MEET GILGAMESH THE OCICAT

This is the cat I took in on Tuesday evening and took rather poor pictures of. These are a little bit better.

A couple of people think he's a Bengal but I've checked and his spots are very different. He most resembles an Ocicat. Here's a photo of one from Google Images. See what you think.

And here are some more of mine.

If he isn't an Ocicat he's a moggy who looks exactly like one.

I've called him Gilgamesh because he has a regal look to him and an almost archetypal Egyptian cat face (and, yes, I know, Gilgamesh wasn't an Egyptian but from Ur, I think, which is in the neighbourhood so stop being picky). He's also incredibly friendly, loves, nay, demands affection, likes sleeping next to me and seems to hate other cats on sight so, unless things change, I can't see me keeping him.

He's off to the vet on Monday for a check and first flu jab. Also a scan to see if he's chipped.  More later.

Just a couple of kitten photos.

Or four.

TUESDAY EVENING: THE AFTERMATH

By teatime yesterday I decided the bandage around my finger was more trouble than it was worth and took it off. The puncture wounds were small anyway and were healing well. My finger, however, remained swollen and very painful. and today, two days later, it remained swollen and quite painful when I tried to bend it. I'd checked the day before that my tetanus shot was up to date which, as I knew it would be, it was. Got six years to go before I need another.

Late afternoon today I had to go to the dentist to have my, following a tooth removal and a mold taken, new denture fitted. The appointment was at 5 but, because of all the anticipated rush hour traffic, I left early only to find that the heavy traffic wasn't so, to kill a little time, I called in at the vets, which involved only a slight detour, to book in a couple of cats for first flu jab and checkup. Chatting to Sue the receptionist, I told her about, and showed, her my swollen finger. She was surprised I hadn't been given any antibiotics and really thought I should. 

So, after having my improved denture fitted, I called in at A&E on the way home. They sent me to the minor injuries clinic round the corner where I was quickly seen and given antibiotics. The nurse practitioner was really surprised I hadn't been given any in the first place. The total time involved from arriving at the vets, going to the dentists, and getting my pills, was a grand total of 80 minutes which wasn't bad. 

After two days I've now gotten to know my new arrival, the beautiful spotted grey cat, quite well. First off, she's a he. Secondly, while affectionate, he gently employs teeth and claws in displaying this affection. Thirdly, when left alone he can be quite vocal, for a while at least. Fourthly and obviously, he likes as much attention as he can get. Fifthly, two people I know think he's a Bengal. Sixthly, when I've checked on Google Images, he looks to me like an Ocicat -the spots are very different from a Bengal but the stripes and spots match an Oci. I'll see if the vet has any idea when I take him on Monday.

Correction: it was a medicinal shot of Jim Beam and not Jack Daniels on Tuesday night. These differences are important to people who like their bourbon. Check out George Thoroughgood's song I Drink Alone which namechecks his drink of choice. Incidentally when I asked the nurse-practitioner if it was okay to drink with the antibiotics, he said that I could but they advised against it. I'll take that as a yes.

TUESDAY EVENING: TWO TRIPS

This post begins where the previous ended. So if you haven't read that one, then...

Trip 1.

Off I went to check out this stray cat which, I'd been informed on the phone, was surely some pedigree breed. Yeah, sure I thought, heard that one before. Luckily the house I was going to was only a couple of minutes drive away. I say luckily as the finger which had been savaged by the cat a couple of hours earlier was getting quite painful.

Anyway, I went in with the cat carrier and saw the cat and I said out loud, "Breathtaking." She is simply one of the most beautiful cats I have ever seen in the flesh and the photos below don't do her justice.

They really are poor quality but it was a bit of a rush job as I wanted to get this post done now.

She also turned out to be a very friendly and affectionate animal. Initially putting her in the cage in my bedroom, I let her out when I went to bed and she spent most of the night sprawled across the pillow next to me.

Whether or not she is a special breed or just an unusual tabby, I'm not sure. I'll take a decent photo and put it upon Facebook.

Meanwhile I called in on Susan, just round the corner and on my way home, to ask her advice on my throbbing finger and show off the cat. Needless to say Susan told me to go to A&E where I'd have to wait for hours. She also thought the cat was gorgeous.

