Mother’s Day with Pedro the Donkey

Happy Mum’s day to all my lovely Mum’s..those with kids and those with furry kids..makes no difference as the care love and devotion is the same.. Today i was going to get brekky in bed..Phil came in and said he had a call out with the SES..he was sorry..i shoved him out the door. No i was not angry at all i was anxious he go..you see the call out was for our neighbour down the back and the call out was for a Donkey stuck in a ravine! Off he went.. I have always seen these beautiful Donkey’s as i wander my property..sometimes they come close and i see their sweet faces, i had never met their person. First some pictures hubby took at the scene ..which is right down the back of the abutting property..the Donkey.. Pedro the Nubian Burro..had a some stage either last night or early this morning had gotten stuck and could not get out..he was firmly wedged and was clearly needing help, so his person Alison rang the SES. Last night and today have been very cold and a high wind chill which had a sheep graziers alert so conditions pretty rotten for a poor guy stuck!

Finally out Pedro is comforted by the boys

The ravine where Pedro was stuck fast

A warm coat or two

Pedro can’t get up

Poor sweetie clearly pooped

Decision was made with consult from vet to keep him warm and see if he got up on his own

While this was happening i watched from our hill..

The team helping Pedro

When hubby got back he filled me in on things..he had been called out at 11.00am and it was now after lunch and Pedro was out but still down..his person Alison had said to feel free to come over and check on him ..so at about 2 we headed over..climbed a few barbed wire fences and met up with Alison..what a lady..she has 6 donkeys..all rescues…Pedro is in his 40’s! and was a sweet as can be..did not complain one bit..we talked and tried all of us to get him up..we coaxed..we rocked him ..moved his legs..rubbed him down and he tried a few times but no..so we needed some back up..he could not stay where he was as foxes would have a go at him at night..and despite SES putting a three sided marquee up he needed to be in his barn…but how..he weighs in at about 300kg ..so Phil and i stayed with Pedro while Alison went back to her house to try and get some reinforcements.

Sweet Pedro

Phil giving him a chin scritch

Letting Pedro lean on him

Pedro this afternoon still not up

Such a gorgeous boy

Reinforcements arrived..some neighbours..85 year old Mel..and young Russel..we tried this time to get ropes behind Pedro’s bum and help him up..almost..but he was super weak..at this time i rubbed under his mouth and saw what looked like blood but wasn’t…Alison and i were stumped as to what was going on…then she remembered she had been giving him purple carrots..so purple tinged dribble…phew..we tried again..he rolled to the other side but no more..we had no way of getting 300kg of Donkey anywhere fast..so James was called..he arrived with his tractor.. Phil told us all that this morning they had moved Pedro by laying rugs down and getting him on those then pulling..so we got his rugs down managed somehow to get it under him..we all developed muscles today..and then we counted and slowly got him on to the tractor..with one person making sure his front legs were not caught up..he was tied securely to the tractor and off we slowly went..Alison on the tractor with Pedro and Phil on the other side keeping his hand on him…

On the tractor..a tired Pedro

Securely tied

Ready to go..up the hill to the house and down then to the barn

Alison makes sure her boy is calm

Pedro’s trip begins..with Mel Russell and I behind keeping an eye on any issues

Pedro was so good..a few times we stopped concerned he was about to move

Pedro is back and his mates are glad to see him

Alison keeps Pedro calm as we get ready to get him off the tractor

It’s ok mate

Pedro still behaves like a perfect gentleman waiting

Back on the ground and with blankets on Pedro is back in his barn

Two of Pedro’s mates are watching us

We left Alisons at about 5 a few more barbed wire fences to climb and Pedro had still not gotten up..anyone who knows animals such as donkey’s horses and sheep knows they have to get up..they can be in terrible trouble if they don’t.. Alison is on her own her two daughters live in England and she was so grateful that her call to the SES was answered quickly. We asked her to please let us know how sweet Pedro goes..she hugged us both and we have found a new friend and animal lover right on our doorstep.Bob the team leader from the SES rang her while we were there to check on Pedro..the ‘job’ is never just the job..and all of the crew have done a great job getting this guy safely from his dilemma..Alison said she was going to contact the newspaper because she could not believe how respectful the men all were of her boy.. It has to be said that Pedro still has a fight on his hooves…if he does not get up it will sadly be a sad outcome..as Alison said she does not want to keep him frightened and in pain just to save her from being sad..he needs to get up as a ruminant he must move.. So my Mother’s Day wish is that he gets up..and get’s moving..i have only just met him but those hours spent talking to him and scratching behind his ears and massaging him i fell for him big time! Please all send you positive thoughts to this senior Donkey who has the nature of an angel ..like i said mothering is about caring and love..no matter what or who your ‘kids’ are…

