The Catmobile - a new type of veterinary care

The Catmobile - a new type of veterinary care
The UK’s fi rst fully mobile, exclusively feline veterinary operating theatre was launched in May, bringing critical care to cats in the South of England

the Cat Doctor, aka Amy Bergs DVM MRCVS, is the founder of Surrey and South West London’s premier feline-only mobile veterinary practice. “Four years ago, the dream of running a fully mobile and truly feline-friendly veterinary practice came to life when we launched The Cat Doctor. Now I’m delighted to unveil a unique development for our practice in the form of the Catmobile. We started with an empty shell and by working with some of the best people in the business, we have created a state of the art operating theatre on wheels. This will enable us to carry out the highest quality surgical procedures on your pets, just outside your front door, in addition to the routine veterinary care that we have always provided in your home.

Launched on 21st May this year, Amy said: “Over 100 of our clients came out to see it! It was a fabulous sunny day as well, couldn’t have asked for a better event. One client even baked a cake to mark the occasion!”

The Catmobile has two operating theatres equipped with the latest technology and monitoring equipment, as well as heating, electricity, air conditioning, anaesthetic and dental equipment. Generally, what you would expect to fi nd in a conventional veterinary practice, you will fi nd installed in the Vauxhall Movano-based Catmobile. 

Everything has been designed specifi cally with cats in mind and has been awarded Cat Friendly Clinic status from International Cat Care, along with accreditation under the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ Practice Standards Scheme – a fi rst for any fully mobile practice.

Amy and her veterinary nurse, Shreen Haywood RVN, are putting cats fi rst, avoiding the need for a stressful visit to the veterinary surgery, despite them both suffering from the stress of travel sickness and Amy herself is actually allergic to cats. Yet they put these challenges aside, decide who will drive each day and pull up outside their patient’s house

 “We perform the surgery right there, completely eliminating the need for a stressful car journey to the clinic. Thanks to the Catmobile, we can now perform any general surgical procedure at home - neutering, biopsies and abdominal surgery as well as dental scale and polish, with surgical tooth extractions if required.”

Patients are ensured individually tailored monitoring throughout their anaesthetic and recovery and only one or two operations are carried out each day. As soon as the patients are awake and can be moved, they are allowed back into their own home to continue their recovery in comfortable and familiar surroundings. “This really keeps stress levels to a minimum and thus aids their recovery.”

Cats are only treated inside The Catmobile if surgery is required. All other procedures and tests are carried out within the patient’s home. Amy said: “We’ll do it there because that’s best for the cat, even if it’s harder for us - I can’t count the number of times I’ve taken a blood sample while lying on the fl oor!”

Virginia Grose is one of The Cat Doctor’s clients and has used many of their services. ”I was so pleased to fi nd The Cat Doctor last year when I was seeking the very best of care for my elderly cat Lily. In the last year of her life, Amy and her team provided amazing treatment and support. When she passed away in February it was in the comfort and familiarity of her own home with me by her side. Happily I have added two new young cats to my household now and The Cat Doctor swung into action again for their initial check up and of course spaying and microchipping them in the mobile surgery. The girls had a stress-free two minute journey to the surgery and were treated and operated on outside my house! 

“The ‘Catmobile’ is quite simply the most amazing service and I would never want to use any other kind of veterinary treatment other than ‘at home’ - my two girls were bouncing around literally hours after their surgery.”

Established in 2013, The Cat Doctor now provides a full range of veterinary services for more than 400 cats in the area covered.

The vet is in Flea- and Tick-Borne Diseases in Cats

There are few creatures on earth that have had as much impact on world history as the lowly flea. From the Black Death during the 14th century to the present, fleas have been the cause of much torment. Not only do they make your cat itch, they also can cause significant health problems.

To understand the flea, it’s helpful to know its life cycle. Contrary to popular belief, fleas don’t jump from one cat to another. Once a flea jumps on a cat, it stays there for its entire life. The rest of the life cycle, however, is spent off the cat.