Trip 2.

After putting the cat in the cage, I rang the hospital for advice and they told me to go to the Grindon Health Centre which deals with the less serious cases. By the time I got there my finger was getting even more painful and got worse the whole time I was in the place -which wasn't much more than twenty minutes during which time I saw two different nurses -one for assessment and the other for treatment.

And the treatment? This-

There are iodine pads underneath in case there's any infection and I have to leave it on for two days before changing it. I've also got to contact my doctor to check my tetanus shots are up to date, which I'm pretty sure they are.

Needless to say, this is making life a little difficult as I'm effectively one and a half handed and I have to be really careful about how I use my left hand -there's one thing I can think about which could be quite tricky. Keeping it dry is also a problem and so is picking things up. It's also slowed down my typing as I'm reduced to only using the middle finger on my left hand -the right, of course, is fine- when normally I'd use all of them.

At this minute (7.44am), my finger still hurts when I try and move it and I'm feeling rather tired, something to do with a bit of a restless night caused by liberal and medicinal use of alcohol (a large shot of Jack Daniels and three glasses of white wine), the finger and a new cat on the bed. Think I'll try for a nap before I go out for my coffee morning.

Bloody cats.

THERE ARE NO PHOTOS OF KITTENS IN THIS POST. THERE IS, HOWEVER, DRIPPING BLOOD AND COMPUTER STUFF.

1. A miserable failure.

Yesterday afternoon, on my way to pick up my clapped out desktop computer, I called in at our shop and found myself booked to collect a cat and keep it until had been vaccinated against cat flu and transferred to our re-homing centre at Ferry Farm Kennels.

The kindly couple who had arranged it, picked -pause typing to empty a foul smelling freshly soiled litter tray and swear irritatedly at the cat responsible- me up at the appointed time, which was just as well because the location was in South Shields and I'd have had great difficulty finding the place if I'd been driving there. Its elderly owner had died and there was only one relative to clear the (council) house. The cat had spent most of that time locked in a room with minimal cleaning up after it. I'd been warned the house smelled a bit but laughed that off as I live in a house with 7 adult cats and four kittens none of which go outside.

It smelled. Pungently. Very pungently.

The cat had been locked in a room, bare of furniture bar a small set of drawers, and with only a window to look out of for entertainment, also minus a litter tray. Not surprising it wasn't in a good mood and it hissed loudly at me despite my gentle approach. It refused the offer to smell my fingers and jumped down off the window. I kept on making reassuring sounds but to no avail and wouldn't let me get close.

When I did manage to get within grabbing distance, it reacted violently. This happened several times so I picked up a curtain from the floor and made a number of attempts to catch him. When I did the cat reacted like a fiend from hell and I just could not hold him and received several bloody scratches for my efforts despite wearing gardening gloves. 

I finally did manage to get a good grip on him and almost had him in the carrier when he upped his game by a factor of ten and left me with a finger literally pouring with blood.

And I mean pouring. I was given a tea towel to wrap round it but the blood still came through and I left a trail of it all the way downstairs to the kitchen where I shoved my hand under a tap. I dried it with the tea towel and it was still pouring from more than one place so I wrapped it tightly round my hand. I'll be honest, by this time I was in a state of shock. It was one of the two worst cat attacks I've suffered.

I talked it over with the couple who'd brought me to rescue the cat and we came to the same sad conclusion. For several reasons it just wasn't salvageable. I couldn't  deal with it even if I could have got it in the carrier; it was just too wild. It needed someone with more experience of difficult cats than I had and who had both the space and the time to help it; again, neither of which I had. The house had to be completely emptied within two days and any other likely prospects had already declined because they didn't have the space/time/whatever.

The couple were sorry about my injuries. I was sorry because I couldn't help the cat which, because of its temperament, is going to have to be put to sleep.

What can I say? Sometime shit just happens. Despite the title I've given this piece, it wasn't a miserable failure so much as just one of those things. I simply don't have the skills, the experience, or the environment available to have helped the poor thing and there's no-one else.

PS.

After typing that I've just had a call from not far away about a stray cat. I said I'd go check it out. Lus my finger is getting stiffer and more painful. If it's no better in the morning I'll have to get it looked at.

