Kitten Watch Part 4, Daisy, a purrfect mum!

Daisy’s kittens are now 2 weeks old and it’s a pleasure to watch her tending her fast growing cuties with a total devotion to their needs. She is very chatty with them and quickly responds to their calls with soft meows and reassuring chirps.

 

All cat admitted into our care are vaccinated before leaving the centre and Daisy is no exception.  She saw the vet again this week during our weekly vet run, she was a very brave girl when she had her vaccination which will cover her for cat flu, infectious feline enteritis and feline leukaemia.  To find out more about the importance of getting your cat vaccinated please click here

Daffodil, Emma, Dewi and Eire have more than double in size and are growing at a very quick rate gaining around 10 grams a day. Their fur is getting very fluffy, they have the curtest of whiskers and the tiniest of nails.  Cat whiskers are filled with very sensitive nerves, they help cats judge distance, and space, feel their way around in the dark and to sense vibrations in the air when hunting. Their ears are almost fully erect and they are starting to respond to sound.  

 

Daffodil, has cute whiskers and tiny nails

 

The kitten’s eyes are now open completely but their vision will still be blurred.  Their eyes are a lovely deep blue colour as all young kittens are at this age, they will change to their adult colour by the age of 6 weeks.  Their baby incisors are starting to come through, their sense of smell is starting to develop, and they will hiss at strange smells.

 

Eire's eyes are open but her vision is still blurred

The kittens are more mobile and are starting to crawl away from Daisy, they are also more aware of their siblings and starting to interact with each other.  All in all, they are a total bunch of absolute cuteness!

 



 

 

You can help contribute towards the cost of caring for Daisy, her kittens and other unwanted cats by becoming a Cats Protection sponsor, to get started, please visit here

Alternatively you can make a one off donation to our kitten appeal at http://bit.ly/2GDxM7P or by texting BRKW48 followed by £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 to 70070. 

 Daisy is one of the lucky cats who has found her way into our care, sadly every year many cats give birth out doors with no proper shelter and care.  Although we all love seeing mums with kittens at the centre, we would always advocate getting cats neutered as this is the only effective way to reduce unwanted cats in the UK.  A fact which surprises everyone is that one female cat can be responsible for a staggering 20,000 descendants in just five years!   For help with neutering your cat, please click here

Watch this space for our next kitten watch blog!

 

Kitten Watch Part 3, Daisy's kittens have names!

We can’t believe Daisy’s kittens are 1 week old already!  All 4 kittens are thriving thanks to the devoted care and attention of Daisy, who is proving to be a wonderful mum.  Daisy herself is enjoying motherhood and is looking very proud of herself, she loves showing off her kittens and sometimes seems to have a bit of a self satisfied smile, especially when she’s cwtching (cuddling) her kittens.

Daisy cwtching (cuddling) one of her kittens
 

The moment we were really excited about was naming the kittens, we had lots of suggestions on our facebook page and after much deliberation we settled on names to represent the different events which took part on the 1^st March.  The names we have chosen are Dewi for the male, this is welsh for David to represent St David’s Day.  For the females we chose Emma to represent the storm they were born in, Eira (welsh for snow) as we had plenty of it on the day and finally Daffodil to represent the first day of spring.

Dewi, Emma, Eira and Daffodil (Left to right)
 

Daisy and the kittens have all had vet checks and been declared fit and healthy.  The kittens are very forward for their age, they are already well grown, their eyes started to open at just 4 days of age, and ears are starting to stand upright.  Their fur is starting to grow and they are crawling around, we think Daisy is going her paws full with them in a couple of weeks’ time!

Daffodil having her vet check
 

Keeping 4 growing kittens fed has given Daisy a really big appetite so we are feeding her adlib, this means that she doesn’t have scheduled feeds but has access to good quality kitten biscuits/meat at all times.  She is having kitten food as it is more nutritious than adult food so this will give her the extra nutrient she needs to keep herself and her kittens healthy.  We also make sure that she access to fresh drinking water at all times and plenty of toys, although her favourite past time at the moment is just chilling with and looking after her kittens.

Daisy enjoying chilling with her kittens

You can help contribute towards the cost of caring for Daisy, her kittens and other unwanted cats by becoming a Cats Protection sponsor, to get started, please visit here

Alternatively you can make a one off donation to our kitten appeal at http://bit.ly/2GDxM7P or by texting BRKW48 followed by £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 to 70070. 
 

