Thursday 30 January 2014

How fostering helps our nervous cats - Scrapper aka Bentley

Scrapper's latest adventures....


Back in November 2013, we wrote a blog about Scrapper now renamed Bentley by his fosterer. He was rescued along with 80 cats from a flat in Bristol. We have many of his friends and relatives currently at the centre looking for homes. We’re hoping these blog entries about Scrapper will help our other nervous cats find homes.

Scrapper’s fosterer has been in touch with us with an update, we thought we’d share her email in the hope this may inspire any future fosterers and anyone who would like to give a nervous cat a loving home....

 “During the 3 months Bentley has been with us he has changed from a terrified little cat hiding, hissing and swiping with his paw, to a gentle, friendly cat who now struts confidently around the house, his tail held high. He no longer has any need of his "safe room" and spends his days playing with his toys and chasing around with the younger cats or curled up asleep, snuggled next to Joe and Nelson.  Evenings see him relaxing in front of the log burner in the lounge.

 

 

He has fit in really well with the household routine, is a good eater and very reliable with his litter tray. We have 6 other cats in the household, a mixture of male and female, ranging in age from 2 to 13 years.  Bentley adores all of them and has never once shown any sign of aggression towards them. He has made a special friend of Nelson, an older and extremely confident cat and has learnt much from him by imitation. The other cats seem to give him that extra little bit of courage he needs to interact with us and this has helped him to progress so much quicker.

 

 

Admittedly he is still on the nervous side and sometimes finds it a little threatening if you approach him. He loves to be spoken to, always answers when you call his name and happily comes for a stroke and a rub under his chin. He often comes to sit on the sofa beside me and will purr contentedly, however any sudden movement still alarms him so all contact with him needs to be slow & gentle.

 

During the last week or so I have actually managed to pick Bentley up, hold him close to me and stroke him for about 20 seconds or so. Then the panic sets in and he struggles to be put down. This is a huge step forward though, as previously any form of restraint, however slight, would terrify him.

 
 

I am sure that Bentley has the potential to make a lovely pet in a home that ideally has one or more other cats, providing that the new owner is prepared to be patient and give him the time, love and understanding he needs to settle in & accept that he is not instantly going to be a cuddly lap cat.”



We would like to give a special thank you to Bentley's fosterer for the photos and information about him. We have many of Bentley’s friends and relatives looking for homes. Some of them are still nervous and just need someone with the time and patience to help them become confident and loving cats. They are great other cats too, if your existing cat is looking for a friend any of these cats will be great company for them. If you would like to give any of them a loving home or you are interested in fostering any of our cats in need of help and you live in the Exeter area, please contact our centre on 01395 232377. Thank you.


Wednesday 22 January 2014

Success Story - Jax

You may recognise this adorable tabby kitten from our Santa Paws Appeal photos. Jax and his siblings did some modelling for us to help promote our Christmas Appeal. Jax and his brothers sat with or on top some of the Christmas presents. Jax loved posing for the photos; he loved playing with the feather stick and having cuddles and yummy treats afterwards. He found a home with one of our volunteers before Christmas. She has kindly given us an update and plenty of wonderful photos as well via email.

 
 
 



Jax has now been renamed Melvin. We’ve been told he’s settling in really well and he’s quite a character. As you can see from the photos we were sent, he still loves posing for photos. He loves his new canine friend Mario and his feline friend Moppet. After his neutering operation he couldn’t wait to get home and play with Mario. We would like to thank his new owner for the updates and photos. We’re so pleased he’s doing so well. Please free feel to share yours photos of any cats you've adopted from us on our facebook page or please email us. Thank you.    
 

Please help Sooty find a home.


Please Help Sooty find a home…..

Sooty has a perfect heart on his nose. He will be 7 years old in April this year. He’s been with us since February 2013; we’re still looking for a home for him. He’s looking for a loving home in the countryside where he can enjoy the great outdoors! In his previous home, he loves hunting, climbing trees and telegraph poles, also getting stuck in Land Rover engines. He’s a real character! He’s very friendly, inquisitive, strong-willed and loving; he likes attention but on his terms. Sadly he has a renal condition which may limit his life expectancy; he is not under any treatment. He is currently fit and healthy.



