I'll be honest, I live in a small house. The garden is about twice the size. Don't get me wrong though, I like living here. The location is convenient and the house being compact makes it relatively easy to keep clean. Well it would if I wasn't such an idle rude word and I didn't have so many cats which makes the house smell. I can only open my bedroom windows when the door is closed and all cats ejected because the windows open from the bottom up. The living room isn't too bad because the bay window is divided into three with the opening windows at the top of each panel. Even then I can only open them a little so as to deter a persistent cat from forcing the gap wider and getting out as happened once.
So I decided to be ruthless and reduce the number of cats I'm looking after, specifically those I'm fostering. Two were easy to decide upon. The first was Frank, the people-friendly but cat-bullying black and white two year old I took in three weeks ago. Then Gilgamesh the beautiful ocicat who likes people but was even worse with cats than Frank. Every cat is the house was afraid of him. And lastly I decided to let Aoife go. I've had her for fifteen months, her and her three adopted kittens and two of her own -all but one has either been adopted or is at our re-homing centre. But it wasn't an easy decision as she's very loving but doesn't like other cats and I've been changing my mind constantly, but in the end... In the end as of a few hours ago, all three have taken up residence at our re-homing centre at Ferry Farm kennels.
Now I'm reduced to Aelfric and Fifi, the first two cats I fostered here, who will never leave. I nearly sent Emma, a nine month old black and white, and Tilly, Aoife's fifteen month old grey daughter, to Ferry Farm together but they're both so affectionate and all four get on well together.
That still leaves Jeff and her kittens and the kittens I took in last week. Except that the student I got Jeff (as a stray) from has finished her course and is hoping to take Jeff home to Manchester. Three of the kittens have been re-homed and two are reserved to be collected in a week. So, not counting them, I'm down to a much more manageable four which will reduce the amount of time I spend cleaning the litter trays considerably as well as reducing the food bill. It also means that I can give more time and affection to the cats I do have. It feels almost like a holiday, except...
Except: I hate that word.
Except that I'm expecting a phone call any minute now about an abandoned 17 year old cat I've agreed to take in. And then there'll be the phone call about a cat that the circumstances are such that I can't help myself. And, and, and...
We really, really, really need more fosterers. Animal Krackers will pay any vets bills and help with the food so if you or someone you know... Get in touch, dammit!
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