Wilma and Bam-Bam

Happy ending

Wilma and Bam-Bam did not have the best start in life. As some of you might remember Wilma and her tiny kittens were thrown out of a moving vehicle. Sadly all of the kittens died apart from Bam-Bam.

Wilma has gone to her new home today. She is finally getting the love and attention she needs after her traumatic start in life. We did all we could to make her happy here but nothing compares to a home. 

Bam-Bam has gone to live with Rowan one of volunteers, she is fostering him for the time being. We felt that Bam-Bam needed some extra TLC in a home environment. He has been gradually gaining weight and his personality is developing. He is turning out to be quite the naughty, cheeky boy. He has endless energy and is loving all the home comforts. 

Bam- Bam will need a very special home and he will be available for adoption very soon.

Abandoned at Firestone Copse

Left to fend for themselves

These three little kittens were found in Firestone Copse by someone taking a walk. They were brought to us in a cardboard box looking dazed and confused. 

They are the cutest little bundles of fluff and have been settled down into a pen in our admissions unit. They were not the only unexpected arrivals of the day either. Almost every week we have people bringing up cats and kittens that we are not expecting. 

We would like to stress to people that taking a cat of the street and bringing it to us is not always the best thing to do. The cat could have a worried owner and doing a bit of detective work could find out whether the cat is owned or is a stray. If you are worried about a cat's welfare then please contact the RSPCA. 

Please also take into consideration that we have countless calls daily asking us for help. In our current situation we are unable to have a waiting list due to the high demand, the list was getting out of control! We are asking people to be patient with us and call in everyday other day, our spaces available are on a first come first serve basis. We are trying to help as many people as we can.

Wilma and Bam-Bam

Good progress

Wilma and Bam-Bam are a mum a kitten who were allegedly thrown out of a moving vehicle. They have now been with us at the centre for well over a month. 

We have been keeping a special eye on Bam-Bam after sadly his sister Pebbles passed away. We are happy to say that both mum and kitten are going from strength to strength. Both are lively, happy and putting on weight. Bam-Bam is becoming quite the cheeky monkey!

Here are a few photos of the them captured during the week. We have been photographing Bam-Bam next to a food box every week to see how much he has grown, due to Tim the vets instruction.

Hopefully this positive progress will continue so that they can be available for re-homing soon.

Black and black & white cat Awareness Day

Black and black & white cat Awareness Day

Cats Protection is holding its annual National Black Cat Day on Thursday 25 October to encourage more people to adopt unwanted black moggies.

Following the success of last year’s black cat campaign, the charity aims to raise awareness of the plight of black cats which tend to lose out on homes to more colourful varieties.

The UK’s leading feline welfare charity currently has around 1,300 black cats in its care and says that homes are far less easy to find for black cats than other felines.

 
“People seem to be more taken with torties, tabbies and other colours - perhaps due to a perception that variety adds spice,” said Danielle Draper, Manager at Cats Protection’s National Cat Adoption Centre.

“Although it’s lovely to see these cats finding their forever homes, it’s sad to see black cats left waiting in the wings. They make up about 23 per cent of all the cats in Cats Protection’s care and each one waits around a week longer to be re-homed than the average cat.” 
  
To coincide with this annual event we have decided to have our own. Sunday 28th October we will be holding a Black and black & white cat Awareness day at the centre. Open from 11am - 4pm, find us at 122 Marlborough Road, Ryde.
So come along and meet our lovely black and black & white cats, there will also be a kitten information talk at 1pm. We hope to see you there. 

To raise awareness the charity is encouraging people to upload pictures and stories of their own black cats, and to change their social media avatars to a specially designed black cat version.

Supporters will also be encouraged to share photos of themselves transformed into black cats on the Cats Protection’s social media sites. This is a call to get creative by dressing up, using face paints or wearing the downloadable black cat mask – and then get snapping!

To find out more about the campaign or to adopt a black cat, please log on to www.cats.org.uk/black-cats or call the charity’s helpline on 03000 12 12 12. 

Tatty farm kitties

Abandoned?

On Thursday we set a humane trap in the hope of catching a mother cat and her kittens. They were found at at farm in Havenstreet. The people that reported them were worried for their safety as a near by dog was very aggressive towards them. 