Breaks your heart when you can’t help them

Thankful Thursday

As it is Thanksgiving for many of our friends overseas I would like to share this little story.
These past few weeks has been trying..the girls have taken turns at being unwell and I have had school and the yard to get sorted and hubby has been interstate on business and flies out again tomorrow..i am run ragged.
So today when Marbles needed a trip to the vet I was beyond stressed..i just could not believe that another sweetie was unwell.

However tonight I was given a reason to be thankful…
You see Dinnermintz was a sick foster kitten ..very sick..she was a three time come back to me for meds..she hated them and as a result you cannot hold her for more than 10 seconds before she squirms and wriggles and wants OUT!
I believe she associates holding with pills..
She will snuggle with me..only me and has even laid on me a few times over the past nearly 8 years..but no holding..until..

Licking my arm even!

Still there!

Even a pose for dad!

She looks uncomfortable..she was not trying to go though (and boy she is heavy!) but she was licking my arm and looking around and started to feel a bit more confident..she was like this for about 2 minutes..

Now compared to Pickles who will drape herself like a toga on you all day this does not seem like much..but I was nearly in tears..this is a huge step for Dinnermintz..and I felt so thankful…there is another blogger out there who I KNOW will understand how I feel..Savvy’s mum Linda ..there is always hope Mum L ..and I know one day sweet Savvy will reward you with the same blissful if fleeting moment.
So I am feeling very Thankful..i also feel thankful that each and every one of you grace my blog with comments and love..and I thank you all for your blogs that make me laugh cry and rejoice ..you are truly family…
Much love Fozziemum (Bev )

Some of my former Foster kittens

I have been AWOL and am slowly working my way around to see everyone’s blogs..days of yardwork taking their toll..so when I happened upon this old footage when I was trying to rest up I just had to share.
The footage I took with my mobile phone off the TV..seems I cannot transfer the disc to the computer..urghhh there is no sound as for some reason we have not yet set the DVD up to have audio since we got the new TV..rockin technology at the moment…
This group of fosters from maybe 6 years ago are adorable…all very distinct markings…They were looked after mostly by their dumped mum aka Mummsy .poor darling was a skinny tired and young girl.I named them Marms (Marmite), Medge (vegemite), Sydney, and Rabbit…Medge is the one seen breaking loose from his bed first to see what Mummsy was up to.he was a ratbag and such a cutie boy…his brothers all fast asleep in the bed still….we were mid bedroom demolition at our old home at this time so the room was a perfect safe place to adventure…so please excuse the rough footage as I sat in the loungeroom teary eyed and smiling while I taped it off the tv….memories….they were all adopted quickly when they made weight and went back to the shelter and I hope they still are thriving…

Pawing it forward- Being in a Pickle

Well as part of Savvy’s I would like to tell a story of rescue that I was called in to do.

Nearly nine years ago I was a volunteer at a no kill shelter called Victorian Animal Aid..i used to foster kittens..mums and newborns and kittens who were orphaned..either by loss of a mother or being dumped as rubbish.
These sweet darlings I would bottle feed..wipe their bottoms to encourage them to toilet and wash and dry them to prevent scald from urine.
This involved waking every three or four hours to tiny little hungry mouths..
If mums were with the bubs it meant letting mum have a break every now and then,as often these poor mums were not in good health or only babes themselves.some mum’s could not cope and they went back to a different foster to fatten up and get healthy while I looked after the bubs..sounds mean, but often these mums walked away from the babies and were not actively feeding or cleaning them.
I also spent time at the shelter, cleaning cages,playing with senior cats, or in the isolation ward tending the sick cats and kittens (this is how I adopted Dinnermintz)
So I received a call from the shelters Cattery manager Lyn, she asked me if I would meet the police at an address not far from where I lived as a woman had been taken in to mental health care and the house was filled with cats and kittens…urghhhh I knew this was going to be hard!

