Thursday 28 June 2012

Our Axhayes home-made kitten playhouses!

Who needs expensive toys when a box can be just as exciting?

Kittens love playing and one of the easiest ways to make a fun place for them to explore is to give them a cardboard box.

If you get a bit creative you can cut different shaped holes in them to make doors and windows for them to run through or climb out of.

Here at Axhayes we have taken it one step further by labelling our boxes. We started off with a ‘mini bus’ then we had a ‘ickle shoppe’ followed by a ‘village pub’. When we realised that kittens were hanging out in the pub, we made a police station!  Our latest addition to Axhayes kitten’s village is a post office.

Here are a few photos of our handiwork!














We hope we have inspired you to create your own kitten playhouse!

Sunday 24 June 2012

Gertie’s Story – Part two

Gertie has been with us for a few weeks now, she’s settling in to cattery life very well. She still needs to see our vet for check ups and she’s been having regular baths to help keep her clean. She has moved into our holding section of the cattery waiting until she is available for re-homing.

On Friday Gertie had a weigh in; she was very thin when she was found a few weeks ago. We are happy to tell you she is doing really well, her regular meals throughout the day are paying off, and she has put on a bit more weight. Yesterday Gertie enjoyed lots of attention; she had many visitors to her pen, volunteers, cat care assistants and our deputy manager Louise who loves her to bits. She is very popular bless her. She sits at the front of her pen when she hears people in the corridor, she is just waiting for someone to open her door and give her a fuss. Once you open her door, she’s purring and paddling her front paws straight away. She is an extremely loving cat.



Her fur is slowly growing back; it’s looking a bit longer and is very fuzzy at the moment (as you can see in her photos). She needed a quick groom yesterday afternoon, to make sure there were no knots or tangles. She loves being groomed and looking her best. We know she will be very beautiful when her fur has fully grown back.











Today Gertie had a quieter day, not many volunteers visiting her. She has been sitting in the outside section of her pen relaxing, enjoying the fresh air and any sunshine which came in. Cat care assistants Michelle and Gemma gave her another bath today, as always she enjoyed the fuss and didn’t mind the soapy water. Once we rinsed off the soap suds, she jumped out of the sink soaking wet and decided started to shake herself off all over the place, including us. She loved Michelle grooming her while she was being dried off. Happily purring and paddling her paws. After smelling nice and clean, we took her back to her pen just in time for tea. She had a special treat for tea time today, some freshly cooked chicken sprinkled on her whiskers meat. Sometimes we treat our cats to freshly cooked chicken from our Axhayes kitchen, which our cats love! Of course Gertie loved the chicken too; she polished it off very quickly.  

We will keep you updated on Gertie's progress at the centre here on the blog and our Facebook page.  

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Axhayes Kitten update – Daisy’s kittens

Our star kittens Dandelion, Violet, Bluebell and Foxglove were busy last week filming for their next youtube film. All of the kittens have been used to the camera on them by now, they act natural. Bluebell and Foxglove were playing with their favourite toy; Violet was showing the world just how cute she is while Dandelion was playing with her tail and various toys in their pen. Last weekend Daisy has gone to live with a nice family. She is a very lucky mummy to find a home so quickly.










Yesterday our kittens were enjoying the warm weather. These kittens are the lucky ones staying on the sunny side of the cattery. They enjoyed batting ping-pong balls around the outside of their pen, laying in the sunshine and playing their favourite game of play fighting. Dandelion loves to ambush Violet by pouncing on her. They had a quick health check and weigh in the afternoon by CCA's Diane and Gemma. We do this to check they are gaining weight and monitoring their general health. All of our kittens are doing well, all happy and healthy.


An hour before tea time, our famous four were given some circuit toys to play with. One of these toys is in an “S” shape and the other in a doughnut shape; these circuits both have a ball inside. Dandelion and Violet were curious, started to play with it straight away. Bluebell and Foxglove were much more enthusiastic with their strange new toy; both kittens were chasing the ball around and around and around. Both of them were pouncing on the ball at the same time. (please watch their videos above and below). We like to give our cats and kittens different toys and play games with them. It’s important we play games with our cats and kittens, it helps them get some exercise, reduces boredom and playing releases endorphins. These endorphins make our kittens very happy kittens! 

     
Daisy’s kittens are still at the centre just waiting for someone to take them home, please contact us on 01395 232377, if you are interested in adopting any of them. Please watch their newest youtube film "The Life of an Axhayes kitten - part two" on our youtube channel. We will keep you updated about their adventures at the centre.

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Gertie’s Story – Part one

We would like to introduce you to our adorable Persian Gertie. Before coming to Axhayes poor Gertie was found as a stray wandering around with no place to call home and in an appalling state. Her fur was so matted and dirty; the vets had no choice but to shave off her fur on her body. In a couple of months her hair will grow back long and fluffy again. We think she may have been neglected for quite some time before she was found. She is currently in our admissions section of the centre, where she’s getting plenty of TLC from the girls and seeing our vet. Gertie is extremely affectionate, she loves cuddles and attention. Our cat care assistants Therese and Vicky who care for her have given her warm girly blankets on her bed where she can relax and she has regular meals to help build up her weight. Gertie is very popular with our staff at the centre, she has regular visits from the girls so she has lots of attention.


