! The mum and kittens I took in from the grounds of  the church last year were due to Doris because the young cat had gone begging at her door. There have been many others who she gave shelter to or who I found homes for. RIP Doris-I will miss her a lot but so will the local cats and foxes who she fed every day!