More Animals

Well done, you've stuck with it. Here's the next batch.

Carly Carly was rescued by Carly and Michael from Katelios sea front in 2013. Tiny and filthy, she was being chased by Greek children for fun and had no mother or siblings in sight. They brought her to me and she soon fit in. Michael wanted to call her Scruff but Carly & I thought she should be named after her benefactor which suits her much better now. Initially she had big problems with her digestive system and the vet had doubts about her survival. But special dietary biscuits solved her problem and she's now extremely happy and healthy.

Joey Joey was another tiny kitten I inherited from my Mum in 2014. He's a gentle soul, no trouble and a real Mummy's boy. He's had his share of bad luck though. He was hit by a car and broke his leg in 2015. Thankfully he made a full recovery and you'd never know it had happened now. Then at Christmas 2016 he was so poorly I nearly had him put to sleep. A bloodtest suggested leukaemia but there was an outside chance he may have eaten something bad. Days later I couldn't keep any medication down him and decided to let him die at home with dignity. The following day he started eating on his own, made a miraculous recovery and is now back to full strength. My very own Christmas miracle.

Zach There's a bit of a pattern emerging here. Zach is a kitten I took from Mum in early 2015. She can't remember how she ended up with him but it seems he had been wandering around Skala following people for a few weeks. He's a very forward individual and isn't fazed by much. For a while he was Bear's favourite chew toy and has been known to sneak ino people's cars to investigate or sunbathe on the parcel shelf. The biggest downside is that he's also become a terratorial piddler so I'm forever tryng to spot the quivering tail and stop him before the act.

Zelena (the Wicked Witch of the West) Pippy the evil 3 legged cat meets her match. Zelena is a super smart fantastic Mum. In early 2016 there were three pregnant bin cats at the bottom of my drive. They all gave birth around the same time and two disappeared to care for their newborns. Zelena moved in with me and beat up all the other animals to the point where they were all terrified of her. I assumed her kittens had died and had her neutered immediately. Then 3 kittens appeared on my balcony and nobody dared bother them – because they were hers. One disappeared but the other two are now part of the household and Zelena still has their backs.

Pixie & Major These are Zelena’s babies. Both are fairly timid but Pixie is bothered less by the bullies as she spends a lot of time under her mother’s wing. She gets plenty of tough love but adores her mother and loves to cuddle and groom her whenever possible Major.is a favourite target of Elvis and Ben and often has to be rescued by me or Zelena. He disappeared for a week in early 2017 and came back thin, very subdued and with an injured leg. For now he’s sticking close to home and is slowly recovering from his injuries and wounded pride.

Sooty Sooty sneaked in because the timing was right. Zelena’s third kitten had gone missing and I was sitting at home late season 2016 on my night off from the bar. I heard a kitten in distress, crying in the field behind my house so I went to investigate in case it was him. Of course it wasn’t Zelena’s baby it was Sooty. But he was so tiny and in need of help I couldn’t say no. Story of my life. He had a severe and stubborn eye problem in the beginning but is now happy, healthy and very much part of the gang. Very confident and never bullied he does his own thing but still loves spending time with his best friend Gizmo.

Gizmo This is another one of Mum's saves. I went to visit in Summer 2016 and she had a tiny, dirty, flea-ridden kitten on her shoulder. I brought her home, cleaned her up and now she's a dynamo. She's ruined a few t-shirts using me as a climbing frame and riding around on my shoulder - claws out. She's absolutely fearless and adores Sooty. When Molly first moved her kittens in (see Even More Animals) tiny Gizmo was beside herself with excitement at a mother being on the scene. Initially the kittens weren't best pleased but gentle Molly Supermum adopted her, allowing her to suckle and be groomed alongside her own babies.

Nelson At the end of the 2016 season this manky old guy was living on a roof next to where I park my car at home. Scabby face, dribbly mouth, filthy and very poorly looking. To begin with I couldn’t even tell whether he was missing an eye (hence ‘Nelson’). Initially timid and keeping his distance, regular feeds made him brave and he moved into the house which probably saved his life. It’s been a rough winter and he wouldn’t have survived outdoors. I had him checked out at the vet and it turns out he’s 10 or 11 years old. He’s on cortisone tablets to keep the mouth problem at bay and, whilst still manky looking, he's in good nick. So much so he even stalks and bullies some of the other cats now - especially the ginger ones.

So now you're well on your way through the list. If you're a real glutton for punishment the last lot can be found on Even More Animals.

"What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others"
Diogenes