Bubbles is recovering well!

Bubbles had her operation on Tuesday evening (7th December 2010) and is recovering well.

Bubbles has been very down in the dumps and this hasn't been helped by the buster collar (cats loathe these!). So much so, she managed to remove it herself, and on the vets advice we are able to leave it off as long as she doesn’t start hassling her legs! She is on painkillers and wasn’t really interested in her food earlier today. She is on cage rest and was missing her pal “Simba” so we decided to put the cage into his room.

We have continued to give her lots of TLC and hand fed her some chicken and tuna this afternoon and we're really pleased to report that she ate it all and has perked up!

She is not out of the woods yet but recovering as well as we expected after such a huge operation.

It was our vet Mark Nelson BVMS MRCVS of Nelson Veterinary Surgery who referred us to Noel Fitzpatrick Duniv MVB CertVR CertSAO MRCVS of Fitzpatrick Referrals and we are very pleased that he did, as Bubbles is only 2yrs old and deserves a fighting chance.

Our non destruct policy means that we have to deal with these situations as they arise. They are extremely rare but are costly. A huge thank you to Noel Fitzpatrick who has kept the costs as low as possible as we are a charity.

Foal Farm is a charity organisation and receives no Government funding. We rely entirely on donations from the public and wthout our generous supporters we would not be able to care for Danni, or any other animal in need.

You can help by donating to the ‘Bubbles Appeal’ fund* where funding will go towards Bubbles’ operation and subsequent treatment to help Bubbles recover.

All enquiries in relation to donating to the ‘Bubbles Appeal’ should be addressed to the fundraising team at fundraising@foalfarm.org.uk

*any surplus funds raised will be used to fund other veterinary treatments

Please help Bubbles!

At Foal Farm Animal we do our best not to turn away any animal that needs our help, and when a little black cat arrived in August 2010, having been found abandoned in local woodland, we immediately accepted her into the rescue centre and named her Bubbles.

Bubbles arrived in a terrible state. She was very thin and limping. Following a thorough examination by our vet, Mark Nelson, we found out she had luxating patellas which is a condition in which the kneecap dislocates or moves away from its normal location.

It could be that Bubbles was involved in some form of accident for her to have developed this condition, although in some breeds it can be congenital.

Because of the severity of her condition, Bubbles will need a series of expensive operations which Foal Farm will fund in order to allow her to recover and lead a normal life.

Bubbles is an extremely loving cat who has been at Foal Farm longer than most cats who come to us. She is adored by anyone who meets her, but because of her condition it is difficult for anyone to currently re-home her. It is for this reason that we urgently need help to fund treatment for Bubbles.

Foal Farm is a charity organisation and relies entirely on donations from the public. Without our generous supporters we would not be able to care for Bubbles, or any other animal in need.

You can help by:

1) Donating to the ‘Bubbles Appeal’ fund*. Funding will go towards Bubbles’ examinations and subsequent treatment to help Bubbles recover from this condition

2) Sponsoring Bubbles*. For as little as £4 a month, you can be a ‘Friend of Bubbles’ for as long as she is in our care. Funding will go towards Bubbles’ examinations and subsequent treatment to help Bubbles recover from this condition.

3) Apply to adopt Bubbles. Bubbles is looking for a loving, caring home with an owner who can spend plenty of time with her. She also enjoys the company of other cats.

Whilst Bubbles is recovering from this condition she will require specialist care in the home and will need regular visits to the vet. Ideally you would have a good knowledge of cat care and given the “special circumstances”, it would be preferable if you either lived in close proximity to Foal Farm or would be prepared to travel to Foal Farm so that Bubbles can visit our vet for regular check-ups during her recovery. As soon as Bubbles has recovered she will no longer require specialist care, although she will need occasional check-ups and we would recommend this be done through our vet.

All enquiries in relation to donating to the ‘Bubbles Appeal’ or Sponsoring Bubbles’ care and treatment should be addressed to the fundraising team at fundraising@foalfarm.org.uk.

All enquiries in relation to Adopting Bubbles should be addressed to the cat team at cats@foalfarm.org.uk

If you would prefer to call us, please contact the Fundraising or Cat team on 01959 572386 ext 205 and 208 respectively. Alternatively you can visit us at Jail Lane, Biggin Hill, Kent TN16 3AX.

*any surplus funds raised will be used towards taking care of the other animals at Foal Farm

Willomena and Grace (and Ponchi)

I'm amazed that 'Mena and Grace haven't been snapped up for a home yet. If you like affectionate cats, then these two are absolutely for you. They're both 8 years old, super friendly, on their feet as soon as they see a face at the door to their pen. The first week I met them, I crouched down and they were both immediately up on my lap, sniffing and nudging me. It was a bit of a squeeze getting both of them on there, but they managed it! They get on incredibly well with each other and I've often walked by their pen to see them curled up in the same cat-bed.

Mina enjoying a rub behind the ears

Grace wanting some attention too

Sharing a pen with Mena and Grace is the lovely Ponchi, a tortie. Unfortunately, Ponchi doesn't really get on well with Mena and Grace - maybe a personality conflict? - but she is an absolute doll with me. I'm a little concerned people might think she's a grumpy girl because of her growls at the other two, but she's actually a sweetheart!