2. The nuts and bolts of cat rescuing: computer stuff.

Without computers and the internet, animal rescuing and re-homing would be a lot more difficult than it is. If you're a regular reader of this blog then you know it's just one good example of how it helps. You're also probably familiar with the regularly updated blog post that is a list of all cats and kittens that Animal Krackers has available for re-homing.

Being somewhat deaf, I don't always hear the phone ring, especially if I'm watching TV, which is why email is the most certain way of getting in touch with me. It also means you'll get a considered reply rather than listening to me talking off the top of my head and maybe forgetting important information. I check my Gmail account regularly when I'm in the house and check it frequently on my phone when I'm out. 

In the last couple of minutes I've checked Google Maps for the location of a street where I'm going sometime soon to check out a cat. I do have an A-Z but it's in the car and it's quicker using GMaps.

So, when my computer goes wrong it results in Ian (that's me) being not a happy bunny and this happened over the last few days.

I was happily pottering about on it when a message came up telling me I needed to free up disk space. So I did the stupid thing and ran a duplicate file check. I then paused it and sent a large number of files to the Recycle Bin. And then I did something even more stupid, albeit accidentally. I emptied the Recycle Bin which had the knock on effect of stopping some programs from working. Specifically Picasa which I use to edit and add photos to this blog. And then I was told that I still didn't have spare memory and had to free up more. So, more carefully this time, I sent hundreds of duplicate photos to the Recycle Bin and deliberately emptied it. Despite deleting dozens of Gigabytes  I still needed to free up space. I then tried System Restore in the hopes of reversing my mistakes but couldn't because I didn't have enough free memory, plus I'd accidentally deleted previous restore points so even if it could work it wouldn't make any difference.

So I took it to the local computer repair shop. After spending some time on it, he was of the opinion that the best solution would be to wipe the hard disk clean and reinstall Windows. This would mean a massive loss of data (photos and documents) and software, some free, some paid for -like Microsoft Office (disc lost)- and therefore more expense. Plus I'd lose all my settings like passwords and bookmarked websites. So it would involve a shed-load of expense and a lot of time reinstalling.

I took it home for the weekend when I tried to save as much data (photos and docs) to an external Samsung hard drive.

On Monday morning I dropped it off at the shop and went about the business of cat rescuing. When I picked it up, the computer guy explained that he'd only deleted one of two 1 Terabyte size hard discs on which he'd re-installed Windows, confessing he couldn't understand how I'd managed to fill such enormous sized discs. Neither could I.

I took it home and set about the business of getting it back up and running which I was definitely not looking forward to doing.

Thankfully I was in for a few surprises. I use Dashlane, a password keeping piece of software, and when I logged on to the website (I remembered my password for that), it automatically downloaded itself plus my passwords to my computer. This meant I could access lots of websites without having to get new passwords. In turn, when I signed back on to Google, it remembered all my settings and websites. This saved me a hell of a lot or work and frustration.

I then turned my attention to the second data-filled hard disk. Computer guy hadn't touched it because he had no idea what I wanted to keep. When I looked at it, almost everything on it could be deleted, including documents and photos which I'd already backed up externally. Very little needed to be copied over to the other disc. I also successfully reinstalled said data and photos from the Samsung HD back onto it as well. Once I downloaded Picasa the blog was up and running with lots of new kitten photos.

Of course there was still be problem of having to buy software I used regularly. Like Microsoft Office which was going for nearly a hundred quid on Amazon. I also needed internet security software, again not cheap. While reading reviews for MS Office I came across several mentions of a piece of free and very good (apparently) software called LibreOffice which is widely used so I've downloaded that. Not used it yet but the interface seems clear enough and not dissimilar from MS Office. I put off paying for security software by downloading a free 30-day trial of AVG's in the hopes that I get offered a freebie in the next Amazon Vine list. (In the real world, once a month I get sent a list from Amazon of free stuff to review from which I can pick two items. Some months I don't pick anything, others I get something really good, like the last time I picked up a set of Bose earphones which are the most comfortable I've ever used.) 

