Cork Cat Action Trust

December 17th 2009:

This unfortunate cat may not look too pretty at the moment but now that the large ulcer that was on the side of his face has been lanced he is no longer in pain. He can now enjoy a good chin rub. His left eye is cloudy and he is blind in it. However this is not a handicap to him. Now that the ulcer is gone he is enjoying his food.

Sausage and Gizmo were both found by the side of the road.
Read their story here:

Meet Sausage and Gizmo. Both of these little ones were found on separate roads a week apart. Sausage was only four weeks old and bless him his eyes were slightly crossed but he still made catching him hard work. He hid in a very big and very prickly furze bush. It took half an hour to get him to go into a carrier. Thank goodness for cat food. But he was starving poor thing. It took a lot of feeds to build him and he is happy in his new home. Gizmo was a pair of very big eyes at the side of a busy road and just like Sausage, she was crying continuously. Likewise, she was petrified and hid herself. But thankfully she hid in moss so she was easier to catch. She was so much smaller than Sausage but she would not stop crying until we put her in with him. She is now in a new home which is a great end to her story.
Meet sister and mister.
On Monday the 19th of November, we took in two more kittens, a brother and sister, who were also found running along the roadside. They are about five months old and were dumped without a thought. They were following everyone who walked by. Eileen, who took pity on them was able to pick them up without any bother because they are so friendly. They rode home with their front paws up on the dashboard and their hind legs on the front seat of the jeep. They were rehomed together with sarah where there is a gentle terrier and they will be the king and the queen of all they survey.

The following, by Patricia Walter is an apt poem.
Left by the road, nobody cared
I really hoped that I would be spared.
Out for a walk, along came a friend
heard my cry, I knew she would bend.
Called kitty kitty, then picked me up
I was so small like a little tea cup.
Went for a ride, found a new home
no longer lost, never alone.
This and many other poems and art by Patricia are to be found at http://www.apoetscorner.com

On the 27^th of September a number of volunteers including a baby and a dog took part in the Cork City mini Marathon for us.
On the 27^th of September the Evening Echo Ladies Mini Marathon was held in Cork City. We at CAT were very honoured that we had volunteers who ran, walked, pushed their baby buggy and walked their dog in order to raise much-needed funds for us. Over 10,600 people took part and it was the first time we have had a presence. It was a lovely warm day and everyone had fun. A very big thank you to Jonathon of Overdrive car accessories of Douglas Court shopping Centre who sponsored and printed our very good tee-shirts. Finally thank you to everyone who sponsored the girls.

Laura McGonigle, (Cork City councillor) also ran the mini marathon for us but we did not get a photo of her on the day. Maybe next year we will see her joined by many other councillors running for us?

Sparky and Sonny were rescued by the Staff at Sunbeam veterinary hospital, Blackpool. They both had a lucky escape:

Meet Sparky who was in our care**. Well his original name could have been Ratty as he was found with his head firmly stuck in a metal rattrap filled with poison. Thankfully he was rescued by the Sunbeam Veterinary hospital, Blackpool. Because his head was caught firmly in the trap it could not be got out without him being sedated first. Then and only then could it be cut from around his head. We think he entered the rat trap to try and eat the poison bait as he was severely malnourished. Fortunately for him he couldn’t reach the poison. That was just the beginning as he also had a nasty gash on his leg. This has improved enormously following treatment by everybody at Sunbeam.

Sparky was in such poor shape that the vets had to clean out the maggots who had infested his wound. The wound is much improved now in comparison to when he was rescued. It needed major care from the vets and all the staff at Sunbeam after the rattrap was removed and Sparky has now he has been reunited with his brother Sonny. Sonny has also spent time at Sunbeam being cared for before he came to us. Sonny had been left in a box outside the vets the previous week, he was badly malnourished and was not expected to live – however he was bouncing around his present home after the week at the veterinary hospital. Sonny is missing one of the claws on his right foot which may or may not grow back but he still loves to use the scratching post so that's good. When they were introduced to each other it took a few days before they got accustomed to each other, as all cats and kittens do, but now they enjoy playing with each other and chasing each other round the kitchen.

Spark’s leg continues to heal and both will soon be ready for adoption, as they deserve a happy ending together. We would like to thank Sunbeam vets for their kindness to both Sparky and Sonny.

**The good news on Sparky is that he was adopted on the 16th September and we wish every one and Sparky well and many happy years together. Update 2nd November: He is eating everyone out of house and home. Mad as a hatter. Loved by all.

