Behind the Scenes Series: Zula the cat

Every so often we get a cat in our care who you just wish you could communicate with and say that everything is going to be alright. Sadly we can’t and so we have to spend months slowly building up trust between the cat and carer until we finally reach a point where there is potential to find the cat a new home. Zula is one of these special cases. 

Zula with one of her kittens

She was brought to the attention of the RSPCA inspectors back in May by Social Services who were concerned that her owner wasn’t capable of caring for her and her 4 new born kittens. Zula and her kittens were taken to the RSPCA animal hospital for a check over but she was so traumatised by the move that the staff were struggling to examine her. By chance one of our team was at the clinic and saw how distressing Zula was finding the hectic environment of the hospital and, falling for her big sad eyes, managed to find a space for her in foster care, where Zula has now been since the 20th May 2015.

One of Zula's kittens (Zula in the background)

Zula spent a lot of time hiding when she first arrived in foster care. Her favourite hiding place was wedged behind a giant plant pot. Had she not been a devoted mum to her kittens we probably wouldn't have seen Zula for weeks, but she had to come out to feed her babies and to eat. Meal times were definitely key to making friends with Zula - a human with a pouch of food in their hands is infinitely less scary. Zula would let you give her a head rub if she was about to get fed, so we knew she had it in her to be a loving cat, she just needed a bit time to settle and practice.

Always the devoted mum!

Whether it is from lack of handling in the past, or a bad experience, Zula is very nervous of being picked up and dreads being placed in a carrier. Her extreme reaction has made moving Zula a very stressful experience both for her and whoever is handling her. She is so fearful that she has soiled herself on every occasion she's been in a cat carrier. Because of this we made the unusual decision not to separate her from her kittens when they were weaned, so she didn't need to be moved again.

She has grown in confidence in foster care and doesn't hide so often, really enjoys a good bum scratch and has shown quite a playful side to her character. But if anyone new enters the house she will immediately make herself scarce and retreat under a bed. She's also easily spooked by sudden movements and noises, and if you touch her in a way she doesn't like she will become alarmed. You definitely can't lift her - she is very keen on having all 4 paws on the ground. Hopefully, once all her kittens are rehomed we'll see further improvement in Zula's confidence.

Zula finally learning to relax after several months

Cats like Zula don't cost us a lot of money in medical care, as her wounds are psychological rather than physical. As well as wanting to tell her everything is ok, we wish she could tell us exactly what it is that is distressing to her. It's just time that she needs, to learn to relax and to trust her human friends.

If you can offer Zula a new, quiet and patient home please get in touch!

There are also many other ways you can help our animals!

1. Make a donation or set up a regular Direct Debit - any amount would make a huge difference to our animals lives.You can TEXT MCRS01 £1/2/3/4/5 or £10 to 70070

2. Fundraise for us! We always have an event or two planned... For example, in September we have an abseil down the Trafford Centre and in October our 'Big Walkies' sponsored dog walk. Why not get involved and raise money for our animals at the same time?!

3. Donate your unwanted clothing, jewellery or bric to our charity shops! Our charity shops are located in Chorlton, Didsbury and the Northern Quarter, city centre and help to fund our work. We can turn your donations into funds to care for our animals. We are also always on the look out for volunteers to help in our shops so if you are interested just get in touch!

4.  Adopt one of our amazing animals! We always have many cats, rabbits and guinea pigs for adoption. If you are looking for a new best friend look no further!

5. Foster a feline! At the moment we are in need of more foster carers for cats, kittens and nursing queens. If you live in the South Manchester or Salford area and think you could help please contact us on 0161 882 0680 option 4.

Behind the Scenes Series: Stanley the cat

 Stanley is a splendid lad who has been on a long journey since first arriving in our care on the 16^th of June 2015. He was originally found stray and limping by a member of the public in South Yorkshire. He was subsequently X-rayed and given pain relief but as no one in the area came forward to claim him he was transferred to us for treatment and rehoming.

X-rays of Stanley from June 2015

The X-rays revealed that Stanley had fractured the neck of his right leg as well as his pelvis! Thankfully the brakes were healing correctly on their own so there was nothing we could do to help other than keep him happy and calm on cage rest. Thanks to his lovely nature he coped well on cage rest, most cats find it very frustrating, but during the whole 6 weeks he remained calm and content.

Stanley on cage rest

Stanley's recovery was slow but he finally was given a bit more freedom and put on room rest where he could start to walk around and build up the muscle on his leg. Unfortunately, at around the same time, Stanley started with a bad bout of diarrhea. After a check up at the vets and a course of antibiotics it still hadn’t cleared up so he was put on a sensitive dry food diet which has made a massive difference.

