We are pleased to report that we have, at long last, been able to start micro-chipping every cat who passes through our hands for homing. This will not only enable us to keep track of cats we help and home but will also ensure that those who go astray in the future can be reunited with their owners.

Thank you to everyone who offered a home to one or two of Tom's guinea pigs after our appeal in the Winter Newsletter. Although many have now found good homes, he still has a number of adorable hogs awaiting a loving owner - please let us know if you can squeeze one or two in.

We seem to have heard a remarkable number of stories involving "miracle" animals recently so, in keeping with the season and the miracle of new life, we dedicate this issue to them (yes, even the new lives which we work so hard to prevent and then so hard to rescue and re-home - kitten season is almost upon us again!).

Animal Aid and Advice AGM 2004

Our guest speaker this year is Gill Newbery, a veterinary nurse, who founded Hog Heaven Wildlife Refuge in West London NW9 about four years ago. It is an organisation which specialises in hedgehogs but also cares for wild garden birds and mammals. Whenever possible they release rehabilitated animals back into the wild. Gill will give us an illustrated talk on her rescue work, with particular regard to hedgehogs.

Please come and listen to her talk, meet fellow members - and bring your friends.

Patty's Story

Patty came to us at the beginning of August last year. Her kind finders described her pacing up and down her 200ft garden and then falling asleep on the open patio.

On arrival I estimated her to be about 6 weeks old, but she was very thin, weak and in a state of collapse. She had fly eggs all over her body and had an injury to her right eye. Her breathing was very laboured.

I removed all the small visible maggots and fly eggs and gave her an injection to kill any ones not visible. I also gave her a flea powder, an antibiotic and some subcutaneous fluid as she was slightly dehydrated.

By later that evening her breathing had become much worse and I gave her treatment to open her airways, I gave her more subcutaneous fluid as there was no way she could eat and breathe through her mouth.

The next morning there were several dead maggots in a discharge coming from her right nostril, her breathing had slightly improved and she had even eaten a little of the liquidized diet I had left with her overnight.

Over the next few days her breathing deteriorated again. It seemed to me that now her chest was causing the problem, so in case it was lungworm I began a course of lungworm injections and some wormer in her food.

We were due to go on holiday and as I handed over to my very capable helpers Gemma and Donna I really had my doubts of whether she would still be here when we returned. What a lovely surprise it was as one week later she was still here and her breathing had improved. I think much credit went to Gemma and Donna and their TLC.

From then she didn't look back. She gained weight, maybe not as quickly as the other babies, but still at a good rate. By the end of August she weighed 402g and had gone outside with the other youngsters.

I was quite concerned as she often had quite a mucky discharge from her right nostril. So as the other hedgehogs reached their release weight and went to gardens Patty stayed so I could keep an eye on the discharge from her nostril, particularly as it was the right nostril. I also noticed that she had lost hair from her face, paws and ears. I took a culture from hair samples which tested positive for ringworm so I began bathing her in an anti-fungal solution. Already the hair has returned to her face and paws and her ears are no longer crusty. Her weight is around 750g and although she has a discharge from her right nostril still, it is clear not pussey.

She will stay with us for the winter as I suspect she may have some permanent damage to her nostril caused by the maggots when she was a baby. I will assess her in Spring and see if she can go back to the wild or will need an enclosed garden. But for now she has made a lovely nest in the enclosure and accepts her daily examinations with good grace. Hopefully she will continue to do well.

We understand from Gill that, sadly, Patty did not survive and has now departed for the other Hog Heaven but her short life was a much happier one due to the efforts of this very dedicated team.

Report from Rhodes Minnis

1. Sylvester and "Bagpuss"

"Thought you might like a copy of this with Sylvester being one of the cats you sent down for re-homing this month."

From all at Rhodes Minnis (by email)

"Hello Clair and the 'gang' at Seathwaite,

Just a quick note with a few pictures of Sylvester and 'Bagpuss'...though in true cartoon fashion she is beating up Sylvester and I think she will be the boss, so she may become 'Tweedy Pie' yet, though I'd prefer a more dignified name! Sylvester is still a bit nervous though has found some tuna and the litter tray and she has found some sunny warm spots to curl up in but is still investigating her new surroundings.

Both seem fine, a few hisses but no fur flying...yet no breakages and no accidents. Pictures were taken a little over an hour of them being released into their new home so even though its early days, all looks promising.

Thanks for all your help, it really is appreciated and I hope this note is some reward for your dedication."

2. Sophie

"Good morning everyone,

Just thought I would let you know about my new home and how I am getting on. It all seemed a bit strange at first, but I had a good look round and found that I have a choice of five bedrooms to sleep in. The first night I decided to sleep with my new owners for most of the night, but was careful not to disturb them. The next night I slept downstairs and found an open box of cat biscuits in the kitchen, so helped myself to a few!! I feel really at home here and love my new owners very much. She feeds me and gives me lots of cuddles and plays with me a lot. He also gives me lots of cuddles, which I really like. So I have decided that I will be staying here now, but I will be coming back for a short stay with you next month. I'm a bit tired now, so I am going to my special chair in the kitchen for a nap. See you soon."

