Cat fostering

WezV

PhilKing said:

Sorry to hear about D'Arcy Wez.  All your cats were great when I was there last year and it is sad when you know they have fought through problems and they fall sick again.  It's a fantastic thing that you are doing with the cat fostering.   Can't wait to see what you have next time I'm there!

you will have to let me know when you are back over.  The hollowbody  is sounding really nice.

PhilKing

Should be late September. 

Congratulations on the wedding btw.  

Do you think there is any chance of the 9-string being ready by then?  Can't wait to try the hollowbody and see how the pickups work in it.

WezV

I still have some doubts about the stability of the 9 string and think i need to do some serious work on the neck join to solve it.  It's been strung for a while and I keep thinking it's resolved, but then the action creeps up again...  i have a couple of bigger fixes to try before I give in though 

WezV

Those kittens are now ready for adoption

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid03663xTa7U9zA3MdkM8sdT6dmrvcjoLkRnFHiCoNpm543QsRbq64C9hUoo48ph11wjl&id=100068121603357&sfnsn=scwspmo

WezV

Those 4 went, last 2 today.  Mum is still with us a few more weeks before she goes off to live as a pub cat.... once neutered!!

6 more turned up today.  These need hand rearing.    8 of them were found in a box, sat in a puddle down a country lane.  2 didn't make it.   

3 black, 3 black and white... so these may be with us longer as these colours are notoriously difficult to rehome

CarbonCopy

Nice to see a fellow cat fosterer on here! We had 3 kittens which were adopted yesterday. The next lot are arriving this weekend.

WezV

They are cute.

Seems it's a busy year.   This is the first time doing proper hand rearing for us.  So I'm currently exhausted!!!

Benm39

You're my absolute hero for your cat fostering. Rekindles my faith in there being good in this world. 

CHRISB50

Benm39 said:

You're my absolute hero for your cat fostering. Rekindles my faith in there being good in this world. 

Likewise. 

It's a great thing you're doing @WezV and @CarbonCopy ;

Reverend

WezV said:

Those 4 went, last 2 today.  Mum is still with us a few more weeks before she goes off to live as a pub cat.... once neutered!!

6 more turned up today.  These need hand rearing.    8 of them were found in a box, sat in a puddle down a country lane.  2 didn't make it.   

3 black, 3 black and white... so these may be with us longer as these colours are notoriously difficult to rehome

I'd love a couple of black cats. or black and white. or just cats in general. 

WezV

these black and whites have had no interest
https://www.harleyshounds.org/get-involved/animals/richie-and-eddie/
https://www.harleyshounds.org/get-involved/animals/wayne-and-garth/

the last pair we had were paired with a tabby each to increase the chances of them finding a home

Philly_Q

WezV said:

these black and whites have had no interest
https://www.harleyshounds.org/get-involved/animals/richie-and-eddie/
https://www.harleyshounds.org/get-involved/animals/wayne-and-garth/

the last pair we had were paired with a tabby each to increase the chances of them finding a home

Goddammit I wish I hadn't looked at that website!

CHRISB50

If I lived closer, I’d take some off you in a heartbeat. 

We’re looking at adopting at the moment. We’ve already got 1 new kitten (black and white funnily enough) from our local rescue centre. Just looking for another. Probably a black one as we love black cats. 

It’s such a shame some colours of cats are less popular. Black cats are fantastic. And our new black and white one is fantastic too. I’m completely besotted! 

Benm39

A post from a friend regarding the love of a black cat...

On March 11, 889 CE, 17-year-old Emperor Uda of Japan wrote:

"On the 6th Day of the 2nd Month of the First Year of the Kampo era. Taking a moment of my free time, I wish to express my joy of the cat. It arrived by boat as a gift to the late Emperor, received from the hands of Minamoto no Kuwashi.

The color of the fur is peerless. None could find the words to describe it, although one said it was reminiscent of the deepest ink. It has an air about it, similar to Kanno. Its length is 5 sun, and its height is 6 sun. I affixed a bow about its neck, but it did not remain for long.

In rebellion, it narrows its eyes and extends its needles. It shows its back.

When it lies down, it curls in a circle like a coin. You cannot see its feet. It's as if it were circular Bi disk. When it stands, its cry expresses profound loneliness, like a black dragon floating above the clouds.

By nature, it likes to stalk birds. It lowers its head and works its tail. It can extend its spine to raise its height by at least 2 sun. Its color allows it to disappear at night. I am convinced it is superior to all other cats."

More on the history of cats in Japan: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/japans-love-hate-relationship-with-cats-180975764

Art: By Day She Made Herself Into A Cat, Arthur Rackham (1920)

PhilKing

I have a black cat (one of my 3), and look after a black and white outside cat that is very timid but aggressive with it.  We did try to trap him, but he is wise to that one, so we have had a dog cage sat outside for about 2 months, letting him get used to it.  The reason we want to catch him is that there is someone who wants him, as they have his sister and used to feed him, before another male cat drove him away.

The kittens are really cute and I never realized that black cats weren't popular (my sister has always had black or black & white cats, she has 2 now).   

Really well done to all of you who foster cats.

Power-Beef

Bravo to the foster fur parents. I am simple, I see cat, I click. If I lived any closer I would love to invite home permanently any of the black ones, that, and I already live with two that don't exactly get along.

WezV

I'm not sure why people don't want them, but it's definitely a thing.

Black cats may be down to a bit of old superstition, but these days I think it might be more to do with them being difficult to capture in pictures for social media.

We probably will keep at least one of this litter as we lost 2 resident black and whites in the last year. 

Power-Beef

WezV said:

...
https://www.harleyshounds.org/get-involved/animals/richie-and-eddie/

...

OMG!! If I didn't already live with 2 cats, I would be enquiring about them. Gosh, hope these boys find a good home.

WezV

WezV said:

Yeah, from the first pics we saw we also doubted it.

Then we met him and it became more obvious. 

We do have a full Maine Coon here too. Tate is definitely not 100%, but has a lot of the features and behaviours you would expect.  

The only thing he doesn't have is the ear and face shape. At the moment he looks like a small cats head on a big cats body, but even our full Maine Coon went through some awkward looking growth phases.

Tate update.....

He's now bigger than our full Maine Coon, and at least 18 months younger. (Both had hair cuts this year so dont have their full coats)



We kept him as he had already had multiple homes in his first year, with reports of making a mess and being overly friendly.  We've had no issues with him at all.  

He is still a bit nervous around feet and obviously prefers women to men.  When we shaved him to cure some matted fur we sadly found quite a few scars on his body which likely explain his nervousness.

CHRISB50

Beautiful cats. He’s an absolute stunner. 

My eldest plans to be a Maine Coon mummy at some point. She loves them.