By Nikki Hazelgrove

As I write Christmas is only just around the corner. It is hard to believe that yet another year is very soon coming to a close. I can’t say I will be sorry as we have had a very strange year one way and another !

Homing has been very slow throughout the year, which has been noticed to some degree by most of the animal rescue centres. There has been quite a lot in the media about the ‘red tape’ involved when acquiring an animal from a rescue centre, but we personally have no intention of moving our goal posts and letting our standards drop. Most of these animals have been casualties of the feline world; some suffering out and out neglect and 4 in particular unfortunately reaching us too late so the Vets were unable to save them. A very sad state of affairs and not the sort of experience you look forward to dealing with. Why if people can not afford the Vet fees for a sick or ailing animal, or if they no longer want them, or if they are moving and can’t take the animal with them why oh why don’t they pick up the telephone there IS help available. For some that is too easy so the poor creature has to find help itself in its hour of need which can sometimes be too late.

We have had some success this year with finding loving caring homes for some of my charges. Purdy, Bobbie, Jinnie, Sully and Bonnie all found purrfect homes – you can read about them under Happy Tails.

Fred, a black and white longhaired 13 year old, still waits patiently to catch someone’s eye. His owner sadly passed away at the beginning of the year and he has been waiting ever since. He did go to a lovely home a few months ago but unfortunately one of the dogs proved to be a bit of a problem. Fred is well used to dogs but this little dog turned out to be too unpredictable so very reluctantly they brought him back. It was very sad for all concerned, especially as they had recently lost their 20 year old cat, and now feel they won’t be able to safely introduce another cat to their household.

Molly and her kitten Poppy actually came to us from the mainland at the end of July. They had belonged to some squatters who unbeknown to anyone had moved out and left these two alone with no food to speak of. They were discovered after what was thought to be about four days. Someone took them from the house and rang round all the rescue centres in the area but none were able to help. Sue’s brother in law lived in the vicinity so not knowing where to turn next he rang Sue over here on the Island, and the first I knew about it was when she rang me from the ferry saying she was on her way over to pick them up ! I didn’t have any space at the time so they stayed with her until I could accommodate them here. Molly is tabby and is probably just over a year old and Poppy is black and now 5 months old. I would like if possible to home them together, as I feel it would now be unfair to split them. They live in hope for that special someone to come forward and fall for their charms !

Suzi, an 8 year old tortoiseshell, and Meme, a black and white 2 year old, came back to us due to a marriage break-up. They are both really affectionate but do take a little while to work out if strangers can be trusted; once you have passed the test though you will be wearing them ! Although they have only been together two years we would like them to go to a home together if possible.

Holly is nearly 16 years old, she has slight kidney degeneration and her sight and hearing is impaired, so she will remain with us as a permanent resident. Even though she is as I have described, she had to live mainly outside, with no easy access into the house. She had not always lived in this way in fact had been predominately indoors during most of her life ! Give me strength, what the hell goes on in these people’s heads. Eating out of dustbins, being heavily infested with fleas and worms and being terrified in this new forced way of life is now a distant memory. The main thing now is that she is safe, warm, well fed and dearly loved and is receiving the Veterinary treatment she now needs.

Wills came to us in an appalling state. He wandered endlessly looking for food and shelter. People in the neighbourhood were so concerned they asked us to take him into our care. Surprise, surprise, no one reported him missing, although he must have come from somewhere in that vicinity. Wills is now permanently with Corrine. She fostered him for us initially the rest is history ! He is now on treatment for hyperthyroidism and kidney diseased but is the happiest chap out ! He doesn’t take any notice of Corrine’s other cats – but just moved in as if he’d always been there. We are hoping he has a decent amount of time with Corrine and her other cats (mostly elderlies !) so we can make up with what he has had to suffer previously.

Now we go on to young Thomas ! When he came to us from a farm he was just under 7 weeks of age. He has been with us now two weeks and is an absolute delight! He has three and a half legs. When he was born the cord was wrapped around his leg which then cut off the blood supply. He will need an operation to remove that leg when he is a little older, he will then be able to live a full and natural life, if he was to keep the leg he would have to remain an indoor cat which would not be the best choice for him, especially as he has had a taste of the real world. We shall be looking, in the New Year, for a special home for him in a safe area, once he has fully recovered from his surgery.