The kittens are approximately eight weeks old and surprisingly tame, but nervous. The mother is very friendly, so this has led us to believe that this little family may have been abandoned. A mother cat and kittens born outside would not be this trusting of people. 

When the kittens arrived they were looking rather tatty and soggy from the rain. We soon settled them into a warm pen. Safe at last, here are a few photos of the family when they arrived. We will update you on their progress.

Smartie's and Sweety's kittens

Giardia

Smartie's and Sweety's kittens have recently been diagnosed with Giardia. They had been poorly for a while and a poo sample confirmed this. They are currently isolated from the rest of the cattery and were are barrier cleaning their pens. This means we are changing protective clothing in between pens and thoroughly cleaning each pen before we move onto the next. Giardia is zoonotic which means it can be passed onto people so we are having to be extra vigilant. We are hoping the the kittens will start to feel better soon. They have been re-wormed and are having tribrissen injections daily which treats bacterial infections.
 
What is Giardiasis?

Giardia lamblia is a protozoan (single celled organism) parasite which is found in the small intestine of vertebrates including mammals. Infection with Giardia lamblia causes giardiasis.

Giardia causes severe diarrhoea, dehydration and stomach cramps.

How do cats become infected with Giardia?

The most likely transmission in cats is direct animal to animal (faecal-oral route). Cats can also become infected by drinking water containing the infective cysts. Once inside the intestine the cyst opens releasing two trophozoites.

There are two stages to the life cycle. Trophozoites are the active motile (swimming) form and it is in this stage that lives in the intestines feeding and reproducing. The trophozoites have flagella, which are long hair like structures which enables toe protozoa to move around. During the feeding stage, the parasite replicates in the small intestine by binary fission, this is the asexual reproductive process where one cell divides into two cells.

The trophozoites move towards the colon where they produce a cyst wall. The trophozoite within the cyst divides once, and this mature cyst now contains two trophozoites. This cyst is carried away by the passing faecal stream and leaves the body. These cysts are extremely hardy and can survive for long periods in water.

What are the symptoms of Giardia in cats?

The parasite has a one to two week incubation period. Most cats are asymptomatic, although they may keep passing on cysts for months or years. Clinical signs are most likely to be seen in younger animals from multi-cat households/environments.

If large numbers of trophozoites develop the cat will develop symptoms which include;

• Foul smelling stools, often yellowish, foamy/frothy.
• Vomiting
• Weight loss   
•  Flatulence
• Abdominal distension

Abandoned, neglected and unloved

Please help - adopt today 

The all too familiar story at the moment. Abandoned, neglected and unloved cats and kittens flooding into our centre. 

We have been utterly shocked by the state of these poor souls that have come into our care. Recently we have seen a lot of malnourished kittens that are flea ridden, full of worms, weak and have diarrhoea. 

This have got to stop, the cat population on the island is at breaking point. This has resulted in cats suffering because they are not being looked after properly. 

Neutering your cat can greatly reduce this problem. Adopting from a centre like ours will mean that your cat or kitten will have already been neutered, vaccinated, micro-chipped and treatment for fleas and worms. The adoption fee is a fraction of the price you would pay if you were to get a cat privately.


So please help us by adopting from the centre. We are open daily from 11am-3pm. We would be delighted to meet you! We cannot stress enough how desperate we are for your help. The cats need YOU.

Smartie

Femoral hip operation

Readers of the blog may remember Smartie and her kittens. For a while Smartie had a limp, after a course of pain relief she still continued to suffer with the problem. It was then that we began to think that something else was wrong.

Last week she went to the vets for an x-ray. It turned out that all this time Smartie had fractures on her hip due to a possible road traffic accident. To think that the poor girl gave birth here as well. What a brave little cat she is.

She is now feeling much better and seems so much happier. She has been separated from her kittens so that she can have cage rest. She unfortunately will have to stay with us for another six weeks to fully recover. 

She really is a lovely, friendly girl who would be a perfect addition to a family. After all she has been through she deserves a loving home. So please ask to meet her, she'll be worth the wait!

