Ok now I'm worried

[Kirst]

Reading this I think I did well , my boys were vaccinated and wormed on pick up..................as for working   - there are lots of us slaves out there who work , but give good loving homes to cats.  I am in and out all day , but like you mum is home and she keeps an eye on them - and they also have their own room and so far they have been absolutely fine.

[Hannikat]

lol yes the mischeif angle I think will also ways be a problem lol. I've gutted one of the spare bedrooms and filled it with kitty things. I've even had the forthought to take down the curtains

[madkittyrescue]

  oh that's better then!   I was actually thinking more from a feeding and mischief point of view... as leaving a whole day of meals in a morning is not a good idea a) as the wet good goes off and b) if the kitten is prone to gorging itself with food it can cause problems with the bowel.

[Hannikat]

Yes my mum is going to be checking on them monday - wednesday and my partner is off on thursdays. That only leaves Firday when they will be a little lost, although i do finish work early then. I'm hoping that with the two of them they will only be a little lonley

[madkittyrescue]

If you work all day Hannikat have you got someone who can check on the kitten through the day??    personally I would be concerned at leaving a 8 week old kitten at home on its own all day 

[Hannikat]

I'm not entirely sure  I just remember her saying that they weren't going to be flea'd I'll definitely make sure that I ask the lady who does the home check what she thinks on Wednesday. Getting rather nervous that I wont be deemed suitable, but i cant help working all day 

[Millys Mum]

Will they see a vet at all before they come to you? I would worry about little ones that young being left alone all day and getting poorly, they can go downhill so quickly at that age.

Your vet offers a good deal for £30 

Its really important to consider the neutering aspect, if you cant get vouchers will you be able to save in time for them to be done? 2 litters of kittens would not be good 

[Hannikat]

thanks for the advice1 the homecheck is booked for wednesday evening so we'll see how it goes *fingers crossed*

[Desley (booktigger)]

I am surprised at not worming and de-fleaing, i'm pretty sure cats can be born with worms, but not everywhere can afford to vaccinate, and that is probably why the adoption fee is on the lower side. Neutering vouchers are available from CP and RSPCA, so independent shelters dont always have access to them. Whether you could apply depends really, if you can afford to cover the cost, I would suggest you do so, as then that money can be spent on cats that dont have that luxury. Good luck with teh homecheck.

[Hannikat]

I know, In an ideal world everyone would get along and help each other out, sometimes that's obviously not the case!! One thing she did mention though is true and that is that the independent centre aren't able to give out neutering vouchers. Is there another way I could apply nearer the time? I'm not on benefits so I don't know if this makes a difference

 

[Corporal Smokey]

I heard some really awful things about a rescue I volunteer at. I was told of serious hygiene flaws and cats being housed in pet carriers for long periods of time. It nearly put me off but I went to have a look for myself and was amazed by the lady who single-handedly runs the place.

She's 70 and virtually all by herself cleans up after 42 cats every single day. The pens are spotless, warm and cosy and the house smells as if about two cats live there. She's a real inspiration but it certainly doesn't help when rescues turn on each other.

Since starting there, I have made a real effort to strengthen the bond between said rescue and the branch of CP I volunteer for (not the gossipers) and it's working wonderfully for both sides. CP have donated food to mini-rescue and in return, mini-rescue has given us a million and one great fundraising tips. IMHO that is how it should always work. We all have the cats' interests at heart after all.

[madkittyrescue]

no problem!   that's what we are all here for, to help!

There are pro's and con's of treating kittens when they are young for fleas and not all products are safe to use in very young kittens but by 9 weeks, a wee touch of frontline spray will be safe enough to ward off any transfer from the rescue and take care of any larvae that may have transferred from the pen or mum.  Frontline spray is also the only one I know of that you can use in very young kittens.   The chances are though that if mum was treated when she came in prior to their birth they should be fine...or if they were very young when they came in with mum and she was treated there is every chance they are fine and were covered by mums treatment.

