Sad Loss of Stan "the Man"

Hello all and sorry for it being such a long time that we have not written on the news page. Summer has been hectic with one thing and another and well....time has just passed us by and winter is soon approaching.
On a sad note we write to let you know of the passing of one of our former residents, Stan .
Stan had been rehomed through the rescue a few months ago and we all had hoped that he had settled into his new residence. Unfortunately though a close firend of the rescue had got in touch with us to say that she had been feeding a stray cat she had called "Sam", and had done so for the majority of 8 weeks. Even after she had been on holiday for 2 weeks he still appeared at her back door. We kindly took him in and we were 99% sure it was Stan...Pictures from other volunteers and dental records from our vet (where Stan had had a dental previously) confirmed it was the one and only..... but Stan had come back to us with some more irritation and inflammation to the back of his mouth. We agreed that he should be looked at closer under anaesthetic and possibly more dental work if necessary.
His operation went well but sadly a short time afterwards Stan passed away. Nothing could have predicted what, how or why this happened....he had had such special care and attention given to him at our vets. We just hope that Stan will remember us also for the care we gave him and how special we all thought he was. A true character....very much the social cat around human lunchtime....quite willing to taste test sandwiches and packs of meat...a truly wonderful boy and we shall miss him dearly.... R.I.P. Stanley....we will all have a special place for you in our hearts. xxxxxx

Another sad loss

I really am so sorry to be the bearer of more sad news. Early hours of this morning (Monday 27th July) one of our more recent residents passed away. Robyn, a cream and brown "older" girl amongst the residents had not been herself for the past week. Our vet recommended we tried her back on the medication that she had been taking in the past. Robyn, as a lot of us will remember was not the cleanest of cats by any means and this meant that her time being rehomed was only short lived. Robyn had had many tests and samples taken to determine what was actually up and tried all sorts of special diets to keeping her in a cage for a short while to monitor her "movements" against certain diets. Unfortunately Robyn wanted out and the medication didn't seem to make her bowels improve much. We decided that time outside might be more of a remedy for her...how wrong could we be. Robyn always made sure of that....it was very honourable of some that some of the early risers to the rescue, namely Rose and Pat that cleaned most of her , shall we say "deposits" up...but we loved Robyn all the same... we just accepted that Robyn was going to be a bit on the messy side. After all, that is what rescue work is all about... you take the good with the bad.



Robyn passed away in her sleep and she has been buried in her favourite snoozing spot in the garden. R.I.P. Robyn...you shall be remembered for a very long time. xxxx Faye and all your friends at Oldham Cats

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!

Just a note to thank everyone who made it to our Summer Fayre...using the term loosely!!! The weather was awful but our fairweathered volunteers and supporters made it on the day. We a staggering £2205.00....a total shock to us all.... but all the same very much appreciated. Part of this amount was taken from my sponsored 7 weeks of not washing my hair. This raised £282.00. Asked would I do it again....No!...It was the best feeling washing my hair that evening although I must say it seems in better condition! Thank you everyone who sponsored me....just have to think of something for next year.....Any ideas are very welcome!
T.H.A.N.K. Y.O.U.... especially to all volunteers who again gave up their spare time beforehand and on the day.... teamwork once again!
Bye for now
Faye

ADOPTION INCREASE

Due to increases in veterinary fees we have now had to increase to the adoption fees for ALL cats and kittens. The new adoption fee is £45.00 EACH cat or kitten. This fee covers the cost of neutering, "at least" their 1st vaccination, flea and worm treatment prior to the cat/kitten being rehomed. We aim to keep the cost to a minimum. This increase is effective immediately.
Thank you for your understanding.
Faye Kennerley
Deputy Rescue Manager

Another Sad Loss

I apologise once more to bring yet more sad news. Last Thursday (18Th June) we had to say farewell to one of our longstanding residents, Chippie. Our lad Chippie came to the rescue around 6 or 7 years ago as he was taken into a vets in the Holmfirth area as a stray. Not wanting to have the cat put to sleep, we were asked to take on the challenge. Chippie was not the easiest of cats to handle, having very sharp teeth and claws - he wasn't afraid to use them, sometimes all at once. Any visitor that may have taken a shine to him was warned of his nature. If you left him alone then he would leave you alone, that's just how it worked. Sadly though more recently, Chippie had started to look a bit under the weather, poor coat condition and not his sprightly self. He had a dental, antibiotics, you name it he got it. The vet took a good look at his mouth (under anaesthetic!) and biopsies were sent off as initially we thought he just had an abscess. We waited and finally his results came back. An aggressive soft tissue cancer in his mouth that was causing him pain and great discomfort. We took the decision that Chippie would be put to sleep and have a private cremation. His ashes will be buried at the rescue, the place where he loved to be. He was a grumpy soul but at least he was ours. R.I.P. Chippie, lunchtime isn't the same without you. From all your volunteer friends. xxxx