This afternoon Gertie had another bath. Her fur on her legs and tail is still dirty; she needs a bit of help to get them clean again. Gertie enjoyed being made a fuss of, she was quite happy sitting in the soapy water (purring – bless her) and letting us lather up her paws and tail. Once she was cleaned, to stop her feeling cold, she was dried on a low heat with a hair dryer. Her fur then needed a comb to get rid of any tangles. She loved this so much she was purring and paddling her paws. Gertie just loves attention and being with people, and of course looking her best after her bath. 


Gertie is not currently up for adoption, she still needs lots of care and to see our vet. We will keep you updated on her progress at the centre here on the blog and our Facebook page.   

Monday 11 June 2012

June is National Microchipping month at Cats Protection!

This month is National Microchipping month. Here at Cats Protection Exeter Axhayes we microchip every cat and kitten which comes into our care. Not only is microchipping a permanent method of identification, it also increases the chances of a lost cat being safely reunited with its owner.

Microchipping is a very simple procedure and it is no more painful than an injection. The microchip is slightly smaller than a grain of rice and is inserted under the cat’s skin between the shoulder blades. A cat will not be aware of the microchip’s presence once it’s inserted. Microchipping is the most effective way of identifying a lost pet. Each microchip has a unique number which is stored on a national database, when a scanner is passed over it, the unique number comes up and vets or rescue centres can access this database which links this number with the owner’s details. Please remember you should change your microchip details if you move house. You can do this simply by contacting your microchip database; you can find this number on your cat’s microchip paperwork.


You can expect to pay between £20 and £30 for the procedure, which can be performed by vets, local authorities and trained members of animal welfare groups.
All of our cats and kittens at Exeter Axhayes Adoption centre will already be microchipped when they are rehomed. You will be given the cat’s microchip paperwork in your adoption packs. Cats Protection is a member of a Microchip Advisory Group (MAG), aiming to improve the standards of microchipping across the UK

If you haven't already done so then get your cat microchipped, you won't regret it! Please ask your vet about microchipping.

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Our wonderful mums and kittens at Axhayes

Here are the first of this year’s families. All of our mothers have done a wonderful job raising their adorable kittens. Here are their stories….

Our Mother’s day family - Daisy and her kittens

Daisy came to us heavily pregnant and homeless, after her owners had to move house and sadly couldn’t take her with them. Daisy gave birth to four beautiful kittens on Mother’s Day which was a special day for a new mother. She has been a fantastic mum and has done a great job raising her kittens. She is now looking for a home where she can relax and be loved again.



Her kittens Dandelion, Foxglove, Violet and Bluebell are the first kittens to be born at the centre this year. They are full of energy; they love to play and are all very friendly. One of our cat care assistants filmed Daisy and her kittens from birth until her kittens were 9 weeks old. This video is dedicated to our Axhayes mums who do a wonderful job bringing up their new family.
Please watch their video on our youtube channel.



Chestnut’s Family

Chestnut is lovely little girl was roaming out on her own heavily pregnant with no where to call home. Luckily for her a nice lady who noticed that she was giving birth in her compost heap in her garden and contacted us. Chestnut and her day old kittens were brought into the warmth and safety of the centre. Chestnut has been a super mum but now her kittens are grown up and ready to leave, she is looking for a loving home to call her own. She is sweet natured and loving. Hoping her luck will continue, she will make an ideal family pet and would love to be part of your family.


Her kittens Blossom, Conker and Twiggy are very friendly, energetic and they love to play. Chestnut and her kittens have their very own Youtube video showing them enjoying their day at the centre on a sunny warm day.

Tinkerbell’s Family              

Poor Tinkerbell came to us after her owners marriage broke down, leaving her and her two kittens with no place to call home. She has done a great job caring for her kittens, now with them all grown up and leaving home, Tinkerbell is looking to sprinkle some magic and happiness into your life. So think those happy thoughts and let her fly with you to her new Neverland.


Her kittens Peter Pan and Tigerlily came to Axhayes when they were just two weeks old. Tigerlily is very friendly, affectionate and playful. Peter Pan is cheeky and mischievous, he is very energetic and he loves playing games. Peter and Tigerlily are very loving and they just loves being around people for cuddles and attention. Peter Pan and Tigerlily have luckily found a new home together today, their mother Tinkerbell is still looking for a home.



Please visit our official website or facebook page for more details about adopting any of our mums and kittens, thank you.

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Welcome to our new blog

Welcome to Cats Protection Exeter Axhayes Adoption Centre’s blog. This blog is written by our cat care assistants who work at the centre.

Please follow our stories about our cats and the work what we do in and out of the centre to help cats. Thank you for your support.  

Please visit our official website at http://www.axhayes.cats.org.uk/ or our facebook page for more details about the cats and kittens we currently have up for adoption.