Daisy is one of the lucky cats who has found her way into our care, sadly every year many cats give birth out doors with no proper shelter and care.  Although we all love seeing mums with kittens at the centre, we would always advocate getting cats neutered as this is the only effective way to reduce unwanted cats in the UK.  A fact which surprises everyone is that one female cat can be responsible for a staggering 20,000 descendants in just five years!   For help with neutering your cat, please click here

Watch this space for our next kitten watch blog!

Kitten Watch, Sponsor Cat Daisy Gives Birth!

The weather might be confused as to when spring is starting but Daisy, the star of our kitten watch had no doubt in her mind the 1^st March was the first day of Spring!   As the grounds at the centre were being covered in a blanket of snow and the wind was howling outside, she was calmly giving birth to her kittens.  Daisy went into labour at 8 am in the morning just as several team members who had braved the weather arrived at the centre, and soon after gave birth to her first kitten. 

The secret of being a good midwife with cats is to watch quietly and not to disturb or make them anxious.  From watching Daisy we soon realised that she had everything under control, this was a big relief as the last thing we wanted to do was to travel her to the vets in the freezing cold conditions.

The birth of each kitten takes around 30 minutes, this was the case with Daisy for her first 3 kittens, as each one was born she would lick the kitten to clean it and encourage it to breath.  Daisy seemed to settle after the first 3 kittens but she wasn’t quite done, a couple of hours later she gave birth to her 4^th and final kitten.

Daisy licking one of her kittens clean

Daisy is a very relaxed mum and soon her kittens were all dry, clean, settled and suckling contentedly on her.  We were very glad all the kittens were feeding well as the first milk Daisy produces is colostrum, this is rich with antibodies and will help kittens fight against diseases.  Kittens can only absorb colostrum during the first 16 – 24 hours of life and need to feed within 2 hours of birth, we all gave a big sigh of relief when this hurdle was over.  The kittens will now feed every 2 – 3 hours until they are around 2 weeks old

Daisy settled with her kittens

Kittens are born with their eyes shut and ear canal closed so they are blind and deaf, this doesn’t stop them developing a really close bond with their mum.  You would think that after seeing 100’s of mums give birth at the centre over the years we would be immune to the charm of watching what an amazing bond mums have with their kittens, but this is something which never gets old.

Kittens are born blind and deaf

The kittens can’t regulate their body temperature at this age, they will depend on Daisy and litter mates to keep warm.  Fortunately we have under floor heating in our pens so they are nice and cosy, although we did have a bit of a scare this morning when the power went off.  Thankfully a call to the power distribution board to explain the situation and how important it was for us to have power due to the number of cats in our care soon saw the situation resolved and we could all breath another sigh of relief. 

A couple of last interesting facts about kittens is that they are all born with blue eyes, these change colour around 6 weeks of age. They also need help pottying, the mum licks them to stimulate them to go to the toilet after meals, they are generally ready to begin litter training around 4 weeks of age.

You can help contribute towards the cost of caring for Daisy, her kittens and other wanted cats by becoming a Cats Protection sponsor, to get started, please visit here
Alternatively you can make a one off donation to our kitten appeal at http://bit.ly/2GDxM7P or by texting BRKW48 followed by £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 to 70070. 

Daisy is one of the lucky cats who has found her way into our care, sadly every year many cats give birth out doors with no proper shelter and care.  Although we all love seeing mums with kittens at the centre, we would always advocate getting cats neutered as this is the only effective way to reduce unwanted cats in the UK.  A fact which surprises everyone is that one female cat can be responsible for a staggering 20,000 descendants in just five years!   For help with neutering your cat, please click here

Watch this space for our next kitten watch blog!

Kitten Watch!

Daisy is a beautiful heavily pregnant 3-year-old cat, in this blog we are going to follow Daisy and her kittens journey from birth to finding their forever homes.

Daisy contented and relaxed whilst waiting to give birth

Daisy was admitted into our care because her owners moved away and left her behind.  A kind family fed her for a month before contacting Cats Protection for help as they weren’t in a position to offer her a permanent home.   Daisy is a very friendly and affectionate cat with the loudest purr ever, she is very contented and relaxed as she waits for the birth of her kittens. 

Daisy had her first vet check on the 20th February and was blood tested for the FIV (cat aids virus) and FeLV (cat leukaemia virus) and is thankfully negative for both.  Both these diseases are sexually transmitted and female cats can get infected during mating. We are always relieved to get this test out of the way!  Our vet gave Daisy a clean bill of health and has estimated she has around a week to go before giving birth, she is huge though so we are all taking guesses as to how many kittens she will have, 5 seems to be the favourite number!  We are planning to name the kittens with spring names so get your thinking hats on as we will be asking you for name suggestions! 

