11th October:
Cold, wet and windy, thank goodness our new waterproofs have arrived. The staff have all been getting soaked through to the skin, especially those walking the dogs or working with the horses. It is so hard to find waterproofs which really are what they claim to be, and are not exorbitantly priced.Here’s hoping the new ones from Dickies will stand the Freshfields Wales weather test!
The refurbishment of our feral cat enclosure is underway thanks to a donation from the family of our recently deceased friend Billy Meade. We had thought that just the outdoor wired enclosure and the pen roof needed to be replaced but as work continued it was found that much of the woodwork had rotted and needed replacing. As soon as the work is completed, we will be taking in the cats Bill had rescued and who are now homeless. Kind hearted Bill had been feeding a colony of feral cats when the derelict house in which they were sheltering, was put up for sale. To save their home, Bill purchased the house himself! Not many would go to those lengths and we want those same cats to be safe and cared for as he would have wished.
Once the feral home is finished, we want to turn our attention to the main cattery which is in danger of totally falling apart. Already the roof has collapsed in a couple of the pens which are out of use and have been for almost a year.Lack of funding has prevented us doing anything about it but if we have money left over from the feral enclosure work, we will put that towards the costs of refurbishment. Originally we had planning permission for much grander facilities but the reality is that our day to day expenses take precedent and we have to be realistic about the prospects of a total rebuild.
I can’t believe that I am now having to think about organising Christmas fundraisers but that has been one of my jobs for this week. So far I have arranged for one at The Royal Sportsman Hotel in Porthmadog on Saturday 25th November.The new owners have kindly allowed us to use it free of charge. I do, however need some volunteers for the day (10am – 3pm). Any offers? I am also checking out a couple of venues in the Pwllheli /Abersoch area so if anyone in that area can offer help on our stalls or can donate saleable items or raffle prizes for a Xmas fair please let me know: 01286 479711.
A very big thank you to Lottie Summers who held a ‘pop up’ coffee shop in Beaumaris and raised over £500 for the shelter and to Gina Manston who held a fundraiser in Blaenau Ffestiniog and raised £450. I cannot thank them enough for their support and help to boost our funds.
12th October:
I Put on the waterproofs and guess what? The rain stopped and the sun came out! Typical. At least it’s a brighter day for staff and animals alike. I placed an appeal yesterday on our facebook page for kittens– not one response although around seven thousand people viewed the post. It can be so disheartening. We have 54 kittens either at the shelter, in foster care or on our waiting list to come in when there is a space. How can we home that huge number? It is an impossible task.
A couple of years ago we rescued four feisty Welsh Cobs from very bad conditions in waterlogged fields in Trefor. Stallion King was adopted via our Loan Scheme (after he had been gelded) and now his son Cody has also been found a home. Just his mum and aunt Morwenna and Gwenna are still with us. Our problem is we neither have the staff nor the time to bring them on so they can be riding ponies, so homes are rather limited. That notwithstanding we still do pretty well finding homes for them as companion animals
16th October:
The hurricane is on its way so the weather reports tell us and the wind is certainly becoming stronger so we can only hope that the roofing on our buildings stays in place.That would be the last straw for me at the moment as I have no electricity in the house and have had none for four days. An electrician has been out but failed to get it working again .I am just waiting for an estimate to get the place rewired and until then I have to make do with using the office as a canteen.Being without my music and Tv is killing me, never mind being unable to have a bath or coping with no lights!How did people cope before electricity? It really brings it home how much we rely on it. I am dreading there being a total power cut when the winds reach their strongest. Without electricity in the office, I will really be struggling to cope. We really do need a generator for when this happens but there is only so much money to go around here .The cost of the rewire will, I’m sure be quite frightening too.
Fortunately it is not too cold at the moment so the animals are fine and so are the dogs.We are heating Snugglesafe pads every evening for the old cats in the conservatory; the oldies need their warm beds and the heat from the pads lasts until morning.
The weekend was fairly quiet, the quietest for some time and no animals reserved.
Photo: Cody (on right looking at camera) with his pals Poppy and Zola.