When a female flea jumps on a cat, it bites the skin and begins feeding immediately. Ingestion of blood is required for the flea to reproduce. Within 24 hours, the flea begins laying about 50 eggs per day. As the cat meanders, he acts like a living saltshaker, scattering flea eggs throughout the house, mainly in the areas where he sleeps or rests. Within a week, larvae hatch from the eggs. The larvae burrow into carpets and cracks in hardwood floor to avoid light. Five to 12 days later, the larvae spin a cocoon in which they develop into pupae. Baby fleas emerge from the pupae within one to three weeks. These newly hatched fleas wait for a cat to stroll by, and they hop on. The life cycle begins anew.

It’s a myth that cats who spend their entire lives indoors are safe from fleas. Fleas are opportunistic hitchhikers — they jump onto our clothing, and we bring them back home where they hop onto our cats and start their life cycle.

The most dangerous things ignored by breeders cats !

Many people are raising cats in their homes, but there are many things you should notice it and put it in mind, you may be involved with despair and sadness because your cat diseases due to weather changes ;  But you can prevent this disease by following simple steps to protect your cats from these diseases.

The stress:

Believe it or not believe. Cats get stress like human. And the symptoms of this disease show at anxiety and try to hide out of sight. She's not standing near you until the time to eat Or for answering As well as the stress signs shake the head, pull the hair and the Cat's meow. The symptoms of stress in cats are similar to humans. And there are common symptoms of stress such as movement around the house. To avoid infecting cats worried by entering a slow change in the life of your cat like play or make her comfortable bed and the most important thing don't deprive your cat male or female from mating on time.

The worms:

Cats of most animals susceptible to worms in the stomach, even if you're very care with cleanliness, And keep the best way best way to get rid of worms is to prevent their occurrence.

 The symptoms of worms are anorexia, lethargy, frustration and pus in the vagina. In addition, you can notice in the cat feces some of the animated worms. You must take great care of this issue and for avoid infecting cats with worms:

 Clean up the garbage bins that your cats may play with it, leave it sometime in the sun until it is well for clean, and kill any parasite growth. In addition, always clean the cat-eating dish and her pee bowl.

Try to keep cats from mixing with other infectious animals that can transmit the disease. In addition, you can use special medications to prevent worms every 3 months.

Cat's flu:

Sounds silly, but cats can get flu. There are a different between the two; the flu that infects humans and which infect cats. There are two terms for the flu that infect cats FCY and FYR the both are causing difficulty breathing, It may irritate the respiratory tract of cats, fatigue, tearful eyes, nasal congestion, anorexia, and you'll find cats sneezing too much like a human.

You can protect cats from this disease by hiding the cold air streams cats especially after a shower and you can give them the necessary vaccines.

It is worth mentioning that cat medications to treat the flu itself are human medications so you can give it your medication will take good effect. Beware of air conditioners and fans; they are one of the most severe triggers to make the cat get flu.

Hair Pellets:

One of the common problems among the different cats is the problem of hair pellets; they are clean creatures that spend most of their time on self-cleaning and collective operations. This usually results in the ingestion of hair, as the hair is not digestible, the accumulation of it in the intestine may lead to blockage, and these pellets may make the cat cough. It may also cause discomfort and constipation.

The Cats in the wilderness have been treating this problem by swallowing the weeds that are working to flush out the hair pellets.

 For home cats, it may be necessary to give it daily a dose of liquid ALPRAVEEN at a rate of 1 tablespoon twice a day for three days.

Crumpled hair:

Also another problem related to hair especially in the types of cats whose hair is falling like cats Main coon, if you don't comb her hair every day to remove the accumulated hair, you'll find with the time that it's a big hairy deposition that is hard to lay off and hard to clean, which could make it a fertile breeding ground for ulcers or inflammation of the cat's skin and itching, and a flea hiding place. So be careful and work to comb the cat every day with his own brush. And if one day these deposits happen, you can cut them with scissors, but so careful not to hurt the cat, and if you're not an expert on this, we suggest you visit the doctor to get rid of these pile-up.

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Symptoms of Worms in Cats

Wikipedia 

Cats can get a variety of intestinal parasites, including some that are commonly referred to as “worms.” Infestations of intestinal worms can cause a variety of symptoms. Sometimes cats demonstrate few to no outward signs of infection, and the infestation can go undetected despite being a potentially serious health problem. Some feline parasitic worms are hazards for humane health as well.

