Denali - The trouble begins

Denali has arrived.

We got Denali as a friend for Gizmo. She is an 8 week old ragdoll x bengal kitten. She is absolutely adorable, as you can see by the pictures, and I am sure she will get up to just as much mischief as Gizmo does. We got her from someone interstate and assumed they were reliable when they said she would come vet checked vaccinated, wormed and flea treated. Well as you all know to 'assume' makes and ass of u and me. When she arrived, she looked a little worse for wear, but we expected that because she had just been couriered interstate.

We took her home, gave her a bath and started brushing her. Bits of hair started falling out. I figured at first it was just because she had played with other kittens and was a little scabby because of bite marks as such, but then I noticed a quite defined patch where the hair had fallen out. Hmmm not good. I suspected possible ringworm. We were planning to have her vet checked after cleaning her up, so we decided that was the most important thing now before anything else. Gizmo would have to wait to meet her until we found out if she was healthy.

Unfortunately it is as I suspected. The vet said she is riddled with ringworm, and it's probably one of the worst cases she has ever seen. So we came home from the vet armed with various medications and a special shampoo.

 Now we have to try to keep Denali away from Gizmo for 4-6 weeks, as well as prevent the spores from spreading while medicating denali, bathing both of them in a special shampoo, and ensure they dont use the same living spaces, toys, or have cuddles with us whilst we wear the same clothes as we did for Denali. Then we also have to hope that we don't get it whilst we still make Denali feel welcome to our home. Luckily we have a few spare bedrooms at the moment which means they can both have their own room and play space. Lets hope Gizmo stays ringworm free and we do too.

Gizmo knows theres something meowing on the other side of the door, and he seems curious, it's so annoying that it will be 6 weeks before we can introduce them.

Gizmo goes to Bora Bora

Through Gizmo's Eyes

I got invited to join my new friends in Bora Bora, so even though I just got back from my last holiday, I decided to pack my bags and go have fun...

This is me arriving in Bora Bora.

I have to thank Jans Funny Farm for helping me pack my suitcase and sending me a map, and to Gracie for inviting us all to join her.

Anyway I'm off for a swim and a cat nap in the sun, then I think I will try to meet some more furry friends...

Talk to you all when I return.

Purrs

Gizmo

Rescue from Death Row

After 2 years without pets, we decided we needed the company of a feline. A friend of mine helps out with various rescue organisations including save our strays, and she suggested we look for our new family member at blacktown pound. I looked on the website and couldn't believe the number of cats and kittens that needed new homes. These animals are only kept for a week from when they arrive. After that they are killed because there are so many. Organisations like save our strays, drummoyne darlings and various other rescue organisations just can't save them all.

We searched through the listed animals and found a tabby kitten who looked adorable and in need of love. He was due out about 3 days later, so I went to the shelter to have a look at him. When I walked into the Cattery, I felt so sorry for the cats and kittens. Cold cement and metal surrounds them, and people walk in and out feeling guilty that they cannot rescue them all. I walked in optimistic that I could at least rescue one. I sought out Gizmo... at the time he was just a number. He wore a pink band around his neck with his number on it as they thought he was a girl. While the other kittens in his cage clamboured over each other to come to the front and get a pat, he sat behind them and just watched. he looked skinny and bedraggled, but so cute.

I didn't want to leave him that day, however the pound had a system of application for tender, meaning you had to bid on the animal and the highest bidder got a call to pick up the animal on its due date. I put in an application on Gizmo hoping I would get the phone call to let me know that we had won his life...

2 days later I got the phone call and went to pick him up. He got his number cut off, got a new number in the form of a microchip, and I paid to release him from death row. He meowed the whole way home, and I felt so mean transferring him from one cage to another without being able to hug him.

I took him straight to the vet for a check up and his first vaccination. They wormed him, gave him a flea treatment weighed him and checked him out. He was malnourished and skinny, but other than that in pretty good condition... oh and they let us know he was a boy.

Finally I got to take our new family member home. He walked out of the cage tentetively, quietly had a walk around, and then curled up on my lap. He had found his forever home, and he knew he liked it. It took us a few days to decide on a name, especially as we had originally been trying to find a girls name. We decided on Gizmo as he had a huge head and ears, and he reminded us of the cuddly little mogwai from the movie gremlins.

Gizmo started to come out of his shell in the first week showering us with cuddles and kisses, sleeping curled up at our feet, or under the covers on the bed. He loved playing with paper and string, and chasing our feet. This would be the beginning of many hours of cuddles and kisses, games of hide and seek, fetch, mischief and fun. He has brought so much to us, and we are just glad we were able to save him from death row.