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

Cretan cats

An uphill struggle

Cat Care Assistant Holly, creator of the blog has been on holiday to Crete for two weeks. During her stay there she met many feline friends, here are their stories...

During my stay on the beautiful island of Crete I got my cat fix everyday meeting all the local cats. Most of the cats I saw were un-neutered, wary of people and independent. A few of them were also neutered and cared for.

Behind the scenes though, the story darkens and I was told of cats being poisoned. As most of the people here are deeply religious this also posed a problem for the cats. A lot of people believe that neutering a cat is against god. Unfortunately due to this in some areas of Crete the cat population has spiralled out of control. I began to realise that cats for the most part cats are not seen as pets, but rather as pests. For me is was very hard to deal with, I care so much for all the defenceless felines.

During the second week of my holiday I went to a lovely village called Plaka, which overlooks Spinalonga Island a former leppar colony. I met a wonderful lady called Mo who runs an organisation called Plakakats. She helps all the cats in the area of Plaka and Spinalonga Island. She provides them all with daily water and food, medical assistance and takes them to the vets to be neutered.

Currently in the care of Plakakats is a cat called Oliver. Sadly Oliver has tested positive for FIV. He was found with a hole in his throat the size of a pound coin which exposed his main artery. He also had a wound the full length of his tail and wounds to one of his legs. The poor boy also had cat flu, ringworm and was riddled with fleas and worms! 
 










Just look at him now, what a handsome fella. What an amazing job Mo has done. Don't you just want to give Oliver a cuddle?! 

Oliver desperately needs a foster home or permanent loving home as the only cat. So please is you know anyone who lives in Crete and would take good care of him, let me know! 


Organisations like Plakakats are so important in Crete and all over Greece. The relationship between the people and the cats here is totally different to the UK. The culture and lifestyle in Greece also reflects this. In one town alone I saw three fur shops, it really is a uphill struggle. It made me realise just how lucky the cats are in the UK to have charities like Cats Protection and other animal charities caring for their needs.

 

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.