I've still got some other stuff to sort out but so far it isn't the major disaster I'd feared and I have got rid of a lot of clutter like dozens of free utilities that I seemed like a good idea at the time but I never used.

Right. I'm off to check out that stray cat.

JEFF'S KITTENS; THE LAST PHOTOS EVER (THIS WEEK)

I'm sorry. I'm trying to give up. Really I am. It's just so hard. I can't help myself. Every time I see one I want to do it. Just one more and then I'll stop. I mean it. But, well, just see for yourself. You can't really blame me for being so weak.

JEFF'S KITTENS AT 21.50 ON MONDAY 12/05/14 (4 WEEKS, 3 DAYS OLD)

Warning: cuteness overdose imminent.

JEFF'S KITTENS: 4 WEEKS OLD

In the process of getting my desktop pc back into working order after having the hard drive emptied and Windows 7 re-installed. Picasa is back up and running though I still need to transfer the saved photos from an external hard drive back onto it.

One of the joys of re-homing cats is the one that's done and dusted in the space of a couple of hours. This morning I got a call  around 12 from a couple who wanted a tabby for his mother. They had to drive about 20 miles to get here but were happy to do so. We only had two and, as the lady was not in the best of health, I recommended the eldest who also happened to be the most placid and who loved sitting on knees and curling up on beds and was one of my favourites -Edgar. While tempted by the more temperamental Alfie, they did like Edgar a lot and realised he'd be more suitable. So they took him. I'm happy, I'm sure he'll be happy, and I bet his new owner will be over the moon once she gets to know him..

A little later I had to go pick up my pc and in the process needed to drive past the back of Animal Krackers shop. As the back gate was open, I stopped and went in to tell them about Edgar and ended up fostering another cat. I'm not getting it till tomorrow afternoon. I'll tell you all about that in a couple of days. In the meantime, here's what you've been waiting for. Yes, it's Jeff's kittens (and Jeff).

A QUIET WEEK

No photos either. Not because I haven't been taking any but because my desktop is still acting up (see previous post). I'm taking it to the repair shop this morning but I've a feeling I'm going to need a new one which will involved a load of hassle transferring data and settings and replacing software and the horror of new passwords and all that crap.

Muddy now seems well on the way to recovery and is eating moderately well, though he prefers the special and expensive convalescent cat food from the vets. He also likes cat milk a lot which is fine in limited quantities but not as a substitute for water and is also expensive. Barring any lapses. I'm taking him to his new long-term fosterers tomorrow which I'm hoping will work out. I'll take him back any time if it doesn't and, to be honest, I'm going to miss him.

The kittens are well into exploring the conservatory and actively playing with each other. They're also into the still wobbly adorable impossibly cute bundles of fluff stage which precedes the less adorable wreck everything in sight they can get their claws into stage. I'm handling them regularly so they no longer react in the scream! it's the giant hands again! phase and don't mind being picked up. I'm pretty certain they're going to be properly socialised by the time it comes to make them available for homing in about four weeks. Anybody want to come and view them with an eye to reserving one or more?

On the re-homing front, Kiki was re-homed last Sunday, new arrivals Angelica and Rasputin are reserved, and I'm showing a couple around at lunchtime today which will hopefully result in an adoption.

All being well, by the next post all computer problems will be  resolved, there'll be lots of cute kitten photos and more good re-homing news.

GOOD DAY SATURDAY: MUDDY AND JEFF'S KITTENS, AN UPDATE

No photos as, when I needed to free up space on my hard disc and tried to do it by deleting duplicate files, among other problems, I found myself unable to access Picasa for the pictures I needed.

Dusty the kitten-cat.

At lunchtime I bid a tear-suppressed goodbye to little Dusty who went off with his two new owners, my sadness at his departure not really balanced by the fact I was sure he'd be well looked after and happy in his new home.

Muddy Waters.

With regard to Muddy, the shaven frail and skinny elderly long haired grey cat, he spent his second night here on my bed about six inches away from me. He does seem to be a quiet nice natured cat who likes people and likes gentle displays of affection. However, he consistently vomited up all kinds of food -Felix sachets and boiled chicken- not all of it but enough to give me cause for concern. This lunchtime, around 12, I tried him with microwaved fish which, seven hours later he's managed to keep down which is something I find very encouraging. I'll give him some more when I've finished this post.

