Winston the FIV cat is still with us, a potential home for him did not come to fruition so we are now having to decide on his future.He is too affectionate and loving for us to consider having him put to sleep but in truth, his skin condition is only slightly improved.The twice weekly baths he has ,are causing him too much stress, he goes downhill after every one so we are now trying alternative treatments.At the moment he is having Aloe Vera gel on his skin and we are considering releasing him at the shelter,Of course the biggest concern is whether our other resident cats will catch FIV but as Winston is a lover and not a fighter, and all our cats live peaceably together, the chances of that are minimal. We will make the decision this week, Winston cannot spend the rest of his life in a small pen so this seems to be the favourite option. He is everybody’s favourite, such a sweet natured and loving cat and so sad that he has ended up homeless .Veterinary treatment in the early stages would have made such a difference to him.
We still have a couple of dozen kittens here still awaiting homes, some are being adopted but they are going very slowly. It is holiday time for many families so this is to be expected at this time of year , nevertheless it worries us and especially as we need to make room for the stray and abandoned kittens about which we receive daily calls. Last weekend someone turned up with a stray mother cat and kitten; they seemed unlikely to leave with them so we felt we had to try to make room but quite honestly now we simply don’t have any more room for even one more cat or kitten. It makes me wonder what happened to unwanted cats before Fresh fields moved here in 2002? I dread to think. Financially we are in a very poor state and have just managed to struggle through this past couple of years. it is so hard to raise the funds needed to cover our weekly expenditure but it is imperative that we keep going for the animals in this area. The Liverpool shelter, so far, has managed to help us out by injecting regular sums in to our bank account but we don’t want to continue being a burden on their resources, they need every penny they can get to continue their own work on Merseyside. I was looking at one of their posts about a litter of abandoned puppies – almost one hundred thousand people read that post. Imagine if each person donated just One Pound to the charity! That just doesn’t happen but what a difference it would make to us.
We have heard from Linda who has taken on our lovely Glen and he is doing really well, getting on with her other collies and altogether she is very pleased with his progress.What brilliant news. We are all so happy for him.When we have a dog for such a long period of time and he goes to a home, there is always a concern that he/she may not settle or behave well in a domestic environment so this news about Glen was very welcome.Well done Glen.We knew that there was somebody out there in the big wide world just waiting for you, and now you and Linda have been united at last. A good news goes, this success story is unbeatable. The best news of the year so far for us.
Apart from locals ringing us, we often have calls from holidaymakers who have spotted animals in distress and I am always pleased that these people care enough to do something positive instead of walking on by and ignoring the plight of the animal or bird. Today we had an issue over a gull with a broken wing , a tiny kitten was found and a cat was seen with a broken paw. It takes time to sort out volunteers to help us with these kind of emergencies. This past year has seen an increase in our volunteer database but many are not available during the week which is often when we receive such calls.If we can add you to this important database please let me know.The more helpers we have , the more animals to which we can offer our assistance.
We are getting close to our Open Day.Please join us if you are in the vicinity on September 4th.We will be having our Fun Dog show with classes for pedigrees , rescue dogs and crossbreeds. If you would like to see a schedule of classes, please ring the shelter 01286 880808 and we will send you a copy.
As you know, many of our dogs go to live further afield, this week we have had two collies adopted by families in Norfolk and Somerset! Both will be living with other collies and with people used to the liveliness and intelligence of the breed .So many take collies without understanding just how much their minds and bodies need more stimulation than most other breeds.
Today I received a call from a breeder who for personal reasons wanted to part with some of her dogs.Gail and I plan to collect them tomorrow. As far as I can tell they are all stud dogs and breeding bitches aged between 5 years and 9 years, a mixture of poodles,cockapoos and cocker spaniels.Providing I can book them into a local boarding kennels, I hope to bring back seven of these dogs.
Saturday:
We collected the dogs, they were so unsocialised and nervous it was distressing to see.The poodles particularly were very jumpy and frightened of being handled.We took them to a boarding kennels and on Monday I will arrange for a Vet to visit and check them all over, give them first vaccinations and then get those who need it booked in for dentals.I am trying to raise the money for the boarding kennels and vets fees through Facebook .If anyone can help in this way you can donate by text or through the website: Any help with fundraising would be appreciated.
www.freshfields.org.uk.