Hoarding is a terrible illness..and one that has far ranging effects, not the least the poor animals involved.
So armed with food I went down,i was met by the police who handed me a key and stood outside..
The entire front yard was swept bare just dust..and the smell from even the car was evident..the police would not come inside..in I went.
Horror..the smell was pure sulphur..it was pitch black (this was in the height of summer)there was no power.
My eyes adjusted slowly and the sounds of scurrying animals everywhere..i could make out buckets of dirt everywhere which were being used as litter trays..they were full of stench.Eyes were peering out from under rubbish and on top of who knows what was in there.
So I set about trying to get some feed down..my heart was breaking…there were two cages with birds in the kitchen and several bbq’s in there crammed in..where to start..
So I left..i rang the shelter and said to Lyn we need to get traps and get these cats out now! so in a period of about a week..after pleading with a larger shelter for help and getting nowhere our (little shelter was at capacity) eventually we started trying to trap some..most were almost insane with feral behaviour climbing curtains throwing themselves at windows..it was so distressing…
By now I had already been feeding them regularly,bringing in water and trays of litter some would shyly approach now but then scatter..the windows were boarded up so I could not let any light in.I worried that they all got food as I could never see who was eating and who wasn’t.
This one day I went down with my son…as we set about feeding them we heard a sound..a faint meow..we tried to see where it was coming from as it sounded stressed..a large dining room table had been placed with the top against the wall, my son moved it and down in between the wall and the table was a wee kitten..
We pulled the kitten out..and when I popped it on the floor it’s back legs splayed out and it was paralysed, it’s little head was badly misshapen..that was it I finally lost my cool..
We grabbed it up and left..poor little mite was being held by my son and it could not see..the light was too bright it had been born and lived in darkness.
I went to the Police station informed them I had removed the kitten and was going to my vet.
My vet Dr Findlay saw the kitten straight away..Sub Q fluids and I took it home.
When I rang Phil he said the kitten stays! which I had already decided 😉
This kitten I called Pickles..she was in a Pickle..
She has never really grown very big but has had a heart bigger than the world.
And now ,most likey due to her situation and the condition of her mother we have been told she most likely has FIV..would I have taken her in if I had known this then..YES..why..because it was the right thing to do for her..you see whatever happens down the track..whatever outcomes we have to face..our lives have been better for having our sweet girl in them..every animal deserves to feel loved and safe,fed and content and I could not ever guarantee that anyone else would give to this poor little sweetheart the life I knew I could.
Pickles is asleep on top of the couch tonight, tummy full,friends next to her,warm and cosy..she has played all day she has laid in the sun and she knows she is safe isn’t that what we all need ?
Thanks Savannah for allowing us to join your paw it forward blog hop..let’s all be aware of those who need us..

PICKLES

******WELCOME TO TODAYS CREATURE FEATURE ******

Hi everyone today mum has the SPOTLIGHT on me Marbles.

Hi i’m Marbles!

Let us start with some facts about me..ready everyone..

My Purr-thday is a guess as i was a dumped kitten..*wipes a tear away*

5 of October 2001

I am a Blue/Cream Tortiseshell female

I have had a mummyectomy so i have never had babies and mum says this is good because their are so many babies that need homes.

When i was a kitten my mums daughter found i was living in a not nice house *frowns* and they were feeding me gravy..gravy..that is not good for kittens!

So mum said to her daughter bring her home we will look after her.

Now mum and dad already had 3 cats..Squash an old ginger girl, Simba a strong big black boy and Merlin Mc Tavish another black boy cat.

Sadly we have said goodbye to Squash who lived to 17, Simba who was shot and killed by someone,and Merlin who died from feline aids caught from a feral that attacked him at our home.

*wipes away tears as mums eyes start leaking*

I am a very independant girl i love to decide when i want a cuddle..i enjoy sleeping because that is good thinking time and i love to do this on the back of mums chair!

I was a playful kitten and mum has photos but she is too stupid to know how to get them on the computer..sheesh

When the Simba went to the rainbow bridge i was very upset,you see,we have to all be inside before dark and he didn’t come home..mum and dad looked everywhere..dad looked under our car because he heard something *gets choked up now* and it was me,i was hiding under there as i had found Simba..he was already gone…

Dad wrapped him up and we all cried so much..we found out the next day when mum and dad asked the vet to please check him as something was not right..our vet (at the bad place) rang mum and said the xray showed he had been shot!!

*very angry now* who would do this!! After this happened i got so sad i would not even go outside on the porch to lie in sun puddles..i got really scared of going out even in the cat outdoor playroom.