The big surprise came in an email yesterday afternoon. I'd been having my usual nap but with Muddy next to me and got up to check the football results to see how badly Sunderland had been beaten by Manchester United, though I hoped they might have got some kind of result unlikely as it seemed. I checked my emails first and found one from someone offering to give Muddy a home. I'd put him on the available list more in hope than expectation; the expectation being that he'd spend the rest of his life with me.

That's about as unlikely as Sunderland winning away at MU, I thought. Not wanting to let the person -a young woman called Victoria who sounded promising- get away, I replied at once. That done, I checked the football results and Sunderland had beaten MU at Old Trafford for the first time since 1968 and all but secured their Premiership survival when once it looked an absolute certainty they'd get demoted to the Championship. Miracles, I reflected, do happen.

Muddy was sick a little during the night, thankfully not on my bed, and again in the morning when he threw up everything he'd eaten of the Felix sachet. I decided it would be best if I kept him a few more days and if the vomiting didn't stop get him to vets when they opened on Tuesday morning after the bank holiday weekend. I emailed Victoria telling her this but adding she was still welcome to come and see him if she hadn't changed her mind.

She hadn't and did.

Muddy shied away from her at first and came close to me as I sat on the side of the bed but within a few minutes he began to respond to her. Victoria did get a bit of a surprise when she saw how skinny and furless he was, the photos not having done him justice, but she quickly got over it and was soon taken with him. 

To cut a long story short as we spent some time with him, Victoria still wanted to take him and I was happy that she'd give him a good home. When he goes depends on a couple of things: he manages to keep his food and the blood tests he had at the vets included FIV and FIP.  All being well, he could go with her by mid-week. So, fingers crossed that Muddy's story has a happy end to it.

Jeff's Kittens.

Not much to say about them really. Every day they get cuter and cuter and they have begun to leave the confines of the cat carrier for a few minutes at a time. They're still wobbly on their legs but their eyes are focussed as they concentrate on what's going on around them.

MEET MUDDY WATERS

No you haven't got the wrong blog. This is not a post about that legendary giant of the Blues of whom I am a fan. It's about the cat I was called out about earlier this week -see the recent post. Having named the oldish stray ginger cat I'd taken in about three weeks ago after rough tough bluesman RL Burnside, I decided to name this poor dilapidated old soul after one as well. Given that his fur is grey and somewhat the colour of mud, it wasn't exactly a great stretch to name him as I did. It'll probably get shortened to Mud as did Muddy's -real name, McKinley Morganfield.

Now we've got that sorted, let me tell you about my  Muddy Waters.

After spending the first night on a drip, he pulled round to start eating properly and his bowels seemed normal, though dried food made him sick. Apart from a slightly poor reading on his kidneys which was probably due to dehydration, his blood tests came up fine. He's also about 14-15 years old so his best years are behind him but that doesn't stop me wanting to provide him with a decent quality of life for however long he has left which could be as many as five though I'd be surprised if lives as much as another two. All the matted clumps of fur were shaved off.

I brought him home from the vets this morning and put him in a -borrowed from the shop- large guinea pig cage which, surprisingly, is bigger that the cat cage I have in that there is ample space for the litter tray, his bedding, and food and water with a little room to spare. Talking of little room to spare, he's had to go in my bedroom which is actually about the same size as my living room but with less clutter. 

Initial impressions of his character are very favourable. Inevitably Aelfric was the first to want to say hello. Muddy, rather than hiss or spit, just sniffed him back. A few other of the cats arrived and didn't appear to disturb Muddy in any way. When I opened the cage up he didn't attempt to escape and seemed to like me stroking him. If this is typical of him I doubt he'll be in the cage for very long.

I will be putting him on the cats needing home list but I'm really going to be looking for a long-term fosterer and Animal Krackers will pay for any vets bills, which they'd do anyway if I kept him as a foster-cat here., but he'd be better off in a house with fewer cats.

Sorry about the poor quality of the photos below, a combination of brightness, cage bars, and Muddy constantly moving. And me being a crap photographer never helps much.