ADOPTION INCREASE FOR KITTENS

Good morning everyone.
This is a notice to advise that as of the 1st June 2009 we will be increasing the adoption fee for kittens from £40.00 to £45.00. This cost still covers neutering, 1st vaccine and flea/worm treatment prior to adoption.
Unfortunately this increase has happened as our vets have increased their rates to us for neutering.
Thank you all in advance for your understanding.
Regards for now
Faye

RE-OPENED

Just a very quick note to thank people for their patience. The main cattery is 99% finished and so we can now taken in cats that need re homing. PLEASE do not just turn up expecting a space...you need to call us first as we have already got some cats coming in today that have been waiting a number of weeks.
Thank you,
Faye

RE-OPENING AND OTHER NEWS

Hi everyone
Just to let you all know that hopefully by this weekend we will be able to open our doors once more to the main cattery at the rescue. Work is almost complete although the odour off the floor paint we are using is very pungent and we need the next few days to clear the air and make sure all the "big" jobs are done. Just a note of warning... we already have a few of our cats that need to come back as they have not settled for one reason or another with their new owners. These cats HAVE to take precedence and any other spaces that we have will no doubt be snapped up in the process.
I would like to take this opportunity to that all the volunteers that have been involved with the recent makeover, in particular Graeme. Caroline's (one of our volunteers who helps mainly in the charity shop we have) Husband has worked so hard these past few weeks and has been the man behind a lot of the bigger jobs....and he has survived the fumes off the paint to boot! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE...and to the public for their patience at this time.

Now for some other news.


CALLING ALL GREEN FINGERS!
We are currently looking f0r some temporary help with our small garden that is in the grounds of the rescue. As volunteers have been "otherwise engaged" the garden has taken a bit of a back seat. Are there any EXPERIENCED gardeners out there that could help us give this area a face lift to go with the rest of the rescue. Please contact Lynda, Pat or Faye at the rescue if you are able to offer your help. Thank you in advance.

HAVING A BAD HAIR DAY !!!!
Spare a thought for a moment....How many times a week do you wash your hair??? Well this year Faye is going to do her ritual fundraiser but this time she isn't having her hair shaved or sporting her 1st tattoo.... she is NOT WASHING HER HAIR from 1st June till the Summer Fayre, which by the way is on 19th July..... any amount can be sponsored either for the duration of weeks or by the day... Top sponsor will be offered the opportunity of washing the greaseball on the day!!!..but don't worry we will supply you with an apron and plastic gloves...
Please contact Faye either by email through the site (oldhamcats@tiscali.co.uk) or call her at the rescue on a Monday, Thursday or Friday.... Every penny counts and all proceeds will be given to the rescue....
That's all for now...Please call us at the rescue if you would like to add any comments or have news of your own.
Regards for now
Faye Kennerley

Whats Happening at the rescue

Hi everyone.
We are yet to start the painting as we still have a few cats in the rescue, some of which have been returned to us for one reason or another. We are ambitious that the work will be starting this weekend but just hope that some very caring people are out there to adopt the beautiful cats that we currently have.

Regarding the website,we are trying to get in touch with the web designer Michelle to see if we can give the site a whole new makeover and be able to access the site and any changes it needs from the rescue itself. We have enrolled (or he has offered his expert help) a volunteer called Michael who is eager to get started with the technology side.... of course my brain will only stretch so far and have to admit when enough is enough!!

Michael in the meantime is always there to offer his help with any work that is required
of the rescue and this varies from day to day. It is so good to have another pair of hands on board that can switch from cleaning, to painting, to cleaning out the farm animals etc. A woman's work (or man's for that matter!) is never done at the rescue, that's for sure!!

Why don't you pay the rescue a visit soon, we might even offer you a paint brush!

On the note of kittens, we still do not have any available for rehoming..... call us direct for any updates about kittens..It is virtually the start of the season so no doubt we will have some very soon.
Regards for now and I will update you with any more information that we have.
Faye

CATTERY "MAKEOVER"

Hi everyone....
Just a quick note to tell you that the main cattery will not be taking in any adult cats for the next week or so. This is simply because we need to re-paint and do a few odd jobs. If we had cats in the room it would definitely distress them.
Our Mum and Baby room is still in operation although we DO NOT HAVE ANY KITTENS at present.
For any further details please call us direct at the rescue on 0161 653 6530. Thank you, Faye.