Worms cat kinds:

There are two types of worms: roundworms (roundworms, hookworms) and flatworms (tapeworms).

-        Roundworm: ascaris are whites who can measure up to 20 centimeters: they look a lot like spaghetti! The kittens are almost systematically infested in. They contaminate either directly in their mother's womb, or by sucking it after birth. These worms feed at the expense of the kitten, and can cause diarrhea, vomiting and constipation, alternating weight loss, abdominal bloating, stunting, and sometimes even of bowel obstruction and perforation. Ascaris are parasites that can be transmitted to humans. They are a danger to children who can be contaminated in sandboxes or playing with cats not dewormed or badly wormed. Deworming must be systematic for all kittens, all the months (up to the age of 6 months), and four times a year for adults, even without observation of symptoms.

-    Flatworms: they parasitize mainly kittens on the farm or in the countryside. They are small to that very rarely observed in the stool. They are particularly aggressive tothe wall of the intestine. When they are very many the amount of blood they pump is enough to cause anemia, or even the death of the cat.

Flatworms:

It is mainly the tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum) or "tapeworm". It can measure up to 80 cm. Its segments or rings containing eggs are eliminated in the stool: they resemble grains of rice. Sometimes we see them in the hair surrounding the anus. The chips are often carriers of tapeworm larvae. In grooming or licking to chase fleas that him itch, the cat infects itself by swallowing them. To rid your cat of the tapeworm therefore need to be addressed at the same time against fleas.

Why deworm a cat?

Worms and your cat's health

These parasites can lead to more or less serious disorders on the health of our companions. Should be addressed preventively and systematically, because we see that very rarely the worms in the stool, even if they are present in the intestine.

Deworming important for the health of your cat: digestive present in the digestive tubeworms can indeed robbing some of the nutrients provided by the diet, and weaken the cat causing weight loss and deficiencies, despite a diet suited theoretically.

Deworming allows more cat to have an immune system (who defends him against disease) better, avoids digestive problems and dermatological (digestive worms may be responsible for falls of hair, itching) as well as the deficiencies in vitamins and minerals.

Cat worms: zoonosis

Some intestinal worms in the CAT are communicable to humans.

Tapeworms: for example Dipylidium caninum, which is quite benign in humans andechinococcus multilocularis, who is responsible for the alveolar echinococcosis, which causes cysts on the liver, the lungs, or in the brain after ingestion of eggs in the feces of cats eating fruit or unwashed vegetables, for example. The echinococcosis Isa very serious or life threatening for humans.

Roundworm: toxocara cati can contaminate children especially; it is the disease of sandboxes.

It is therefore essential to respect hygiene rules simple: cool your cat regularly, well to wash their hands (and to wash the children's hands), very often clean litter box, cover sandboxes for do not stray cats to do their needs inside...

When my cat worm?

Do it systematically:

For Kittens: following a modality and a frequency appropriate and specified by your veterinarian.

For adult cats: four times a year according to the recommendations of the ESCCAP,your veterinarian will advise you according to the way of life and the environment of your cat (for example for cats that come out frequently and hunt small wild animals, as well as for cats in contact with children in infancy, or cats of apartment,...).

Pregnant and nursing cats should be a protocol adapted deworming that can advise your vet.

Which Wormer to use?

According to age, the weight of your pet, and your habits, you can use several different forms: tablets (some dissolve themselves into the water), dough contained in a syringe, liquid to mix with food.

However, beware; not all are effective against all types of worms. To find a product suited to your needs, ask a vet.

There are also other products often based on plants or garlic, etc., which are natural but to renew more frequently. Check out deworming drugs based on natural plant extracts offered by Wanimo.

If you opt for a natural deworming, know that it is often recommended to alternate with a dewormer "classic."

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Attention to the death of rats !!

Pixabay

Cats victims of death of rats

Not a day goes by in our cities cats are victims of death of rats. Many cat owners have no consciousness of the risks incurred by ingestion of rat poison. 90% of them are anticoagulant rodenticide especially for their cat.

Rodenticides are indeed products to combat the rats and mice. You should know that 90% of the rodenticides are blood thinners made from dicoumarol or anti vitamin K.

