Gandolf: a sight-impaired boy with no past is looking for a future

This young silver-tabby & white boy was left at a nearby vets by a passer-by. No past and no story. We called him Gandolf due to his silver mane and the hope that underneath his fear, his experiences have made him wise. We are now putting together the puzzle of Gandolph by observation.

Thankfully, he is FIV/FELV negative, has now had his 1st jabs, health check, flea & worming treatment. He is between 1 and 2 and one of his eyes has an injury, possibly from a fight. His other eye does not look like it functions properly either, so his eyesight is compromised. He can certainly see shapes and light, but his poor eyesight must have contributed to his defensive nature. He is terrified of everyone who approaches him but would not swipe or turn aggressive, just sits there trembling. Time will be the main healer here.

He is also slowly learning how to use the litter tray and will get there eventually. We are looking for an indoor home for him where he can be safe, or one with a fully cat proof garden. We believe that he could do well indoors due to his shy nature but he will need patience and time to trust.

Are you The One to help Gandolf trust and live a full life? Would you consider a special needs cat? 

I would just like to introduce myself to everyone: I am Kitty Newlands.  Well that is the name given to me by "humans" - HRH Princess Kitty is my preferred title.  I am a Tortie Princess, directly descended from Cleopatra no less.
I was born in London in 2008
Quite how I ended up living with a simple minded Calico and a mad Scottish Mother I have no idea.  And to think how much my parents spent on my Swiss Finishing School.....
Yet I remain undaunted that I will one day break free.  I already have my false papers and a killer outfit to wear to seduce the guards at the Border.
Meantime I content myself with the knowledge of my superiority and the luxuries that one can afford when one is a successful Nip Dealer.. I mean, entrepreneur..Got to go now but be back soon. Love, Kitty XX

On the subject of Chatty (Part 2)

(continued from Part 1)

Our girl was diagnosed with a fractured pelvis, a direct result of a car hit. The vet said that of all the things that could have gone wrong on impact, her type of fracture was probably the most easily treatable type as it involved no operation but strict cage rest for at least 6 weeks; restricted movement was the key. Ironically, her agility and her light frame had worked in her favour to minimise the damage.

It took me a few minutes to realise and start dreading what lay ahead: the cat that would not stop meowing when she got bored or frustrated or simply wanted attention, had to come back to Catcuddles and spend the better part of two months in a crate!

Yet, once again, Chatty surprised us all. She was the model patient. We put her crate in the main living room so she could be in the centre of all activity for much of the day. She would only be heard when she was hungry or early in the morning when she could hear me up and about but not yet with her downstairs. She kept a low profile all the way to the end of the 6 weeks, by which time someone had become a big fan of our bengal girl.

Chatty had been spotted by a lovely just-retired gentleman with a 15 year old tabby boy, a long time cat lover. He came to visit when Chatty was in her crate, then kept calling to see how she was getting on with her recovery. Once Chatty was all healthy and strong again, the decision had to be made. A home visit had to be done and I had to do it. The rest  happened on automatic pilot, so I did not have to think too much or process the homing emotionally. All I had to do is remember that Chatty was happy at Catcuddles, but she was obviously not safe. She was too adventurous and the busy road was a bit too close...

Today, a good three months after Chatty's successful homing, she is still in my mind. I wonder whether she remembers her stay at Catcuddles. We are due to pay her a visit at her new home. I hear she is settled, has been proven -yet again- to be a very smart cookie, very lovable and is really not meowing much anymore; keeping her dad great company and co-habitating peacefully with the other family feline.

A happy ending one would say, however bitter-sweet it may be to me. I wish her wholeheartedly a long, happy, healthy, car-free life... I will be keeping an eye on her.

