Trying to find a friend for Gizmo

We have been looking for a friend for Gizmo for the last 2 months, but trust us to wait until it is not kitten season to look. The vet suggested that if we wanted to find a friend for Gizmo, we should get one soon as he will adjust better while he is young.

When we went to Cat Protection Society in Sydney, they suggested a kitten the same age as Gizmo or younger. Unfortunately, the only kittens they had were sick with cat flu. We have looked on rescue sites for the past 2 months and when we have found a kitten that is right, they have always just been adopted.

Last weekend we went to see some more kittens that we had seen advertised on petrescue  they are adorable kittens, but we decided they just weren't right for us and Gizmo. There were four 12 week old kittens and one 6 month old. They were a little sleepy and shy when we first got there, but gradually they started to play a little. We had a great time meeting and talking to Kerry their foster carer as well (we have asked for Kerry's permission to advertise the kittens on our blog).

Here are some pictures of the kittens that are looking for their furever homes with links to their profiles.


D'Artagnan

Princess Willow

Aramis and Olly

Zeb
I really hope they find their furever homes soon.

Mischief Maker

Gismo has learnt some clever tricks to get attention lately. We love playing games with him, but there are times when it's a little tricky amongst doing paperwork, whilst cooking dinner, or when we're getting ready first thing in the morning. He loves to chase balls of any kind eg balls of foil, bouncy balls, balls containing catnip, tennis balls, glittery pom poms, balls of paper, even plastic bags. He also loves to chase string, ribbons, peoples pants as they move down the hallway, basically anything hanging. We have created a new toy out of an old clothes horse, by hanging string, ribbon, paper butterfly's and all sorts of glitter pompoms etc tied on. He loves playing with it when we play with him, but shows very little interest in it as soon as we stop playing.

The tricks to get attention are things he knows he is not supposed to do, because he knows it involves us chasing him, or paying some form of attention to him, even if it involves us using the water spray bottle, used to try to stop bad behaviour. Latest attention seeking behaviour includes jumping/running up walls to try to get pictures hanging up, jumping for the phone cord, jumping for any electrical wires even if they can only just be seen over the edge of the counter top, and jumping for the bag that holds plastic bags we recycle. Even though he knows he will get in trouble, and that it may result in getting a squirt from the spray bottle, he insists on jumping up a wall and running away to hide (when we are busy). We have tried ignoring him, squirting him, playing with him a little during the times we are busy, locking him in his room...and yet none of these things have stopped the behaviour. Currently all things hanging have been tied up and hidden from view (unless we forget).

He likes playing with the vertical blinds, as well as the cords that open and close them. He likes playing with any electrical cords on the ground, or coming from equipment. He has also taken to scratching doors, clawing the carpet and meowing when you go into the bathroom without him, or close him into his room. Again resulting in squirting.

He seems to take great delight in the hide and seek game that results from doing something naughty, and after getting squirted likes to come and apologise for a cuddle and kiss, before doing the same thing again 10 minutes later...

While it would be nice if we could work out a way to stop him, we can't help but love him and laugh at the extent he goes to to get attention.

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.