Pregnancy lasts for 63 – 65 days in cats (around 9 weeks), we have made sure she has a nice quiet and warm pen to give birth in and giving her plenty of warm and cosy bedding to keep her comfortable.  She is currently being fed kitten food as it’s high in nutrients, she is also eating 25% more food than usual.  She has access to plenty of clean drinking water and lots of toys to keep her entertained whilst she is waiting for the birth of her kittens.  We check Daisy regularly through the day and monitor her closely for signs that she is distressed or going into labour and needless to say, she is getting lots of TLC from the team.

Daisy is one of the lucky cats who has found her way into our care, sadly every year many cats give birth out doors with no proper shelter and care.  Although we all love seeing mums with kittens at the centre, we would always advocate getting cats neutered as this is the only effective way to reduce unwanted cats in the UK.  A fact which surprises everyone is that one female cat can be responsible for a staggering 20,000 descendants in just five years!  
For help with neutering your cat, please click here

Daisy is one of hundreds of unwanted cats and kittens arriving at Bridgend Adoption Centre every year.  Becoming a Cat Protection Sponsor is one of the best ways you can help to provide them with shelter, warmth, food, medical care and the love they need.  You can become a sponsor right now from as little as 19p a day!  To get started just visit https://www.cats.org.uk/bac 

Alternatively you can make a one off donation to our kitten appeal at http://bit.ly/2GDxM7P or by texting BRKW48 followed by £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 to 70070. 

Watch this space for our next kitten watch blog!

New Cardiff Homing and Information Centre Opening

Cats Protection will be celebrating the launch of its new Homing and Information Centre in Cardiff, when Suzy Davies AM officially opens the centre at 12.30pm on Friday 16 February.                  

The new centre, located in the Pets at Home store in Newport Road, will have three custom-built cat pens, housing up to six cats. It will be run by Cats Protection staff and will focus on finding homes for cats that are ready to go to a new home.

Cats Protection’s Regional Centre Operations Manager Sadie Dalton said: “This is the second Cats Protection Homing and Information Centre based in a Pets at Home store – the first opened in Newbury, Berkshire in 2014 - and is one of the ways that we home cats in areas of high footfall. We are looking forward to helping many local people find their perfect feline in the future.”

Suzy Davies AM, commented: “I was so pleased to hear that Cats Protection was opening a new Homing and Information Centre in Cardiff. I found my own gorgeous cat at the Bridgend Adoption Centre where the staff are so caring and committed. Animal welfare is a central concern for Cats Protection and their advice and experience are invaluable to anyone ready to offer a home to a cat, ensuring a good match between every cat and their new human.”

The new centre will be managed by the Cats Protection Adoption Centre in Bridgend and staff will be on hand from 10am – 4pm, apart from Wednesday 10am – 6pm, and Sunday 10.30am – 4pm, to talk about the adoption process and to give out free cat care guides.

Sue Dobbs, Bridgend Adoption Centre Manager, added: “We are very excited about the opening of the new centre and our team at Bridgend is really looking forward to rehoming even more cats in the Cardiff area. There are many benefits to adopting from us, including the peace of mind of knowing your new cat has been examined by a veterinary surgeon. In addition, they have been microchipped, vaccinated, neutered if old enough and will have four weeks’ free insurance.”

Anyone interested in adopting a cat from the Cardiff Homing and Information Centre should call 02920 491001, or email cardiff.hic@cats.org.uk

The Importance of Neutering Male Cats



As an adoption centre we see over a thousand cats a year, many of which are unneutered. At cats protection we believe early neutering is an essential part of responsible cat ownership. Cats are very effective breeders and the number of kittens born can skyrocket in a matter of months!

 

Many of the unneutered ‘entire’ males we see at the centre have come into us as strays. It is very common for entire males to wander off in search of females; often they lose their way and arrive at the centre battle scarred, dirty and cold.

 

This is Rowland. Rowland arrived at the centre as an unneutered stray and had previously been living in a hedge at the bottom of a garden. Rowland was very dirty, had many cuts on his face (from fighting) and had an ear mite infestation.  Rowland’s coat is cleaning up nicely and he is currently available for adoption.

In most cases once over the age of two and sexually mature, entire males are easily identifiable.

·         They have big ‘cheeks’ from muscles designed to take the impact of a fight.

·         They have their very own ‘eau de tom’. A pungent odour caused by a high level of testosterone and feline proteins in the urine. This is to ward off other males and to let females know that there is an eligible stud in the area.

·         They are often unkempt as they will spend many hours patrolling their territory and very little time grooming.

A male cat should be neutered as soon as possible, before reaching sexual maturity to prevent any unwanted behaviours.