Vitamin K is, note him, an essential vitamin in the blood clotting process and if it is missing, more no bleeding is possible with all the consequences that resulted. Today, these rodenticides are highly effective and their effect toxic appears more and more quickly. Their mode of action is always the same: by their anticoagulant action, they are meant to cause death by bleeding. Their effect on coagulation requires 15 to 20 hours before being seen on a blood test and the first symptoms appear after 2 to 3 days. Death in rats is now so palatable that our friends the cats rushing on it.

What to do in case of intoxication by the death of rats?

The purpose of our tip of the day is to tell you what to do as a result of poisoning by the death of rats. It is important to catch very quickly if we are to save the life of her cat.

After ingestion, there may be spontaneous vomiting however unfortunately the bleeding caused by the decreased ability to clot are not always visible since it may occur inside the body.

One / you've seen your cat consume the death of rats

If you have seen or you think that your cat could consume poisoned bait, you should immediately rush to the vet: in order to vomit and this maximum within 3 hours following this absorption (the best being within the hour). After 3 hours, poison enters the blood, make sick cat to prove insufficient, and cannot stop the poisoning.

Examination of the stomach content offers the possibility to see the reality of ingestion and its importance. Active coal can be possibly given to the cat.

You will also be able to reassure you do perform a coagulation test between 24 and 72 hours after ingestion (or better, 2 to 48 hours apart) in order to ensure that the poison was not passed in the blood.

Two / your cat presents the following symptoms:

Brutal fatigue, difficulty moving, bleeding gums, prolonged bleeding of a wound, red blood in the stool, urine immediately think to the fact he could maybe having assimilated the death of rats. At this stage, the blood loss may already be important, even if they are not visible. Consulting your vet emergency is imperative. Such consultation will allow you, after confirmation of the diagnosis by examinations, to begin emergency treatment that was needed. Treatment, which may include a blood transfusion in severe cases.

Poisoning, treatment, with the antidote to the toxic, Vitamin K1, will last at least 1 month.

It is recommend that if one knows the type of death of rats resulting in intoxication, to recover the packaging before going to the vet, it will help him to identify the poison, the type of anticoagulant toxic and thus better able to fight him.

Related Post: 13 products harmful for health of cats

Beware of cats diseases !

"The claws of the cat disease" spreads from animals to humans with a simple caress... If there is no vaccine against this disease, it is nevertheless possible to limit the risk of contamination. The behavioral vet Laurence Dilliere-Lesseur gives his advice to protect themselves better.

In general, human beings develop the "disease of the claws of the cat" if it is scratched or bitten by a cat carrier, but not only...

Even a caress can be dangerous

As a very recent American study reveals, it can contaminate touch, stroking her cat if he is infected with fleas, their present feces on the hair of the animal could become potentially dangerous if they penetrate the skin of humans at the level of an injury (wounds...).

More rarely, contamination can intervene through the eye if the person rubs his eyes with her dirty hands. Finally, a direct infection of humans by flea bite is also suspected.

In more rare cases, human contamination are done through an object from the ground which was itself contaminated (thorns, thorns, splinters, debris of wood...), because the bacteria of the disease from the claws of the cat is also present in the soil.

Children 5 to 9 years are most affected

The U.S. study indicates that the majority population is located among the young children of 5 to 9 years.

The disease in animals, making it most of the time without symptoms. Feline contamination increases substantially with the lifestyle of cats (the outdoor cats are more exposed), the owners of outdoor cats are more prone to contamination. The risk of human infection could thus be limited by controlling access outside cats and systematically dealing with these fleas.

Study American also indicated that a greater time spent with his cat, particularly during holidays for teenagers and the workforce, could explain the occurrence of peaks of the disease observed during these periods.

A dog can also host the bacteria

"The claws of the cat disease" is an infectious disease called benign lymphoreticulose of inoculation. The officer is a bacterium of the genus Bartonelle (Bartonella henselae).

The domestic cat is the main reservoir of the bacterium, where its name. Indeed, the cat is involved up to 90% in transmission to humans. However, he should know that the dog can also host the bacterium.

In rance, these are cats of less than one year who are carriers of the bacteria. The adoption of young cats is an important factor.

The transmission of the disease between cats is favoured through fleas when they are themselves contaminated.

Can all cats contaminate their masters?

