Saturday 16 November 2013

How fostering helps our nervous cats

Scrapper's story...

Scrapper came to Axhayes back in August; he was part of a large group of cats that were rescued from a flat in Bristol. Due to the sheer numbers of nervous cats just like him, we appealed for help. We were grateful when someone who had adopted cats from us before came forward. Scrapper packed his bags and went to live in a foster home. Fostering is a great way to seeing how these nervous cats cope in a home or cats who just can’t cope in a pen situation and become depressed. 

Scrapper’s fosterer has been in touch, we thought we’d share her email in the hope this may inspire any future fosterers....

“Just an update on Scrapper who we have now named Bentley. He seems to like his new name and answers to it!
I am pleased to say we are making progress with him although there is still a long way to go. When he first came he squashed himself behind the TV for several days and would only come out to eat and use his litter tray when we had left the room. He advanced to lying in his cat carrier where at least we could see him, now, however he sleeps on his sheepskin blanket on the sofa and is usually waiting at the door to greet me in the morning. 

He has grown much more confident in the house and often comes out of his room and spends time with other cats who after some initial hissing and spitting have accepted him into the fold. He is particularly fond of Nelson and follows him around. Bentley will now come up to me when I call his name and take treats from my hand. Most times he will then accept a stroke and a rub under his chin. He is still a little wary though and occasionally panics and runs behind the sofa.



I have found him to be far more confident and accepting of contact when Nelson is with him and I am hoping that he will learn from him and the other cats that there is nothing to fear from humans. When Nelson is by his side he will happily be stroked and rolls over for his tummy tickling. I have so far been unable to pick him up or even to restrain him to wipe a slightly runny eye. 

Last night for the first time he played – previously he seemed terrified of any toys. It was so lovely to see him having fun batting feather with Jessica and Merlin and kicking a tinkle ball around the floor.” 

If you are interested in fostering any of our cats in need of help and you live in the Exeter area, please contact our centre on 01395 232377. Thank you.

Wednesday 13 November 2013

Santa Paws Appeal 2013

Exeter Axhayes Adoption Centre has launched their Santa Paws appeal 2013.

So what is the Santa Paws Appeal?

It is a simple idea. We are asking people to fill and donate a box full of cat goodies. Things that could go in the box could be:

  • Cat/kitten food
  • Cat treats
  • Cat toys
  • Cat biscuits
  • A Christmas card to the cats
  • Maybe a monetary donation
  • And let’s not forget the volunteers and staff who look after the cats 365 days a year.. maybe some chocolates, sweets, biscuits.
Fill the box, please remember it is for cats & kittens so please make sure that there is nothing that will pose a choking hazard to any of our furry friends. Once you have filled your box, you can decorate the box, wrap it in Christmas gift wrap, a ribbon or bow would be lovely. Cats and kittens love playing with paper too!



Where can I drop off my box?
You can either drop it off our Adoption centre, or please go to one of our drop off points which are listed below….

The Co-operative Food, 160 Sidwell Street, Exeter, EX4 6RR
The Co-operative Food, 61-63 Fore Street, Heavitree, Exeter, EX1 2RJ.
The Co-operative Food, Cowick Street, St Thomas, Exeter EX4 1AJ.

We would like to thank all those listed for kindly agreeing to support us in the Santa Paws Appeal. Drop off points will be open between 9th December 2013 and 21st December 2013.
In addition we have food donation boxes at the following locations; You are welcome to drop off your Santa Paws box in any of these donation boxes anytime:

Sainsburys Pinhoe
Co-op Heavitree
Co-op Sidwell Street
St Davids Veterinary Hospital

For more details about our Santa Paws Appeal, please visit the Santa Paws website https://sites.google.com/site/santapawsappeal/home Thank you very much for your support and have a Happy Christmas!  

Saturday 2 November 2013

Success Stories - Jake and Simba

Here is another success story. During the summer two gorgeous ginger boys Jake and Simba came to Axhayes when their owner could no longer keep them. They were very hyperactive, loving and very playful. After spending a few weeks with us, they soon found a loving home together. Their owners have kindly emailed us last month to give us an update on how they are doing, they are now renamed  Bubbles and Bob.

Here’s what they said “The boys have settled in very well, as you will see from the attached photos they have grown quite a lot during the past two weeks.



They are lovely natured cats, very affectionate to us and each other. They also manage to have their own versions of the "Ben Hur" chariot races including Gladiator fights too, all without any aggression or damage to each other. In between all this, they snuggle up on the sofa and watch TV, animal and football programmes are the favourites.

 
We hope to let them out into the garden this weekend which they have been eyeing from our conservatory. We are very grateful that these two cats were available at a time when we were looking for cats.” We would like to thank their owners for contacting us, it's always nice to hear how they are getting on in their new homes. Please feel free to email or facebook us your Axhayes cat photos.