Every rescues policies are slightly different, but if you ask a question and get a no, don't be afraid to ask why not?  

Let us know how you get on with the home check anyway but I'm sure all will be fine!

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

As regards the flea treatment, it depends on whether the kittens were born in there care or were bought into rescue. It's perfectly true that if mum is treated, the treatment will also knock out fleas migrating to the kittens in a couple of days. But with a heavy infestation, it is advisable to treat kittens as well from 2 days after birth with Frontline spray. Fleas do kill kittens! So I guess you need to ask about the nature of the kittens arrival. If they were born in care and fleas under control before birth, the odds are everything is okay. 

[Hannikat]

Thanks for this. The gossip in question did come from a 'rival' rescue centre so you're probably right. I think they may have been wormed (it wasn't mentioned specifically) although the kittens didn't seem overly 'round' and several normal bowel movements were noted while i was there lol! I do know that they definitely have never had flea treatment though. The lady said they treated the mother and they do so for any adult cats but have never done so for kittens as they have not had any access to the outside world yet. She did reccommend I do so when I pick them up (my local vet will do a checkup, worm / flea and initial vaccinations for 30 pounds so I think I'm covered). I don't know if they have been checked over by a vet yet but I'll be sure to ask when I get the home check!


Thanks again!

[madkittyrescue]

grr lets try this again... just typed a long reply and lost it all!!  <sigh> 

Anyhoo... I wouldn't be concerned about the closure of the place for 1 months cos of Parvo, personally speaking I see that as a very responsible thing to do rather than a reason to be wary of them.    You should always be wary of gossip in rescue circles, very often other rescues bad mouth others in the same area, why, I have no idea, but they do.

I don't see that the donation amount has really any relevance to what you are or are not getting, our donations never cover what we pay out for any cat or kitten so that shouldn't be what its about at all in terms of'what you get'.  In short they may just not be able to afford the vaccines!

I would clarify with them as to whether the worming they refer to is the routine 9 week worming and if they have done the routine worming at 3 and 6 weeks with Panacur or similar wormer.  Re the treatment for fleas.. did they have fleas when they came in?  were they treated when they came in?  if so, I wouldn't be overly concerned about it, just have it done when you get them.  You may also want to check if they have been health checked by the vet prior to homing.

Our policy is that we are open and honest, if someone asks us a question we'll answer it with the truth regardless of what that truth is.   Not everywhere is the same but that said you should be able to ask questions about the running of the rescue and their homing policies, care of the cats etc without being made to feel you are prying.

If you have genuine concerns over something you have been told directly or saw then I would raise them with the rescue directly but do be wary of casting up 'gossip' as whether it is true or not, it may still offend.   

[Hannikat]

Hi All. As I've mentioned in a previous post I'm hopefully getting two lovely little bundles of fluffiness from a rescue centre in st Anne's. However I've heard from a 'friend of a friend' that the centre has a very bad rep, it was closed down for 1 months quarantine when a dog caught a virus (parvo or something i think).

It's not the most 'sanitary' of shelters I've visited but then I know not everyone can afford luxury accommodation at their rescues when donations are tight. When I visited the pens seemed clean and the litter trays did not smell. I also viewed the kittens with the mother and although she wasn't particularly friendly she was not aggressive either (just slept in a nook, occasionally peeking out, motherhood must be exhausting!). The kittens also appeared bright and didn't mind being picked up and checked over. I'm getting a home visit tomorrow and don't know whether I should raise my concerns about the centre in case its seen as an insult. What do you guys think?

Also when i get them they will be 8-9 weeks old and the lady at the centre said they do not vaccinate / worm / or flea treat them through the centre and I would have to do this myself with my local vet after I've picked them up. Is this normal? and is waiting until they are 8-9 weeks to this going to put them in any danger? I'm paying a donation fee of £30 if that makes a difference.