Cats likely to contaminate their owners are:

-Those whose blood test reveals the presence of the bacteria.

A treatment with antibiotics for a few weeks then allows to treat the animal. Predisposed individuals are mainly children and adolescents as well as people who are immunocompromised, or people needing to work with cats in the workplace (breeders, veterinarians,...). Treat an infected cat is useless in a family where all members are in good health.

-Those carriers of fleas themselves infected.

How not to get contaminated?

Firstly, it is essential to treat her cat against fleas by regular and appropriate means of  revention, particularly if one is oneself weakened.

Then, any presence of cat in the habitat or its immediate environment implies limiting risk of bite and scratch: avoid playing with his cat directly using the hands and be careful to hold his animal properly if we have to give treatment for example.

But, in any case, the possibility of this disease justifies parting with his pet.

There is no vaccine against the disease

On the other hand, it is imperative to respect strict hygiene measures: after having been in contact with an animal, its excrement or waste, it is necessary to always wash your hands with SOAP and water and do not rub the eyes. Hygiene of the hands must be repeated several times in the day.

There is no vaccine against this disease.

When suspicion of human contamination, any wound should be cleaned with SOAP and disinfected, especially when bite or scratch. If a node appears in the following weeks, it is highly recommended to consult a doctor.

This disease is a zoonosis, i.e. a disease that reached the animal and may be transmissible to humans. As such, it must be taken seriously and its prevention not neglected. This last through basic hygiene measures and regular external antiparasitic treatment of his animal.

How to avoid your cat colds ?

The majority of cats are naturally relaxed and peaceful creatures. They want neither bite nor scratch and they will generally do their best to avoid situations where it would become necessary. However, there are circumstances that lead a cat to attack and injure its owner. In addition to being painful, the cat scratches and bites can also cause infections and that's why it's better to avoid. It may be useful to learn how to avoid bites and scratches as well as to react when this happens.

1. Teach your kitten what are the acceptable limits while you play.

 Learn to play comedy. When he bites you, shout and remove your hand. Then, get up and go you to noting that the game is over. If you do only constantly, the kitten will learn that bites put an end to the game and it will not do.

If your cat bites you don't want you to hurt and you want to discourage him to do so, press your hand in its mouth after the bite. In this way, you create an unpleasant feeling in the cat and it will stop biting you. Remove your hand quickly from a possible bite or scratch if you see that the cat has a good chance to hurt you.

2.  Give your cat toys so that it plays instead of playing with your hands and fingers.

 A cat playing often forget that it should be soft and you could find yourself with a painful scratch or the cat will continue to play later and cold you unless you expect. To avoid this, give her toys that are clearly not part of you, for example the toys on a string, a laser pointer or mouse plush.

Cats need to bite, Chew and scratch for fun and for if training, not only on you or any other human being. Try to play with your cat using a toy so that your hands are not covered with scratches.

3.  eave plenty of time for your cat so that he can have fun.

Offer several game sessions for 5 to 10 minutes throughout the day. Make the cat chasing a toy on a string and continue playing until the cat is tired.

The idea is to stimulate the cat hunting instinct and tire him physically. A cat tired less likely to attack you as a cat who is bored and that redirects inappropriately his excess energy.

4.  Plan to neuter the cat.

Not neutered cats have a territorial instinct more developed than the neutered cats. Even if an unfixed cat isn't automatically an aggressive cat, castration has a calming effect on the cat and tends to make the cat more sociable and more respectful of the occupants of the House.

5.  Learn to recognize the warning signs of an attack.

Watch for the appearance of signs, for example if her pupils are dilated, its fur waves or if he stops Purring. The cat could also make noise and Growl, or it could spit or moan. He could fold his ears back and flatten against his head. Its whiskers could be pointing toward the front and he could open his mouth slightly (often by spitting)

A cat who plays will be wide and round pupils, because he's excited. You must also take into account when you observe the body language of the chat. A cat that sits on your lap should not be excited and should not have dilated.

If the cat becomes trapped, it could curl up and watch with anguish on one side and on the other to find a loophole.

How to recognize that your cat is sick?