We are hoping to find him a loving, child free, cat free, rural home, where he can roam and do his own thing. In the evenings he can sit on a lap and not be fussed or stroked too much. 
 

 
He’s currently living on foster with our manager on site. If you can offer him the perfect home, please contact Louise on 01395 232377 for more information. Thank you.    

Sunday 19 January 2014

Success Story - Ella


For anyone following us on facebook, youtube or has visited our centre; you may remember Ella, the chattiest cat at Exeter Axhayes. She spent several months with us before finally finding a home back in August 2013. Before Christmas we received an update from her new owner.....

 

 

She says “Ella is settling in just fine. Her most favourite place is on my lap and I can barely sit down for five seconds without her jumping onto my lap and if I have a certain blanket on my lap, she is in absolute heaven, kneading it until she curls up in a tight little ball! The other morning, she got into bed with me, under the blankets and would've stayed longer if I hadn't got up.  She refuses to drink water from a bowl and has her own glass on my bedside table and we still have freefights over 'meowmite' on toast! She is desperate to go out so I will let her out this weekend. She is being a terrible mooface this evening though as I got home late and have been busy this evening. She has been charging round the house, jumping onto all things, poking her head in cupboards and telling me off something rotten. I had best go and sit down with her else I will never hear the end of it.”

 
 



We are so pleased Ella has settled in so well. We would like to thank Ella’s owner for the update and photos. If you would to share any photos of any of the cats you have adopted from us over the years, please feel free to post on our facebook page.  If you would like to give any of our cats a loving forever home, please visit our website at www.axhayes.cats.org.uk. Thank you.

Sunday 12 January 2014

House a mouser-we have the cats for you!



For centuries there has been a mutually beneficial partnership between cats and farmers, stable owners and smallholders. Feral or semi-feral cats are ideal mousers, keeping vermin levels down on working properties using the exceptional hunting skills that have enabled them to thrive as wild animals. 

A cat's hunting instinct is not triggered by hunger and a well-provided for feral is likely to be more patient and hunt more effectively than a hungry one. 

We currently have a selection of cats just waiting for a 'job vacancy' to become available for them. They are residing in our new feral pen and garden enclosure that was built last year. These cats have come to us from a variety of backgrounds but have shown that they are not suitable to become domesticated cats. 
Peewee

















One of the four black ferals

















Llama















They could be providing you with an environmentally friendly rodent control service if you are willing and able to give them the basic needs of shelter and food. 

Our feral garden enclosure

Our feral pens















If you would like more information or wish to visit the centre, please call us on 01395 232377. 

If you prefer, you can send us an email on exeteraxhayes@cats.org.uk, or visit our website www.axhayes.cats.org.uk

We look forward to hearing from you. 





Friday 3 January 2014

Santa Paws Appeal - some of our cats on Christmas morning!


We would like to thank everyone again for donating Christmas presents for our cats and kittens. Our cats and kittens had a fun Christmas morning opening them, some of them managed to open their presents themselves while others needed help from our CCAs. We would also like to thank everyone who donated gifts for our CCAs, our girls really appreciated it. We thought we’d share a few photos of our cats with their gifts…..


One of the presents which was donated

 
Cat toys and food inside

 
Lynx and Sphynx with their new toys

 
Lynx and Sphynx playing in the box


Salem, Bob and Wizz playing with the box and wrapping paper


Bob and Wizz playing in the box


Beatrix with her gift on Christmas morning

Bella with her gift


Our two kittens Lynx and Sphynx found a new home together just after Christmas. Beatrix, Bob, Wizz and Salem are still looking for homes. We have also recorded a video of Gabriel and Pharoah opening their gift box with a little help from one of our CCAs. These two gorgeous kittens are still looking for a home too. Please visit our website at www.axhayes.cats.org.uk for more information about any of our cats and kittens available for adoption.



We hope everyone had a nice Christmas and would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!