Ethel and Lindy

A happy ending

Regular followers of the blog will remember the story of Ethel and Lindy. They were found at East Cowes Fuel Limited, Ethel a malnourished kitten at the time was found trapped down a shaft. 

We are delighted to tell everyone that both of them are doing very well. So well in fact that Lindy has found a new home today and has left the building! 

Ethel now called Kiwi is being looked after by one of the Vet nurse's at Medina Vets. She has come on leaps and bounds and has now put on loads of weight and has fully recovered. We expect that Kiwi will be adopted by her fosterer. 

Unfortunately we haven't got any up to date photos of Kiwi, but when we do we will post them on the blog. What a wonderful happy ending.

Pebbles

Gone to heaven

Wilma, Pebbles and Bam-Bam arrived at the centre after being brutally thrown out from a moving vehicle. We always knew that the kittens might not make it, but it doesn't make it any easier. Cat Carer Holly was looking after Pebbles when it happened.

"She died in the early hours of yesterday morning. I rushed her to the vets at 6am after she suffered what appeared to be a stroke or seizure. She has gone to Pets at Rest to be cremated, thank you Sue for being so kind.

I'm not sure that I will ever get over this. I feel guilty, angry and very sad. This horrific story and heart-breaking ending highlights what we are up against. I did all I could to save her but it was not enough. I take comfort in the fact that during her last days with me she was loved. I miss her so very much and I will keep her memory alive.  I am so upset, goodnight my little angel, sleep tight, all my love Holly xxx"

Tia and her kittens

Astounding progress

Tia and her three tiny kittens came into the centre a few weeks ago. They were severely malnourished and in desperate need of some TLC. 

Since then the black female is with Sally our receptionist at home. She has doubled her weight and looks fantastic. The other two tortie kittens are now with Sarah one of the vets from Medina in Wootton. They are also doing very well, the difference in them now from when they first arrived is astounding. 

Tia is now on her own and is loving all the cuddles she is getting from the staff. She really is a wonderful cat. We often find that the cats that have had the worst start in are more responsive to some much needed love and care. She has now been neutered and will soon be ready to go to a new home.

Just look at them now! We really can't stress enough just how important it is to take good care of your kittens. We have seen far too many cases of neglect lately. Its been a very tough year for Cats Protection. 

We are happy to give advice on how to best look after kittens. We would also like to mention that we are doing all we can to help as many cats and kittens possible. We are stretched to the limit. So please be understanding of our current situation.

Shocking story - Wilma, Pebbles and Bam-Bam

Thrown out of a moving vehicle

Can you believe that these two kittens and their mum were thrown out of moving vehicle? This horrendous incident happened last week in the West Wight area of the island. 

The kittens and were thrown out of an open window of a white transit van whilst in a basket. A family travelling behind the van saw what had happened and took the mum and kittens straight to the vets. Sadly two of the kittens died, now only two are left.

Mum and her two babies are now safe with us here at the centre. We are all horrified by the incident, what we can't understand is why. A needless act that ended in tragedy for two defenceless kittens.

The two remaining kittens are called Pebbles and Bam-Bam. Pebbles is a female, tabby and white and Bam-Bam is a male, black and white. Mum Wilma is taking good care of them. The kittens are very weak and we are currently syringe feeding them formulated milk and liquidised kitten food. We are doing all we can to help these little guys. 

We can't quite believe some of the stories from this year, this one has got to be one of the worst. The situation on the island is desperate, we cannot stress enough how much strain we are under here. With incidents like this happening as well, we are really up against it. This year we are stretched to the limit and we simply cannot find homes for our cats fast enough. So please tell everyone this horrific story and of our plight. We need your help!

Little Eric and homing plea

All grown up

Here is a message from Cat Carer Emily 

"For everyone who was following Eric as a tiny baby, here is an up to date photo. He is now 12 weeks old and such a cheeky little monkey. It's hard to believe that he is the same tiny bundle of fluff that fitted into the palm of my hand 12 weeks ago. "

Through adversity Eric pulled through and just look at him now, a perfect little cat.  


















Please help

Don't forget that we have so many cats and kittens here still waiting for homes. 

Please visit us at the centre we are open everyday from 11am - 3pm. 