One of the pleasures inherent in owning a cat is that they are very relaxed animal. Cats are champions of the trigger and they live a life we all dream: they're fun, they eat and sleep. Unfortunately, these habits can be a drawback when the cat gets sick. Instinctively, the cat will try to hide or regular habits (like sleep) may become exaggerated. To know if your cat is sick, you should know what symptoms monitor.

1. Pay attention to the amount of sleep for your cat.

 Sick cats sleep more. If your cat has no other signs of illness, for example if he vomits, if he has no diarrhea, loss of appetite or visible swelling, watch him. If other symptoms appear, bring him to the vet.

If your cat has no other symptoms, watch him 24 hours (of course, you can take him to the vet if you are concerned). If he spends a second day look extremely tired, it's time to bring him to the vet.

2. Check the temperature of your cat to see if he has a fever.

Use a rectal thermometer to check if your cat has a fever. However, if the cat gets mad, it is better that you stop and let the vet do. The normal temperature of the cat is between 37.5 and 39 degrees C, you should start to worry if its temperature exceeds 39 degrees C and you can be sure he has a fever above 39.5 degrees C. If he has a fever, take your cat to the vet.

A cat reaches fever tends to sleep much more, he will refuse his food and he will present a dull coat with a weird reflection. His nose and ears could be dry and warm to the touch. While touching the ears can be a little specific way to check its temperature, if they look cool, it's probably because the cat has a fever.

3. Watch for changes in habits with regard to his litter tray.

 Pay attention to several things: how many times the cat use the litter box, show the difficulties to do that, is there blood or mucus in her urinalysis or its droppings are hard and compact. If your cat has diarrhea while continuing to go to the litter or if constipated (you'll know because of the presence of hard, dry droppings), bring him to the vet. Passages repeated litter without help or the presence of blood urine should alert you and bring you to immediately examine your cat.

Male cats tend to present more often urinary problems that manifest themselves in the form of problems to let out urine. The cat could get in position to urinate for several minutes or get up and look for a new place to urinate before Crouch again. If you can, check if the cat has urinated (litter is dry or wet?) and if he urinated, check if there is no blood.

4. Watch your cat's appetite.

 If you have noticed that your cat ate a lot or he ate much more that usual, it could be that there something. If the cat does not have interest in food for a whole day, this could be caused by many problems, he eats may be the neighbor, he feels nauseous or it can have kidney problems. On the other hand, if the cat looks hungry all the time, it can also be a sign of a health problem.

If your cat refuses to eat for more than 24 hours, go to your veterinarian to treat the underlying problem doesn't appear complications.

5. Make sure that your cat is not dehydrated.

          Monitor changes in the behavior of your cat with water. The amount of water your cat is drinking depends on the type of food that you give him, he will drink a lot less if you give him wet food, but you will see more often drink if you give him dry food. Many disorders can increase thirst, for example some infections, kidney disease, an overactive thyroid and diabetes. If your cat looks always very thirsty, do check by a veterinarian.

You can also conduct a physical test. Gently grab your cat by the skin between his shoulder blades. Pull the skin upward (but very slowly) and let it fall. If your cat's skin does not immediately return in place, there is a good chance it's dehydrated and you should bring it to the vet.

6. Pay attention to the weight and the silhouette

 of your cat. Any change in your cat's weight is caused by something and should push you to bring her to the vet. A gradual or sudden weight change may indicate a disease. If you are not sure, weigh your cat once a week at home and if your cat continues to lose weight, seek advice from a veterinarian.

In the early stages of diseases such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism, the cat might look to be in good health, but he loses the weight. Ask your veterinarian if you notice that your cat continues to lose weight.

Some diseases, such as cancer of the stomach or heart disease, change the silhouette of the cat unless he lost weight so far. This means that you can feel his ribs and spine more easily, because they will be covered less of fat, but its belly might look more round and swollen. If you have any doubt, consult a vet.

7. Examine the coat of your cat.

 A sick cat doesn't have enough energy to clean. Generally, a cat that previously had a bit bright and well-maintained becomes duller, more matte and his hair becomes more tangled. Although stress may be responsible for a bit dull or changes in its cleaning habits, it could also be that the cat is sick. Consult a vet.

A change in habits of cleaning can also be the result of arthritis. If the cat feels tense and sore, cleaning its fur can be painful. Once more, it is a sign that should bring you to a veterinarian.