Pictured is Sunbeam Vet Joe Keane and the cat rescued on the 12th December 2009. It had it's head jammed tight in a narrow concrete trench.


		rescue complete

On Saturday the 12th of December 2009, we got a call saying that a cat had gotten its head jammed into a trench between a patio door and the concrete floor inside . When we arrived to try and help we had no hope of freeing the cats head with its cooperation because the cat was, logically, freaking out. Complicating matters its head had become swollen from it's own efforts to get itself out. The next port of call was to Sunbeam Vets, Blackpool to Joe Keane to ask could he come out and sedate the cat out and thereby get the cat out of the vice it was trapped in. Joe arrived and once the cat was asleep we were able to start getting it out of its predicament. It was necessary to lubricate the cats swollen head and after much effort on Joe's part with some help from us we finally managed to release it. As the cat was asleep and needed to rest until it regained full consciousness it was wrapped in a warm blanket and put in a room where it could sleep off the anesthetic for the night.
A very happy ending for puss and a big thank you to the house owner for his concern for the cat and to Joe for coming out of hours during the weekend to help. Puss is now back to good health chasing the rabbits in the area.

Dec 2009 - Grant assistance

We were delighted to receive a grant of €10,000 from Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Brendan Smith T.D., (Animal Health & Welfare Division), just before Christmas. Needless to say, this will be an enormous help in paying some of our veterinary bills, which average €3,500 per month. Thanks to this grant, a bit more can be done.

We held a pub quiz on Wednesday the 4th of November 2009 at the VENUE BAR in BALLINTEMPLE.
We had 25 tables in attendance. The quiz master Ross Anderson had a brilliant array of general
knowledge questions for us and we were kept on our mental toes for the night.
A big thank you to the owners and to the staff of The Venue for letting us in for the night.
Plus a big thank you to the fundraising committee for all their hard work.

Here are the photographs we took on the night. Everyone was a good sport to let us take their photograph.

A selection of the raffle prizes we had on the night.

Dear Folks, Thanks to everyone who helped us to collect and thanks to everyone who made a donation to us. Every cent is greatly appreciated.

Avril, Ann, Sara, Lynn and Karen - who all work at the Animal Care veterinary clinic in Douglas - took part in the Cork City Marathon to raise funds for Cork Cat Action.

The girls did the 26 Miles in relay. And considering how hot the day was we are very very grateful to each of them for running on one of the hottest days of the year.

A member of CAT has had an interesting story to tell; here is what happened to Elspeth:

"An old, tired looking cat wandered into my garden. I could tell from his collar and his well fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of. He calmly came over to me, and I gave him a few pats on the head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out. The next day he was back, greeted me in my garden, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks. Curious, I pinned a note to his collar: "I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful, sweet cat is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your cat comes to my house for a nap."

The next day he arrived for his nap with a different note pinned to his collar: "He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?"

A mother cat, who is now named mama Cass, and her four kittens were found in the bedroom of an apartment in Wellington Road having decided that a flat, which was up for rent, was just right for her and her family. The fact that she could not afford the rent had not entered her head. Luckily for her the people managing it, Alex and Carmel from Proactive Property Management, are cat lovers and gave us a call requesting our help with their new occupants.

As mum cat is tame, Carmel was able to bring her to her office where I was able to collect mum, and her kittens. A bonus for me personally was that Carmel’s offices are directly over her husband Tom Browne’s art gallery so not only did I get to collect the new family but I also got a tour of his gallery. www.galerienautique.com Carmel and Alex donated cat food and money and their donation will cover neutering mama and the kitten’s vaccinations and is also enough to help one or two more cats and kittens. So a very very big thank you to them both.

May 11th 2009- Duck on a wire

John Comerford of the Animal Care Hospital with the duck that we brought in on Monday the 11th of May 2009

When bringing in a feral cat and her sick kittens to be examined at the Animal Care Hospital in Douglas, we came across two young men trying to help a male duck which appeared injured and we offered to bring it along with us. The duck managed to avoid capture or help until it went into a local betting office. The two youths said that it had flown into a wire and it was obviously stunned but the fact that it could not walk properly or fly suggested that it may have broken a wing. Thankfully John Comerford, the vet on duty, deemed it fit and well if perhaps a bit dazed. Lynn Buckley came back to work and she took the duck and she released it once it was safe to do so. Thanks very much to everyone at The Animal Care Hospital for looking after our feathered friend.