Rudolph had been straying for many months before he came into our care. Rudolph has the typical tom cheeks we see in entire males. He is currently reserved will be leaving us very soon. Now neutered he should enjoy a stress free life in a home!

 

Entire males will roam and often injure themselves leading to expensive vet bills.

·         Entire males are more likely to suffer from a road traffic accident as they will spend a large quantity of their time outside.

·          They are at a higher risk of contracting life threatening diseases such as FIV and FeLV from fighting and mating with other cats.

·         They are at a higher risk of developing tumours and cancers. Particularity testicular cancer.

·         They may experience higher levels of stress due to sexual frustrations which can lead to behavioural issues and stress related cystitis.

Neutering your cat has many health benefits and is also beneficial to your cat’s mental welfare

·         Neutered males are less likely to roam and make for more homely cats.

·         They are less likely to fight which greatly reduces the risk of them contracting serious and life threatening diseases.

·         They are less likely to spray. The smell of their urine should decrease immensely.

This is Garfield. Garfield came into care as a stray and had been living outside for some time. Garfields eyelashes had grown inwards causing him pain. It is not known how long he would have been suffering from prior to arriving at the centre. He has had surgery on his eyes to correct this and he is healing well. He is awaiting a second surgery and is not currently available for adoption.

 

The cost of neutering varies depending on location. The average cost for a male cat is usually around £30 - £60. Cats protection can offer financial assistance to owners on benefits or low income. For more details visit www.cats.org.uk/neutering or telephone 03000 12 12 12.





2017: A Year of Sucess!

 

We have had an extremely busy and successful year here at Cats Protection Bridgend and we have had many memorable cats come and go through the centre. We wanted to share with you some of our highlights of the year of cats who found their forever homes and beat the odds.

 

 

Willow:

 

Willow made the national news in Summer this year when she was tipped out of a wood recycling plant truck delivering woodchip at a site near by. A man noticed her and rushed her over to us. We really didn't think Willow was going to make it even on the car journey to the vets but after an X-ray and a few tests it was found out she had had a small head trauma but suffered no broken bones. We kept a close eye on Willow for the next few weeks and the cat carers spent time each day teaching Willow to learn how to eat, play and purr again! She became incredibly confident and affectionate and got the all clear from the vets ready to find her new start.





 





Willow.



Willow the day she was found.

Willow settled into her new home!

Bear:

 

Bear was a firm favourite here at the centre this year, he came into us in April this year after his owner suffered an allergy to his beautiful fur. We discovered that bear was totally blind but had managed his whole 5 years well so far as an Indoor cat. Bear was incredibly shy at first but after gaining our trust he turned out to be a total love bug who adored attention and being groomed. Bear has now found his happy ending living locally with his new best canine pal. 

 

 

Bear

 



Ushi and Ursa:

 

Ushi and Ursa came into the centre with 10 other cats from the same household. They had such severe flu which caused their eyes to be damaged causing them a lot of pain. This lead them to have one eye each removed. The girls were so shy and scared at first but a few days after their operation they were totally new personalities! They had become loving and trusting and now both live in their new home together. 

 

Ushi and Ursa: Before vs After.

Bruiser:

 

Bruiser was our gentle giant of 2017. He came from a multi-cat household and had a serious eye issue where his eye lashes had grown inwards and were causing him pain. After trying treatment the only thing we could do for Bruiser was to give him two surgeries on his eyes to remove the lashes that were causing him distress. He was so brave and friendly during his whole ordeal and we were so happy that after a long time spent with us at the centre, he finally found his forever home. 

 

Bruiser Before

Bruiser after his operation



Bruiser after.

Sassy:

Sassy came in to us found as a stray, she was found in Port Talbot and bought into us in a very sorry state. We managed to locate her owners however they knew she had gone missing as she ran away after she no longer liked the new baby in the house or the neighbourhood cats. After much discussion they had to make the sad and hard decision let us take care of her from here and find her a new home. Sassy had developed hyperthyroidism in which she had to have one of her thyroid glands removed. Throughout the whole time here Sassy remained fabulous and an incredibly sweet, loving cat. We are happy to say Sassy is well and truly settled into her new home living out her twilight years.



Sassy



Sassy settled in her new loving home.

CP Turns 90:

This year Cats Protection also celebrated it's wonderful 90th Birthday! We here at Bridgend celebrated in style with a 1930's themed bash. Thankyou to everybody who came and supported and helped out - we managed to raise almost £3000 on the day. 

We would like to say a huge thankyou from everyone at the centre to all our supporters, volunteers and adopters this year, we have homed over 1460 cats and kittens and look forward to homing many more in 2018!

Have a great festive period and best wishes for the new year.

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