Getting used to his new diet after some trial and error!

Since changing to the new diet and being given the freedom to run around his foster home he is now full of the joys of life. He has been the perfect patient and his foster family are very fond of him and say he is a real sweetheart. This is what they have to say about him:

“Stanley is a really lovely boy. It takes him a little while to get to know you, but when he does, he is very affectionate and loves a cuddle. He is very energetic and tears around the house when he has his 'mad half hours', liking nothing better than skidding along the laminate and crashing into table legs. He loves his toys and likes using the scratch post. 

Stanley is also hilarious....he is fascinated with his reflection in the mirror which he seems to think is another cat and dances on his tiptoes around our own cat (who treats him with general disdain). Stanley has never scratched or hissed at us, even when giving him tablets: he accepted this quite passively. In his short life so far, despite his injuries, he has learned to accept whatever his situation is quite happily. He will make a fantastic pet and absolutely deserves a loving new home. We have loved having him here, but as he is in foster care, he hasn't been able to play out, which we think he is eagerly looking forward to!”

Stanley looking and feeling much better! August 2015

After 8 long weeks Stanley is finally ready for adoption and we hope it won't be long until he's enjoying the great outdoors, climbing trees and snuggling up in his adopter's arms.

Animals like Stanley take a lot of time and effort from our staff and volunteers to get them ready for their new homes. If you can offer Stanley a new home please get in touch!

There are also many other ways you can help our animals!

1. Make a donation or set up a regular Direct Debit - any amount would make a huge difference to our animals lives.You can TEXT MCRS01 £1/2/3/4/5 or £10 to 70070

2. Fundraise for us! We always have an event or two planned... For example, in September we have an abseil down the Trafford Centre and in October our 'Big Walkies' sponsored dog walk. Why not get involved and raise money for our animals at the same time?!

3. Donate your unwanted clothing, jewellery or bric to our charity shops! Our charity shops are located in Chorlton, Didsbury and the Northern Quarter, city centre and help to fund our work. We can turn your donations into funds to care for our animals. We are also always on the look out for volunteers to help in our shops so if you are interested just get in touch!

4.  Adopt one of our amazing animals! We always have many cats, rabbits and guinea pigs for adoption. If you are looking for a new best friend look no further!

5. Foster a feline! At the moment we are in need of more foster carers for cats, kittens and nursing queens. If you live in the South Manchester or Salford area and think you could help please contact us on 0161 882 0680 option 4.

Behind the Scenes Series: Herman the cat

Every now and again we get an animal in from such poor conditions that it still manages to shock us and sadly Herman’s story did just that. He was discovered in a carrier hidden out of sight in a pet store car park on the hottest day of the year. The carrier was full of urine and he was crawling with fleas; it was obvious that he had been there for some time. Thankfully National RSPCA staff found him in time and took him straight to the vets where he was found to be unneutered and suffering with rotting gums and decaying teeth. He had to have 8 teeth removed, but with so many already missing it left him with just 3 healthy teeth. 

Herman on arrival

Understandably Herman was traumatised by the ordeal and refused to eat, drink or go to the toilet for days after arriving at our cattery, but thankfully with a bit of medical help he started to improve. We discovered that he only liked mushy fish flavoured food and preferred to use the tray overnight when it was quiet, but he was still so shy and we were all very worried about him. Things took a turn for the worst when we got an outbreak of cat flu in the cattery and Herman, having an already low immune system after his dental, succumbed to the flu.

We had tried to find a suitable foster home for him but there was just no space available. For two weeks he suffered terribly with the flu symptoms and whilst we really didn’t want to upset him anymore by taking him back to the vets, we had no choice. He started a 10 day course of antibiotics and soon started to improve but just as his chest was getting clear his right eye lid became swollen. After yet another trip to the vets (and required further medication) we finally had a foster home free to take him. After three days in a home environment he was like a different cat. Despite the odd sniffle and still having a slightly swollen eye lid he was full of energy and cheekiness! 

Herman in the first few days of foster care

Herman is now causing his foster parents to have sleepless nights because he enjoys playing so loudly! All is forgiven though as it’s just so great to see him happy and feeling so much better. He still has a few weeks of antibiotics to go but whilst he is recovering he gets sardines for tea and the special privilege of sleeping on the bed (it’s just a shame he sleeps in the day and plays at night!)

We are hopeful that Herman will be ready for adoption by the end of August, and boy does he deserve the best home after what he’s been through. He is still very wary around people but once he starts to recognise your face he then enjoys cheeks rubs, belly flopping at your feet and cuddles curled up at the side of you. He will be looking for a quiet home where he can have a long and peaceful life eating smelly, fishy dinners and playing with cat nip mice loudly as soon as the sun comes up. 