We had a call this week from a very distressed gentleman, as following a frosty night they discovered a cat had given birth in their front garden. We went straight away but unfortunately one of the kittens was already dead. As we didn’t have any space I set this little family up in the hallway and the relief on this poor mothers face was a picture. I don’t think she stopped eating for two days, and to find herself in a warm bed and a heated area with her babies was just the best thing. She was needless to say heavily infested with fleas and worms and has various scabs over her little body which hopefully are all due to the flea infestation. I don’t know if she has ever known what it is like to be free off fleas and worms but she certainly does now ! If she could talk I am sure she would tell her relief at being cared for, but just how long has she had to suffer? Goodness knows how many litters she has had as she is probably 3 years old, but one thing is for sure this will be the last. I am taking her to the Vet this week to get her checked out. She has come from a high risk leukaemia area in fact FIV is also in the general area, so I am just hoping she hasn’t contracted either of these where she has been indiscriminately mated over a period of time. Again, just where are these people coming from who take on these poor creatures and just discard them, what sort of people are they ! I don’t think I will elaborate on that; I will let you make up your own minds. How could I possibly end my newsletter without the mention of ferals !

We do not now have anything like the numbers we used to have to deal with. The Island must have the best controlled feral colonies in the country, and that is not because we have gone round destroying them all. It saddens me greatly that ferals on the mainland are dealt with by pest control companies; in fact I think it is disgusting. They do not ask to be born, and they DO have their place. Some will go on to make perfectly good domestic pets others who are a bit more sprightly do very well as farm or stable cats. At present we are neutering and spaying two colonies: on one farm a mother and her 5 kittens the other the mother and her 3 kittens, someone seems to have taken the other kitten home with them ! Three of the kittens have now gone onto a private stables and the remainder will go back to where they came from. All are fed and looked out too, and all have a warm hay barn to curl up in. We always stay in the background in case any of the ferals need our help in the future, and we are always more than happy to assist in any way we can. Ferals should have the same rights as domestic cats when it comes to quality of life and the right to have a life without being dismissed and discarded.

The Special Neutering and Spaying Scheme we run with the RSPCA is continuing to do well. We have cats and kittens coming through the scheme most weeks. Numbers tend to drop dramatically during the summer months, mainly as the unspayed females are doing what comes naturally, but generally come October we begin to gain momentum once again. The Scheme is definitely making a difference on the Island so long may it last.

I would like to thank all the Vets and staff at The Lawns in Ryde also at Green and Forster in Carisbrooke. They have all taken great care of all our furry friends during the past year for which we are most grateful.

I would also like to thank Liz and Doug also Vanessa for all their hard work yet again with their endless fund raising activities, we could not go on without their continued support.

Many thanks must also go to our regular donators of cat food and cat litter, it really is a great help, and obviously benefits our feline friends directly. Grateful thanks go also to our kind supporters who donate money, bric-a-brac, raffle prizes and always come up trumps with their baking skills for our Fayres.

Creature Comforts has again given an excellent friendly weekly service throughout yet another year, for which we are most grateful.

Nigel, Katrina, Harry and Rosemary have as usual been very supportive and a great help in so many for which I would like to thank them all very much.

Sally has been helping with fostering and has at present two of our felines in her charge. She has sadly lost some of her older cats this year, something which is never easy to bear, but no doubt at some stage in the future she will be taking more elderly pussies into her heart and her home, that is if ‘Paws’ approves of course – after all he is in charge!!! Or so he believes! Thank you Sally for all your help including all the much needed moral support!

We plan to continue our rescue work and in turn make many sad ‘tails’ into happy ones but we can’t do it alone. All your much needed help is vital to enable us to carry out our work and we look forward to the year ahead knowing we can and will make a difference. We hope, as we always do at this time of year, that the year ahead will see less suffering and neglect for our all animal friends.

I would like to wish all our supporters and their pets a Very Happy Christmas and New Year.

Until the next time,
Nikki