Address: 122 Marlborough Road, Ryde

Telephone: 01983 562609
Website: isleofwight.cats.org.uk

Facebook: facebook.com/iowcats

Poor Little Mites

TLC required for undernourished kittens

Tia and her kittens arrived on Sunday after being rescued in Sandown. They have not had the best start and her kittens are thin and boney. 

The vet has checked them over and advises that we give them top up feeds of milk. Live worms have been passed and they are now on a wormer to clear the worms. 

They are extremely small for their age and could barely find the strength to eat. We were told the kittens were 11 weeks old but the black kitten weighed in at 298g when it should be weigh 1.2kg. Tia is only a youngster herself and is trying her best to look after her babies and does need our help.

Now they have the best chance to grow and develop into happy and healthy kittens.

This is why we appeal to the public to choose a kitten from Cats Protection to discourage people trying to breed from their cats.

New babies

Cozzie and her kittens

Cozzie and her three gorgeous kittens came into the centre last week. They have settled in well and Cozzie is a fantastic mum. She is so attentive and affectionate, a real cutie. 

The kittens are around three weeks old and they are all girls. They will not be available for reservation for a few weeks yet. Cozzie will also be up for adoption. She would make a perfect family cat.

Reserving kittens

A polite notice to everyone that the kittens that appear on the blog may not be ready for reservation yet. All of our kittens are seen by the vet when they are six weeks old for a health check. Once the vet is happy that they are fit and healthy, visitors are able to view them and reserve them.

Due to the fact that we cannot guarantee when kittens will be available we are asking people to be understanding of our situation. We are however grateful for the amount of interest being created in the litters featured on this blog. 

To find out if there are kittens available for viewing, please call us on 01983 562609. We thank you for your co-operation. As you can imagine this time of year is very busy for us and stressful.

Kitten update

Leila and Kittens

Leila and her kittens were abandoned at the gates a few weeks ago. The kittens really are so cute and friendly. When you open their pen door they come running up to meet you. 

Just over a week ago we had a real scare with the tortie kitten. By accident mum Leila jumped out of the pen and took the kitten with her. The tortie girl landed on the ground and was knocked out and lifeless. For a moment we thought the worst. She was rushed to the vets, but on the way there she began to stir. 

For that night she was kept separate for a few hours from the others to recover. The next morning she was a little wobbly. We are happy to say that she is now back to normal. A proper little fighter.

Smartie and her babies

Just over a week ago we noticed that Smartie had become limp in her back legs. For a week she was on metacam pain relief. She is now back to normal, we were concerned about her. We are not sure why this happened to her.

 

Here are the latest photos of this adorable family. They are growing up so fast!

Sweety and her family

 

Sweety and her kittens are doing very well. As you can see the babies are getting bigger by the day. The kittens are now three weeks old. Sweety seems very contented, she really is such a lovely cat.




  

Don't forget that all of our kittens will be available for reservation from six weeks of age. They will be seen by the vet and signed off ready for potential adopters to view them. If you are interested in adopting a kitten from us please call us at the centre on 01983 562609. We can then let you know which kittens are available for viewing.

Weighing kittens

How much?!

Every week at the centre we weigh all of our kittens to check on their progress. Here are a few funny photos of some of the kittens being weighed last week. 

Some of them look quite put out by the experience! Others are just totally shocked by how much they weigh. It can be one of the most comical jobs trying to make them stay still in a tub on the scales. Nine times out of ten they fall out, but we get there in the end. 

New borns

Sweety and her kittens

Sweety came into the centre a few weeks ago, she was heavily pregnant. She has lived up to her name, she is such a sweety. Last Wednesday she went into labour and gave birth to six tiny babies. 

Sweety seems so contented and the babies are doing very well. This photo was taken yesterday of the happy little family.

We will continue to keep you updated on this adorable little family.

Early neutering

Don't let kittens have kittens

Neutering is the only effective way to reduce the number of unwanted cats in the UK. We recommend that pet cats are neutered at four months of age or younger, before they start puberty, to prevent unplanned pregnancies. This short video shows what is involved when neutering male and female kittens and discusses the benefits of the procedure.