Another Sad Loss

Sorry, but yet again I write with some sad news. Splodge, one of our resident cats had been on foster with me since he suffered his 1st stroke in December 2007. A real fighter, Splodge (who was about 11 years old) bounced back to life with little sign of him ever having a stroke, apart from his little tongue that would hang at the side of his mouth!. Splodge was back to normal and enjoying life as part of my family. He would sleep literally on top of me each night as if he were the boss of the house and was "on guard"...well he did use to sort my daft dog out now and again. Sadly though Splodge suffered his second stroke in February of this year and needed to be put on permanent medication. For the majority of the time he was okay with this but as he began to lose weight he went for another check-up. x-rays, blood tests were explained to me that he needed more medication. He would need liquid paraffin as well, as he had a tendency of becoming impacted. Over these past 4 days though Splodge had begun refusing food and administering his medication was getting even harder. He was crying to me as if he was saying "please no more" and the medication was vital. I took him to our vet on Monday 13th April and explained to him all of his symptoms. Splodge was impacted again (even though he had been having the paraffin) and the vet explained that sedating him could be very risky with the damage the stroke had put on his heart. He was also having problems with his bladder. The vet and myself came to our decision- together. Not an easy one to make for anybody, but he agreed with me that in the past we had said that Splodge would have quality of life and not quantity and that this was the right time to let him go rather than see him suffer and struggle in the forthcoming days or weeks. Splodge was put to sleep at 10.15 13th April 2009. He will have a private cremation and his ashes will be buried alongside our mascot cat, Barney.

May he rest in peace and be remembered fondly. x x x x x x x

His space on my radiator cover in our lounge is empty as is a part of my heart. Loving you always "Splodgey Wadge" x x x x Faye x x x x

Our Sad Loss

It is sad news today I am afraid. As many of you who have visited the rescue will know that we not only have cats, but along the way we have rescued rabbits, ducks and goats. On Friday 3rd April one of our white Sister goats passed away. The two of them came to us in March 2001 when they were about a year old. Sparkle and the late Crystal were brought to us in a fairly poor condition and they were not used to having so much space. Throughout their first few months we had them tethered out during the day so that they would learn where their new home was and then at night we bedded them in the stables. Gradually we got together enough money to buy sheds for them to live out in the field so that we could admire them all day and they could live as normal a life as possible. We then took on a Pygmy goat we called Twinkle or Twinky as she is better known as. Even though she was the smaller of the 3 she is definitely the boss. Giving volunteers the runaround when it was time for their hooves to be trimmed! Crystal however during this past week had started to lose weight and was not as active as the other two. We sought veterinary help but even with this and the care of the volunteers, Crystal sadly died. It is upsetting to see such a big character pass away and we are making sure that the other two are adapting to their loss.

R.I.P. Crystal, you'll not be forgotten.

Faye, Deputy Rescue Manager.

We got to be on youtube!!!

Hi everyone....
A good year or two ago we had some students filming at the rescue as they were in the process of setting up a website for rescue work. I was the unfortunate one who got picked on. It was a lovely rainy day and I had to talk about the work we do...I suppose after a lot of editing to dispose of all the "Erms" and "arghs" the film was finally processed. The students however never got in touch with us so we were unaware that it had been placed on You Tube... Here is the link if anyone wants a good laugh....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0tNeYxaXkg&feature=channel
Sorry about my appearance...the make-up artist and plastic surgeon were not available that day....and I don't know why I got called Sue!!!
Bye for now
Faye

Just a quick message. Our re homing section linked to this website (www.dropshots.com/oldhamcats) only shows information on adult cats ready for adoption. We do not put any kitten information on the site...simply because in the height of the kitten season we would not have enough space - or the time!.
WE DO NOT HAVE ANY KITTENS AT PRESENT.
Kitten season runs approximately from May to September and is usually governed by the light nights and "warm" weather. Please contact us nearer the time if your enquiry is just for kittens. Thank you. Faye

Welcome Everyone

Hi to everyone who will be visiting the Oldham Cats website. This is a new section that we have introduced to keep people updated with anything that is happening at the rescue. As this is my first time too (and I was away from the rescue this weekend!) I don't actually have anything to report...yet... but don't worry now that we have this space to write then it will be all systems go from here! I am hoping that with the help of one of our other volunteers Sue(who works weekends) that we can keep everyone's finger on the pulse. That's it for now then...I'll be back with news as soon as possible.
Faye

Welcome

To make news more up to date, this blog will be written by a number of Oldham Cats volunteers.  Look forward to hearing all the cattery news on this site!

-Michelle