Foster kittens

   Nicola Davies describes the joys of fostering kittens for her local animal rescue centre.

I already had Sophie, Layla and Ziggy when I started fostering — all wonderful cats with unique personalities and enough energy and affection to keep me occupied for hours. I wanted more though! I wanted to spread my love further by looking after cats that were less fortunate than my own. Fostering seemed like the perfect option. My fi rst fostering experience was with a beautiful tabby queen called Lola. She was only two years old and still tiny when I took her in. She had about six weeks of pregnancy left, which we spent developing a strong relationship. We would lay together while I massaged her stomach, feeling the odd kick here and there. I knew Lola was getting ready to give birth when she kept going to her bed, squatting and then coming back out. I sat on the fl oor, away from her but there if she needed me. To my joy, she chose to sit with me; she was letting me share the experience with her. Everything went well and the biggest surprise was she had six little fur balls, as opposed to the predicted three!

RAISING A LITTER

 Lola was a fabulous mum and didn’t leave their side for the fi rst few days. On day two, she moved them one by one into the wardrobe for extra safety. She was a proud mum and I was a proud fosterer.

"Having to part with them at the end of the foster period can be extremely emotional.

It was now time to socialise these little bundles of cuteness, who I named Dexter, Super Hans, Jekyll, Freckle, Tatty Coram and Little Dorrit. This involves training them to be friendly and sociable, as well as teaching them how to amuse themselves with toys (not that they needed much teaching — they kept each other amused!). Every morning, when I opened the door to the cat sanctuary I had made them, I would be bombarded by six excited kittens, ready for more socialisation. How could such a sight not put a smile on your face? How could you not feel pride as they use the litter tray for the fi rst time or bravely venture into another room? Whenever my cats were out, I would give Lola and her kittens free run of the house; they loved bounding up and down the stairs and jumping out on each other. Little Dorrit would always be wherever I was, often watching the computer screen as I worked. Fostering is a rewarding and enjoyable experience, but having to part with them at the end of the foster period can be extremely emotional. There was one kitten who stole my heart — Little Dorrit. After dropping her and her siblings off at the animal shelter, my heart ached. I was even having fl ashbacks to her little face, peering out from behind a chair as I said goodbye. I couldn’t stand it. I had to go back for her. As I drove back home, Little Dorrit by my side, I wondered if I was a ‘failed fosterer’. I stopped wondering when Little Dorrit yelped with joy at returning to her forever home. Today, at 18 months old, she is such a special little cat and has gently eased herself in with my three others .

A REWARDING TASK

 My next experience was with Feta, another tabby kitten. Feta couldn’t yet be adopted due to a heart condition that was being investigated. However, she was distressed at the animal shelter, so she found herself living with me. She went from hiding under the wardrobe to a strokeobsessed purring machine in seconds. And this sums Feta up — strokes, strokes, strokes. That is all she was interested in. You really wouldn’t have guessed she was ill either. She would run around and play until she was panting. She did everything any other kitten could and became best buddies with Little Dorrit.

"I wanted to spread my love further by looking after cats that were less fortunate than my own.

Tests revealed that while Feta had a hole in her heart, she should be fi ne and could be put up for adoption. I was concerned that her heart defect might make this diffi cult, but I shouldn’t have worried — she’s a farm cat now, roaming around with cows, sheep and horses. With Little Dorrit growing up and exploring the outdoors more, the house was feeling far too calm without any kittens around — so I was pleased when my local animal rescue asked if I could foster a black and white feral kitten, Dave. Of course I could! He turned out to be ginger and white, not black and white, and it wasn’t until he’d been with me for a couple of days that I discovered there had been a mix-up. Dave was, in fact, Dozy. Either way, he was adorable and far from the hissing mass of fur I was warned many feral kittens are. By the end of his fi rst day, he was on my lap with his little white belly in the air. By day two, his cheeky personality had emerged. He would tap me with his little paw and then run away, or peep around a corner and then hide. He was extremely playful and would chirrup to get my attention. Dozy wasn’t with me for long, but he certainly left his mark and I know he’ll make his new family very happy. I’m not fostering at the moment, but have no doubt I will in the future. There is so much to give and so much to gain. I can’t recommend it highly enough!