We get a number of lost cats reported to us and any that are reported to us we put up on our website. And one such cat was Kato who was lost from the Sarsfield road area on Wednesday 29th April 2009. Due to the owner leafleting the local area; and further a field; while also putting up many many posters they were reunited with their loved pet. A very happy ending to his adventure. This letter we received from Kato's owner says it all;

I would like to thank you and the Cork Cat Action Trust for placing Kato's details on your website and for the very practical advice offered. We did indeed put multiple missing posters up in shops and placed details with Lost and Found websites etc. There is no doubt that advertising Kato as missing on posters & websites is the reason he is safely back home with us this evening".

Open Garden May 2nd 2009 Cobh.

Malcolm and Gerard
At the plant stand.	Ladies enjoying a wonderful part of the garden	Marion and Ozzie from Maxi zoo

We were very blessed with the weather in Cobh when we had our open garden. We are very grateful to the people who came to lend their support.
Thank you to Gerard and Malcolm for sharing their beautiful garden with us.

We had a most enjoyable and successful day in Cobh, when Malcolm and Gerard opened their garden to us.
The sun shone for us and made the garden even more beautiful. The visitors enjoyed the garden, the refreshments, the plant sale, jewelry made by Elspeth Cameron and handmade aprons by Claire Sweeney. We also held a raffle. Despite being the same day as the Munster and Leinster match, there was a good turnout, as gardeners are always happy to see someone else's planting designs and ideas. Many thanks to all the volunteers who put a lot of time and effort into making the day the success it was.

Many thanks also to Darren at Maxi Zoo (Ballincollig) and Nash 19 who sponsored two of our raffle prizes.

ROVER Update September 2009 Rover has passed away. He will be greatly missed.

This is Rover on the evening of the 7th of January 2009 and it shows just how tired he was having spent all of the day from noon till 6pm helping us with our collection in Wilton shopping centre. He was as good as gold and let a lot of people pet him without any fuss at all.
His name is Rover because he thinks he is a dog. He gets great enjoyment from pulling trouser legs with his teeth, he loves to attack doors with lots of gusto and he bounds along like a large black Labrador. He is sometimes nervous and jumps out
at the slightest noise and when he does he leaps into the air and summersaults.
When he was rescued in June 2007 he was very hungry and a bit scruffy from living by his wits. After he came into our care, the plan was to find him a home once he had been neutered but then it was obvious that there was something not quite right with him. Firstly he often falls off balance especially when he tries to jump up on to things he also falls over. Likewise he often seems not to know where he is; for example, when he first came he would wander up the lane but could not remember how to get back home. It took a month of leading him back down the lane for him to finally work out how to do it by himself!! Also he needs to be spoken to before he knows who is near him and when he gets it into his head that he does not want to move from a position he tends to get upset. Veterinary opinion is that a virus affected his brain when he was a kitten, and, that as a result some of the pathways in his brain are damaged. He does make up for it by purring very loudly when he is lying upside down when getting his head scratched.

He has settled down to a routine and as long as he has food on his plate he is happy. He loves to have his tummy tickled when he is upside down in his bed. Rivalry between him and Pinky for the best spot at night in the kitchen is constant but friendly.
He is great with new kittens as he lets them swing off his head and play with him till its time for him to wander outside. His latest habit is to sit in the hen house when it is raining and the hens take no notice of him being there. Life is good for Rover and he is a joy to have around.

UPDATE: 14th October 2008 Rover is often to be found in one of the hens nesting boxes. He was very happy and pleased with himself. The only bothersome thing is that he still tends to fall off shelves so he has to be helped down for his own safety!!!!! He will be 6 years old in and about June 2009

UPDATE: 12th November 2008 Rover was good enough to help us fundraise last Wednesday by coming along and greeting the people who stopped to say hello in Douglas Shopping Centre. It was his first fundraising event so he did us proud as did Linda's cat 'Millie' and Ann's cat 'Saffy'.