Meet  Molly A most heartwarming story---beats the heck out of murders,  politics and terrorists!!! She's a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her  owners when Hurricane Katrina hit southern Louisiana . She  spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a  farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was  attacked by a dog and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg  became infected, and her vet  went to LSU for help, but LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a  welfare case. You know how that  goes.  But  after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw  how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she  didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle  her. She protected her  injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight and didn't overload her  good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival  ethic. Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee, and a  temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the  clinic and her story really begins there.'This was the  right horse and the right owner,' Moore insists. Molly happened to be a  one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and  she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood  that she was in trouble. The other important factor, according to  Moore , is  having a truly committed and  compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required  over the lifetime of the horse. Molly's story turns into a parable  for life in Post-Katrina Louisiana .........  The little  pony gained weight, and her mane finally felt a comb. A human  prosthesis designer built her a leg. The prosthetic has given Molly  a whole new life, Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet,  reports. And she asks for it. She will put her little limb  out,and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it  on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too. And sometimes, Molly  gets away from Barca. 'It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a  three-legged horse,' she laughs. Most important of all, Molly has a  job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals,  nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers. Anywhere she thought that  people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her  pluck. She inspired people, and she had a good time doing  it. 'It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in  life, Moore said. She survived the  hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is  giving hope to others.' Barca concluded, 'She's not back to  normal,  but she's  going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans  itself.'        This  is Molly's most recent prosthesis. The bottom photo shows the ground  surface that she stands on, which has a smiley face embossed in it.  Wherever Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print  behind.

On the subject of Chatty (Part 1)

Many of you will have followed the story of Chatty, from the first post to this one, with some interest and the hope she has already had her happy ending homed with wonderful people, healthy and living life to the full.

Well, you would not be far wrong in some aspects. Chatty considered herself homed as she has been the one Catcuddles guest cat with "outdoor rights" for the past couple of months. We felt that since her one main obstacle to attracting adoption interest was her vocalising, progressive enrichment of her environment, pairing up with another cat -Mr Cuddles- and more space would possibly do the trick of minimising her vocalising. This seemed to work a treat, Chatty was coming along fantastically well and we were all preparing ourselves for missing her once adopted.

Then on Friday exactly 2 weeks ago, she was on her regular midday explore of what we thought was the garden network at the back of Catcuddles: a row of 20+ gardens on each side of a rather long Victorian block of terraced houses. We thought 40-odd gardens would keep this inquisitive lady happy and she would not need to, or seek to go beyond. Well, she did.

Late afternoon, Chatty came back, through the open french doors linking the Sanctuary garden to the main house, meowed her typical "hello" and made her way to her big basket by the fireplace which enjoyed all of the afternoon sun. But for once, Chatty was pretty quiet. A few minutes later, my antennas were up; I walked to the front room and to Chatty's basket and started stroking her. She was lovely as usual albeit lying rather strangely. I continued to give her long strokes on her back all the way to her tail, mimicking a mum cat grooming her kitten -they love these long firm strokes. My hand went to her tail and pelvis which she usually arches to meet my hand but all that happened was her tail came up a bit. Then I saw it. There was a tiny bit of blood coming out of her vulva.

Now, cats do not have periods, we all know that (do we?) Just to be sure, I rushed to the laptop and googled, "do cats have periods". The answers was a resounding "No, and if you see blood take to vets immediately".

I do not remember much of what happened next aside of the fact that I found myself and Chatty at our vets in double time. Chatty was by then obviously not her usual agile self and I knew something was wrong but all I could think of is, Please God, Make whatever she has be treatable and I will shut up about her meows once and for all.

Slowly but surely over the past months since her arrival in spring and the hard work that ensued to make her happy again, Chatty had made herself at home in my heart and I had not quite realised how much I cared...


(to be continued...)

Chatty the bengal and other long stories

It has been several months since we had Chatty (aka Littlefoot) at Catcuddles and so much has happened...
Chatty is a temporary member of family as she chose Mr Cuddles as her buddy and around him is very calm, affectionate and, you guessed it, cuddly. The quality rubs off, Cuddles has this effect on people and cats, so a nervous anxiety-ridden young bengal found her medicine in sticking around him.

Sometimes, Mr Cuddles tells her he's had enough because she can be quote in his face, but most often he resorts to grooming her and curling up together for a dose-off or a proper kip.

Chatty now rarely vocalises outside of the times she wants to order her meal or comes back from her adventures outdoors. She is the one exception to the rule of cats being kept in suites. but then again, Chatty is an exceptional cat that will be perfect as a companion cat to a cat first and then a human. She loves sharing her life, her space and even her outdoor adventures with a cat and would be perfect in a home with another cat to pair up with, one that probably feels lonely after the loss of a play mate or just bored.