Herman finally learning to relax and beginning to trust people again

The cost of starting to get Herman back into shape is £380 to date. Without our loyal supporters we just couldn't help animals like Herman. Check out the ways you can help our animals below!

There are many ways you can help our animals!

1. Make a donation or set up a regular Direct Debit - any amount would make a huge difference to our animals lives.You can TEXT MCRS01 £1/2/3/4/5 or £10 to 70070

2. Fundraise for us! We always have an event or two planned... For example, in September we have an abseil down the Trafford Centre and in October our 'Big Walkies' sponsored dog walk. Why not get involved and raise money for our animals at the same time?!

3. Donate your unwanted clothing, jewellery or bric to our charity shops! Our charity shops are located in Chorlton, Didsbury and the Northern Quarter, city centre and help to fund our work. We can turn your donations into funds to care for our animals. We are also always on the look out for volunteers to help in our shops so if you are interested just get in touch!

4.  Adopt one of our amazing animals! We always have many cats, rabbits and guinea pigs for adoption. If you are looking for a new best friend look no further!

5. Foster a feline! At the moment we are in need of more foster carers for cats, kittens and nursing queens. If you live in the South Manchester or Salford area and think you could help please contact us on 0161 882 0680 option 4.

Behind the Scenes Series: Mara the rabbit

Mara is a 1 year old agouti bunny who sadly holds the title of our longest stay animal. She came into our care on 14th July 2014 when she was just a few days old after her mother was found stray with three babies; thankfully she was rescued by National RSPCA inspectors and brought into our care to raise them in safety. 

Daphne - Mara's mum who was adopted in 2014

Fergie & Harriet - Mara's sisters who were adopted by a member of our team this year

Despite regular handling and their mum being a sociable rabbit it was clear that Mara and her sisters were going to be shy rabbits, preferring the company of other bunnies to people; we assume that their father was a wild rabbit who mated with Mara’s mother when she found herself stray!

Mara as a baby - August 2014

In the past year Mara’s mother and sisters have found homes but sadly Mara is still waiting.....

She loves other rabbits and it is clear she would like a neutered male companion but with her preference to have minimal contact with people we are finding her very hard to rehome. Despite all the odds being stacked against her we are determined not to give up on Mara finding a forever home in a lovely, outdoor enclosure with a friend for company.  

 

Mara all grown up and still waiting for a home - August 2015

Whilst she isn’t the most sociable rabbit to be around she is still a rewarding rabbit as over the past year our staff have built up a bond with her and as long as we respect her space she will watch us clean, take food from our hands and remain calm and still for her weekly health checks. Our staff enjoy watching her interact with her bunny neighbours and they always have a giggle when they hear her playing with a baby rattle or see her poking her nose out of a cardboard castle. So despite not wanting close contact with people she can still interact and have a relationship with her carers.

 Mara needs a home where:

* She can live in a large setup outside (ideally a shed with run attached)
* Be bonded with a neutered male (following our bonding guide and with our ongoing support)
* She is left to settle at her own pace and her adopter's understand she's not going to be a bunny that likes cuddles and fussing! More of a rabbit that likes to be admired from afar....

If you can offer Mara the home she needs please call us on 0161 882 0680 option 4 or email rspcamcr_salford@btconnect.com today!

The cost of caring for Mara is around £1,000 to date; this includes boarding fees, food, enrichment and vet care. If you can't offer Mara a home, check out the ways you can help our animals below!

There are many ways you can help our animals!

1. Make a donation or set up a regular Direct Debit - any amount would make a huge difference to our animals lives.You can TEXT MCRS01 £1/2/3/4/5 or £10 to 70070

2. Fundraise for us! We always have an event or two planned... For example, in September we have an abseil down the Trafford Centre and in October our 'Big Walkies' sponsored dog walk. Why not get involved and raise money for our animals at the same time?!

3. Donate your unwanted clothing, jewellery or bric to our charity shops! Our charity shops are located in Chorlton, Didsbury and the Northern Quarter, city centre and help to fund our work. We can turn your donations into funds to care for our animals. We are also always on the look out for volunteers to help in our shops so if you are interested just get in touch!

4.  Adopt one of our amazing animals! We always have many cats, rabbits and guinea pigs for adoption. If you are looking for a new best friend look no further!

5. Foster a feline! At the moment we are in need of more foster carers for cats, kittens and nursing queens. If you live in the South Manchester or Salford area and think you could help please contact us on 0161 882 0680 option 4.