SAPPHY: RIP: - found 5th June 2008. Put to sleep 5th February 2009

We are very sorry to have to say that Sapphy was gently put to sleep Thursday the 5th of February. Although she seemed to pull up following her visit to the vet after Christmas, she went downhill again in the last few weeks, and was really very very uncomfortable.  The vet diagnosed a large tumor on her liver, and so rather than put her through the pain and uncertainty of surgery, we decided to let her go peacefully to sleep. She was a great character, always friendly, always looking for petting and affection, and always ready to give it in return. We will remember that, and her huge sapphire eyes and her enormous yowl when she saw a friend or a bowl of food! She had a short time with us, but she enjoyed it until the last few weeks, and we enjoyed having her.
Sapphy's story:When we first got Sapphy she was a beautiful long-haired sapphire eyed cat, quite deaf, and elderly. She was found on June 5th 2008. She was reported to us as dying under a hedge, with a big wound on her head. Indeed she was in a very poor state. She was skin and bone, with matted clumps and bundles of hair, brown legs and tail, and with advanced cancer of the ear. When she was touched, she opened her huge blue eyes and yowled, being deaf she can’t hear herself, and has a particularly loud yell. Although she was in so much distress, she never objected to being handled, but walked into the cat carrier like a lady. When the vet saw her, he confirmed the cancer, and debated as to whether she would survive an operation. However, we decided to give her a chance, and since it was very late, and she would not be operated on until the morning, she was offered some food. She gave another yell, this time of pleasure, and demolished the food! She never looked back.
                     We think she was an elderly person’s pet. Perhaps the owner died, or maybe Sapphy wandered away. Certainly she was found just in time, and she repaid the care she got with her love and affection. If you would like to support Sapphy posthumously or any of our other cats, please see our donation page, or volunteer to foster a cat or kitten so that we can help even more than we can at present. Likewise any one who may be able to offer us a couple of hours whenever we have a flag day would be a great help. When we got her she hadn't been feeling well, and fainted twice!! She also lost weight and became dehydrated. A visit to the vet and an overnight stay, with various tests and treatments established that she had one bad tooth (now gone), and a very sore ear -possibly a legacy of her ear cancer. However, her blood tests all indicated that she was in general good health, and she did not have either of the serious diseases FIV or FELV. I suppose none of us would be happy with a tooth ache and ear ache, She was soon on the road to recovery, eating well again, and of course sleeping a lot (well she was an old lady). She was a lovely cat that had suffered all her misfortunes with patience. She loved to be petted and loved sleeping by the fire, so there was hope that she had a few more years of comfort ahead of her.

On the 30th of December we went to Charleville to pick up what we were told was a very tiny sick kitten. When we arrived we found a very sick tiny cat. She had been taken to a vet who prescribed medicine for her flu but when we got her back to base the very bad smell from her mouth told us that there was more to her illness than met the eye.

We took her into the Animal Care Hospital in Douglas where, on examination, it was very obvious that she had burnt her tongue and gums and as she was found in a garage yard it was more than likely battery acid. She was given more medications to heal her tongue. The first photograph shows her legs are very dirty and this is because she was unable to eat normally having burnt her tongue and she was picking up her food with her paws and putting it into her mouth as it was too sore to eat normally. Thankfully her tongue is no longer black but getting to a healthy pink but she still tends to use her paws to eat but is now able to clean herself. She is turning into a pretty little cat as photograph number two shows her being looked after by rover. However, yesterday, (14th January), she was back at the vet as she now has a respiratory infection and is now on more medication. As long as she keeps up her appetite she should come through this latest setback.

Sadly, Charlie was put to sleep today the 23rd of January 2009. We brought her back to the vet because her flu had returned and it was decided that she should be tested for Aids and Leukemia as she had had two rounds of antibiotics and this relapse was so bad. The blood tests showed that she had Leukemia and it was decided that it was best to put her to sleep as she was so ill. She may not have been with us for long but she was a beautiful cat in personality and spirit and she will be missed. Rip.

Sadly Delilah had to be put to sleep just before Christmas. Delilah, was a rogue character who gave everybody a hard time. She was a long-haired black cat. We don't know how old she was, but she was found about 6 years ago, having been attacked by greyhounds, and she lived with Ann, ruling the other cats, and being in turn pleasant and highly unpleasant.

We couldn't rehome her, because she couldn't be trusted not to bite (hence Delilah) . In the last few months poor Delilah had great difficulty eating, and had all her teeth out in September because of gum disease. Then in December she again became ill, and this time was found to have a cancer in her mouth, and she was gently put to sleep. I like to think that she enjoyed her time bossing everyone around, and in spite of everything, she is missed.
May she be happy in cat heaven!


Sapphy just after her operation to remove her ear in June 2009	Sapphy on her favourite blue background 3 months later.