We hope the right person comes along who will appreciate the many gifts this special bengal will bring them and their family; I hope she soon gets her forever home. Until then, Mr Cuddles is guaranteed a "shadow"!

Littlefoot, a very vocal bengal cross, or is she?

Yesterday, Littlefoot joined us at Catcuddles.

Upon arrival and while still in her carrier, she vocalised as if she was in severe distress which was almost upsetting to hear. We took her straight to her garden chalet as she needs to settle in her own space and the vocalisation continued. When I asked Chris whether she was like this with them, he said she was in fact louder.

Littlefoot is a young cat whose past is a mystery. While she was still under 2 years, she was befriended by a lovely family with a 2 young cat and it was their sincere intention to keep her. She is a striking lithe young cat, looks very much like a marbled bengal but my suspicion is she is a bengal cross with much of the behaviour of a bengal. She is very smart too and has been reported to open latches and, naturally, door handles. She has not been staying put however, and after her roaming outside, she was brought in and introduced to the resident kitty only to be found incompatible. So the best decision was taken, which was to bring her in, have her behaviour assessed and hopefully get her a lovely, loving home which will be fine with her personality and temperment and also, her vocalisations.

The main issue with Littlefoot is need to get to the bottom of her vocalising so much. So, I felt the outdoor chalet would help her, particularly because the garden is quiet and there is not much urban noise to frustrate her perhaps, there are no ferals or strays to get her stressed, so in all probability this would help her.

For the first half hour she was in, she was her usual self and it did dawn on my this is a project that might stretch our team abilities as well as our neighbours' ears. So, I wanted to see whether it was human company she was pining for, unlikely given it took her rescuer weeks to stroke her and hear her purr, but worth the try.
Within 5 minutes, I was stroking her and mock-purring back, she was getting more and more relaxed and eventually stopped vocalising. I stayed with her for a good 20 minutes, seeing whether she was going to be making any further progress than enjoying my handling her. She was tentative in play, so not used to it and was also not used to being picked up. The moment I moved my hand under her belly half stroking her to pick up, she dug her claws on the blankie spread out on her elevated bad and would not let go. I thought that was progress for the day and really happy that she stopped her voc.

For the rest of the day, Littlefoot was not heard. She settled, probably had a few long naps and realising she was outside and could smell the soil and garden, she was content. She even had some food, which is great for the first day in a new environment.

I will keep posting on Littlefoot; we had a great start but I am sure this is only the beginning of  her rehabilitation. So far my gut instinct tells me she has had a tough start of life and has learned to cope by vocalising her frustration and insecurity. Still, I see in her a loving affectionate smart young healthy cat and I have high hopes that she is going to be a great turnaround story, but time will tell. Here, she has as much time as she needs, she will set the pace she is comfortable with.

A few words on The Catcuddles Sanctuary

This blog was created to cover a communication and advice need of the Friends of Catcuddles community, the ever increasing number of people who have come in contact with The Catcuddles Sanctuary in Greenwich looking to adopt a cat, rehome their resident kitty, fine help for a stray or feral, seek advice about their cat or help with their feline's behaviour. More on the philosophy and work of Catcuddles can be found on our website.

Catcuddles is a warm, personable charity that was established to help build strong relationships between humans and felines and encourage adoption of all and every type and temperament of kitty by the right loving responsible human family.

To us, no cat is "unhomable", and we do not meant that they are a "charity case"!  Cats have a great deal to offer and teach us humans and they are perhaps the one domesticated pet that has remained true to its nature and lives happily with us by choice, not need. A cat's independence is not only convenient for our busy lifestyles but its serenity and calmness are virtually therapeutic, if we find a way to a feline's heart.

Please contribute freely with comments, stories and questions you may have on felines in your life, behaviour conundrums, and sources of useful info you may have come across online or elsewhere.

Although the nature of this blog is not commercial, we would be happy to receive and research commercial problem solvers relating to cats, their behaviour and their welfare.

Thanks for joining us, and happy reading!