Please Help These Gorgeous ex-Street Cats

[J (Indoorcatsuk)]

What great work you are doing.

Have you thought about posting on some British ex-pat sites for help or volunteers or homes ? I'm sure there must be some cat loving British ex-pats living in Sydney who might want to help out in their new community in some way.

http://www.britishexpat.com/expatforum/australia/index.php
http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=54
http://www.expatfocus.com/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=18

[Yvonne]

Hi Naomi,

As it is a while since you have posted are you able to supply an update on your work with the street cats?

I wish you well and hope that 2007 will be a good year for you and your cats.

Regards,
Yvonne x

[Rescued4life]

Hi there

The only support i can think we can offer is we run our own website which is being updated and we could put a page on for rescues abroad aswell as the UK and if you want to we could include a section on there about these cats.

Again we are UK based however we have numerous hits from non uk countries and we also get email enquiries about taking on a stray or finding a new pet so it may be possible. obviously this is not a quick solution but perhaps one right person may know someone in your area who can help.

We also run a forum advertising animals in need of homes and people looking for a new companion which is only just starting up to support people around the country so feel free to put info on there also. PM me if you want my web address
Sorry i cant be of much help i hope you find some suitable owners soon

as a thought how much would it cost to get them into the UK - if feasible? perhaps that is an option to look at. Of course it would require funds but again i am sure people would be willing to support you in this venture if it was a viable and suitable option that was ok for the cats concerned. However i would imagine homes would be required in the uk ready for when they came over as i can not imagine ferrals being allowed in. it is not something i have ever looked at but who knows???

[Roz]

Hi again Naomi,

I have been racking my brain to think of ways to help you.....but it is so hard because of your location.  Most of us on this site are only individuals who share a love for animals in general and cats in particular and just enjoy the social chit chat about our babes.  Wherever possible however, we do endeavour to support each other in times of difficulty or to assist with finding suitable homes for cats that the welfare groups cannot accommodate.  As you know, this can often prove an almost impossible task.

Some time ago, via one of our members' contacts, we managed to find a welfare group operating within the USA, comprising individuals willing to fund the treatment of seriously ill animals whose owners couldn't afford to pay for their medication.  A couple of us had commenced medical treatment for a particular cat that had been shot...... but we couldn't continue with the treatment indefinitely because our credit cards wouldn't run to it, well not at such short notice....and time was of the essence. This group proved to be our Saviour.

I will try to locate that member and ask whether she knows of any rescue groups working within the Sydney area of Australia who might be able to help you.

I do wish you luck with your work.  You have done so well for these little babes....and I love your website..esp the webcam.

Btw have you have considered getting some advertising on your site?  This could help to bring in some much needed revenue for you.

Please keep in touch

Lots of love

Roz

[sheryl]

what a fantastic job you are doing, wish I was closer so that we could help.

Keep up the good work

xxx

[Yvonne]

Hi Naomi,

I have just read your thread and looked at your website, the kitties are adorable.  I wish that I could help but please keep posting with updates, I think that you are doing magnificent work.

[kittiesinthehood]

Hi Roz,
Thanks for your reply.  Believe it or not, some of the best help I've had has been from a wonderful lady in the UK who has been put in charge of filtering potential adopters & she's also made some posters for the kitties!  People can help in all sorts of ways as I'm truly on my own here!
And no, I'm no web genius, in fact I had to pay someone to set the site up, so please don't assume I'm some unlimited wealth of resources (which seems to be an assumption many are making cause I'm not getting much help!)
Re rescue groups helping etc...rather than typing all about it here, all the details of my approaches to them & the extent of their help are on my website at http://www.kittiesinthehood.com 
I didn't decide to take months off work, fund it myself & set the website up until I well & truly had exhausted those options!  I may love cats, but I'm not a fool!  Basically, one group has posted a link to me on their site (their site is catrescue.com.au) & the World League for Protection of Animals have taken 2 FIV positive kitties into temp foster care, but I must take them back within the month.
So...I really need help.  As I'm sure you can appreciate, I've invested many hours & many $1000's, and taken months off work as a barrister, so this is no small investment.  I really want to save these cats & have happy endings for them, and sadly, that means I have to look beyond my countrymen!  Australians don't much like feral cats (in fact there is a bounty on them in some places & a sydney shelter pays $5 per live one brought in, and they then euthanise them).  Over 60 000 cats are euthanised in this state each year, and the welfare groups that rescue street cats are pushed to the limits.  Again, all this info is on my website.   
So...if you check out the site you'll get a much better idea of what it's all been about & hopefully it will better answer alot of the questions you posed.
So, please help me people if you can.  I'm sure you can appreciate that my life is on serious hold while I try to find these kitties homes & that I could sure use some help.  It's been 3 months of 16 hour days & I've only got one kitten a home so far. Just because I rescued them doesn't mean I never have to return to work.  4 months off & $1000's but I can't do it on my own and I hope people who can help, will recognise I've already done more than most, and will offer to help if they can.  The kitties are darlings and really deserve loving homes...they've had pretty tough lives up til now.
Thanks again,
Naomi

[Roz]

Hi Naomi

Welcome to Purrs, our temporary Feline Forum for chatting while Cat Chat (Feline Forum) is off-line.

I am amazed at the amount of work and dedication you have put in regarding these poor little street cats but regrettably this site is based in the UK so none of us here can help you to find homes in your area.  Gosh, I just wish it were otherwise. 

Are there no Rescues or Shelters in Sydney that could help you with your task?  You have already achieved so much and it would be so sad if no-one could help you with the last stage of these cats' rehabilitation.

You sound like you know your way around the web but have you tried looking for other helpful people who are involved in the same sort of work as yourself?

Whatever, it would be good to keep us posted.  The love and welfare of animals transcends all classes and all continents so we are all interested in keeping in touch and will be here to offer advice and support to you but sadly, because we are 12,000 miles away, we cannot offer you the practical help you need and deserve right now because we know nothing of your vicinity or the rescue network within it.

I wish you all the luck in the world with your plight.   Hopefully, someone might read your post who will   be able to assist you in some way.

Take care and keep us posted.

Best wishes,

Roz

[kittiesinthehood]

Hi...I had a post at catchat awhile back, but still desperately need help. ,
I live in Sydney Australia in a neighborhood with alot of stray/feral cats/kittens that were living on the street. I had already adopted 7, and couldn't find homes for the rest and I can't take anymore and have to move (i'm a renter in a building with a no pets allowed policy). I've now managed to trap ALL of them, had them all desexed, chipped etc but I am trying desperately to find them homes...I took 3 months off work for the project and set up a website in September aimed at trying to get them homes & it has their pics.  2 are in foster care with a welfare group, and I desperately have to move and still need homes (i am effectively looking after 20 at the moment).  I've done  some video clips of them, and live streaming video of them eating their dinners at nite (have a webcam over their food bowls). So please take a look at these kitties and let me know if you can help!  The 3 months off work is well and truly up and I really need some help getting these guys into loving homes.  I know that I will wind up having to keep a number of them, but I'm moving overseas and can't bring 20 with me, though it seems I can bring 15.  I was supposed to move today, but had to cancel last week when it became obvious I had too many kitties to move with.  Please help me!  Thanks so much, Naomi
http://www.kittiesinthehood.com