"I know you all must think I am mad writing an email from the cat (just a bit of fun). Sophie, as she is still called as we haven't thought of a new name yet, is absolutely adorable, she has settled in so quickly and is such a clean, well behaved, loving cat. She calls me if she wants to find me and I think she must have worn her "purrer" out by now. I can't thank you enough for letting us take her. She has made our lives complete.

Regards"

By email to Rhodes Minnis

Closer to Home

"...I am so happy with my 2 cats that came to live with me in April 2002, Roy and Blue, ...I'm enclosing a drawing I've done of Roy.

Thank you so much for making it possible for me to have these 2 delightful cats to live with me".

Bruno's Story - Tina Baker

Thanks to the terrifying bombardment of fireworks for weeks before Bonfire Night, Bruno disappeared. I can't imagine he'd run away if he weren't traumatised, as he left his much-loved brother behind. We both pined.

Anyone who's lost a cat knows the sickening feeling of returning to a house empty of a special miaow; feeling helpless as you trudge streets putting up posters.

Many kind strangers called with sightings of various black cats. None were Bruno.

Weeks passed. The only thing left was to pray.

Then came a call from a lady, who told me, as gently as possible, that they'd found a dead black cat in their garden and buried him. The dates matched. Yet, despite my grieving, a tiny chink of hope remained, even though hoping was sometimes more painful than saying a proper goodbye.

Nearly three months later - a shock. A neighbour called. They'd just returned from a month in New Zealand. They thought their home had been burgled. Curtains were torn down, vases knocked over. They'd found Bruno's collar. He could be hiding in their cellar.

I rushed round, fearing the worst. I called: 'Bruno!' The answer was instant, if wobbly: 'MIAOOOOWWWW!'

And there he was - a grubby little skeleton in a matted furry coat. A cat who'd survived at least one month without food and several without love.

How Bruno got into that house we'll never know. Nor how he lived, losing three-quarters of his body weight and becoming severely dehydrated.

But, as he recovers on my bed, in between endless tiny meals, and endless comforting strokes, he yowls his distinguishing miaow, and I think he's trying to tell me his story.

Stop Press: We are pleased to report that Bruno has continued to do well and is now back to his usual self with no permanent damage from his horrific experience.

Marmite - A Tough Old Bird - Doreen Rolph

A neighbour called all those years ago to tell me that her Great Dane had sniffed out 3 newborn kittens in a front garden and that they had been there most of the day - no sign of mum. I took them home, got some substitute milk and started to learn how to care for baby kittens. Being Christmas time there wasn't anyone much around to advise me - so it was very much a case of "more by luck than judgement". At that time Marmite looked quite black with just a couple of ginger hairs on her front left paw. I called her "Little Mole".

Miraculously, they all survived and went to good homes. Marmite, as she now was, found particularly devoted owners, which was just as well as it happened. At 3 months she developed cat flu and lost the sight of one eye. The eye had to be removed when she was nine. During the course of her life she has had a benign rodent ulcer, which is controlled by steroids, she gets colitis from time to time, she has a mammary tumour which at present is no problem for her and finally she suffers from arthritis. But she is very happy and much loved. The vet always shakes his head in amazement when he sees her - a real little survivor.

PS We caught up with her lovely mum eventually when she had her next litter - a happy ending for all.

If anyone would like to try their hand at hand-rearing, it is a labour-intensive job but very rewarding and we can offer more support than Doreen received all those years ago! By the summer time we will be crying out for hand-rearers so now is the time to get in touch.

What do you mean, kitten season - we're here now!

An excellent example of this is Maja Hasan, who fosters an endless stream of cats and kittens of all ages, sizes and temperaments and who has seized the initiative in her attempts to find the right home for her latest boys, Rio and Habshi.

Anyone living in the North London area is likely to fall over one of her posters which now litter the area (no pun intended). If you can think of anywhere the advert could be displayed near you, please call Maja and she will send you an A4 "glossy".

Even better, if you can offer them a home or know someone who can, we can cut out the middlemen!

One of the boys has tested positive for FIV but are healthy and strong and have every chance of leading a perfectly normal life in a caring home.

Who could resist?

And now the good news...the jumble is back!

It has been extremely difficult to find a suitable venue with the right size, location and cost but we believe we may have found just such a place in the Loraine Estate Community Hall (with thanks to Reg Wagland and Evelyn Johnson for all the leg-work they put in).

To test the water, we are holding a jumble sale there on Saturday 13 March and, if this is successful, would hope to reintroduce them on a regular basis at this location. Please do come along and support us if you would like to see a return to regular sales and do let us know what you think of this as an alternative venue for the future.

For future reference, we are considering advertising the jumble sales in the Camden New Journal and sister papers, rather than the Islington Gazette which is considerably more expensive.

Full details are in the Forthcoming Events section below.

London Marathon

Fieldworker Meetings

If you are interested in coming along to the next one, ring Doreen Rolph for details on 020 7607 1723.

Why not bring a friend along as well?

C4 Update

Forthcoming Events

If you have any comments, opinions or articles that you would like to have included in future newsletters, or if you want to publicise your own charitable event, please write to 16 Ingham Road, London NW6 1DE or email AAandA@ic24.net.

Roy - Engraving by Sylvia Eaves

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