Ponchi hugging the scratching post

It's difficult to give her affection without Mena and Grace trying to get in on the act, which upsets Ponchi. Apparently she gets on well with other cats, so her annoyance with Mena and Grace may be a rarity. Give her a rub on the chin, though, and she melts! 

I hope this week to be able to pay a bit more attention to Ponchi. I try to divide one arm for her and one for Mena and Grace, but those two can't sit still, so in my efforts to keep them apart, I end up waving my arms around like I'm directing a plane in for landing. I'm sure they secretly find that amusing.

Introductions

Just a quick word of hello - I'm Leese, one of the volunteers at Foal Farm. My official 'job' title is Cat Fusser, although it can also be described as Cat Socialiser, Cat Cuddler, or Crazy Cat Lady. I think I prefer Cat Socialiser, as I worry Cat Fusser makes me sound slightly demented.

So what are my qualifications for this job? Well, I've never worked with animals professionally, but I have had the unimaginable joy of living with cats for the last 16 years. In the early 1990s, when I was about 11 years old, I finally managed to persuade my parents that getting a cat was actually, yes, a neat idea. Since we lived in a tenth-floor flat, spacious as it was, we decided to get two cats to keep each other company - a tabby and a black-and-white. The latter was decided upon because my mother, in her words, didn't want to be tripping over an invisible black cat when she got up in the pitch-dark of the night.

We bought two kittens from a local petshop (and yes, I do feel guilty we didn't get them from a rescue centre, but my awareness of animal politics at age 11 was virtually nil), and I named the tabby Tiger (original, huh?) and the black-and-white - who would not sit still - Fidget. It was less than a week later, on a trip to another petshop for kitty supplies, that I noticed a small black cat in the animal cages. She was meowing constantly, loudly, looking pathetic. Needless to say, we took her home. From the moment we took her out of the cage, she didn't make a single sound for about a year. I remember coming home from school one day and my dad excitedly telling me that Midnight "spoke" for the first time. It was like having your child say her first word. 

Midnight was a real education for me in terms of learning cat behaviour, and I'm pretty sure she's the reason I'm volunteering at Foal Farm today. She wasn't what I expected a 'typical' cat to be. She was friendly, definitely (I fell asleep on the sofa one time, face down, and awoke to her curled up on the small of my back, purring like a motor), but she didn't like being picked up or touched very much. This puzzled me. How could she come up to me, sniff my face and rub up against my side, but turn and hiss when I stroked her back? Why did she flop onto her side, showing her belly, then scratch and claw at me when I went to tickle her? And why did she freeze up, stiff as a board, when I picked her up for a cuddle? Was she demented? Didn't she understand I was only trying to show her I loved her?

It took me years to learn to adapt my behaviour with Midnight, and it was a learning curve that went on until we were both fully grown. The first step for me was understanding that I had to stop trying to press upon her my idea of what I expected a cat to be. I wanted a cuddle, but she didn't. I had to respect that. I eventually understood that I didn't need to show her I loved her by hugging her or stroking her excessively - I was showing her I loved her just by letting her sniff me when she wanted, or by letting her rub against my legs when she wanted to. Her favourite thing was for me to lie on the floor while she walked around me, rubbing against me with her head and side, until she finished up with her back to me and would give me a series of hearty whacks in the face with her whip-like tail. While I tried to discreetly spit cat hair from my mouth, she would look over her shoulder and grin at me.

Gradually, I noticed a change in her. She was more mellow, and would accept more physical contact. I could stroke her on her back for longer; very occasionally, on her stomach. Eventually, she was even happier with being picked up, although not for very long. By letting her choose the boundaries of our physical contact, I took the pressure off her, and she became happier for it. By knowing she could choose how much contact we had and when, her defenses came down and she showed more affection.

Midnight passed away a couple of year ago, at around 14 years old. She was always prone to urinary tract infections, and eventually her kidneys failed and we had to put her to sleep. I miss her every day, but the one thing that makes me happiest is knowing that I was able to work to understand her and to make her life easier. If I'd blundered on, trying to make her the perfect cat, she'd have spent her life miserable.

One of the main reasons that animals are rehomed and then returned to rescue centres is because they are perceived to be aggressive. Looking after animals and knowing their needs is as difficult - and in many ways, I feel, more difficult - than raising children. An animal can never tell you with words how it feels or what it wants. We have to learn to read their body language, which is all an animal understands. It's my goal in this blog to discuss cat behaviour issues, in particular relating to the cats staying at Foal Farm, who I try to visit every weekend. I'll be updating often with my experiences of 'fussing' the Foal Farm cats, and pictures of their antics. If you're thinking of rehoming a cat, I hope that this blog will give you some handy advice, and allow you to see a more playful side of the cats in their cages. Who knows, you might spot one you fall in love with! 

I've had the pleasure of sharing my life with 3 beautiful domestic shorthairs, and although Tiger and Midnight have now passed away (Fidget is still going strong at 16 years old, having survived high blood pressure, rodent ulcers, diabetes, blindness, steroid-induced obesity, and an unhealthy obsession with cheesy Wotsits), I wouldn't trade a moment of those fantastic years. I hope that if you're reading this blog and considering rehoming a cat, you'll take the leap and let one of these amazing furballs into your family. In exchange for a warm place to sleep, food and affection on demand, and the polite acceptance of 'gifts' of dead mice on the doorstep, they give you back so much.