I got even sadder when mum and dad had to say goodbye to Merlin just a little while later..he was my friend to.

SO..this is the good bit..mum and dad said that’s it let’s sell and move away to a place where the animals are safe..this made me happy and a bit nervous!

I found myself thinking of happy things and got my playtime fun back.

Let’s move yay!

Wow what a big move….all the way to the country!! i made the not happy music nearly all the way in the car..me and my sisters..you see i was not alone!

I am so happy here ,mum says i always look like i am frowning but really i am just a deep thinker..i am the Alpha girl now so i have a lot of purr-resure..i have three sisters and two tail-waggers to keep under control!

We were here only a short time when me and Forrest (tail-wagger ) found a hugggggge snake..he made that silly noise and mum came out to see this big black snake on the other side of dads new fence! she was brave my mum and yelled at Forrest to come get a treat..tail waggers are so easy to distract *mol* she threw his treat in the house and in he went and she grabbed me…we never saw the hissy thing again.

The next snake mum saw and we were asleep inside..pretty isn’t he…mum says he is deadly so i don’t go near them…

Hissy thing that’s not a cat but still hissy

I spend my days relaxing now as mum says i am a ‘pensioner pussy’..sounds a bit rude to me i still feel young,i like to go on small adventures outside now as i feel safe again..safe from nasty people who might hurt me.

I feel safe outside on my verandah

I enjoy checking out mums garden..i like the lavender and especially the ‘nip’ plant..although mum says i can’t handle my nip..just because i get my claws out of paws sometimes when the other girls want a bit…i am the boss though!

Sun puddles near the Lavender

Mum let’s the birdies visit because she thinks they are pretty..i like to watch them and  think they are pretty/tasty ..but i am too refined to be a birderer so i just watch them.

Tasty..i mean pretty

Sometimes they get too close and i make that cha cha cha noise hoping they will answer me….mum laughs when i do this..boy peoples got no idea about us sometimes!

Too close for comfort!

So just some other things to know about me…I am a little on the pluxury size..in fact my aunty (who is mauriceboscarellicats mum) calls me an armadillo…how rude!!

My coat is extra soft.

I get cranky with the other girls sometimes, i am after all 12! respect please

My new vet is Dr Rayya and she is  very good even if she lives in the bad place! She even has a blog too!

I love that i am safe and that i was saved from a bad place,i take my job as the boss very seriously and i let the paw come down when needed…I love that mum and dad have moved us all to our new home.we have 11 acres and are very safe now..and mum even had a dream before we moved here and Simba was playing in the front paddock..mum said he even had his full tail (he lost half a tail to a dog attack ) so she knew this was the place to go.

Mum called our home Samovila..a russian spirit type funny thingy who was the protector of the woodland and all creatures she hopes this also keeps us safe.

So SPOTLIGHT on me is over and let’s see who tomorrow’s SPOTLIGHT will be on.

Thankyou for reading about me and have a purrfect day,i must go rest *wipes sweat off angry frown* as this was quite emotional….

Getting my Chicken fix

Chicken sitting, and by this i don’t mean actually sitting on eggs like a chicken, is a great way for me to get my chicken fix.

I love chooks,i miss having them but until we can snake and foxproof  an area for free range chickens then i can only dream…….

Our old place we had chickens and they were rescue girls from raids on horrid farms.Poor darlings had their beaks trimmed,hardly any feathers and just stood on the grass with no idea what it was or what to do.We made up a soft almost porridge like meal for them to get them back to pecking and healthy.Gradually these humble but beautiful birds would start to sprout new feathers,they would graduate to grains and pellets and of course fresh grass, vegetables from the garden and the bonus of snails and worms , even an odd field mouse or so.

Every night they were locked up safely so we thought,but foxes had worked a hole in the wire and i was devastated to find all but two girls dead.I rang hubby who was almost at work and …this is why he is my main man…he turned around and came straight home to a very upset wife,he was armed with more wire and bag upon bag of concrete..he went straight up pulled up the old wire redid it and then concreted the entire bottom of their night coop…not even a fox with a jack hammer  could get in by the time he had finished.

Eventually we lost these girls too,we dont know why they just died.We were in the process of putting our house on the market and decided that until we knew where we were going to be and the environment we would be in,we would wait to get more girls.

And so ,we have different threats now,yes foxes,but snakes are attracted to the eggs also,a problem we did not have before.We need to ensure we don’t encourage snakes close to the house yard as we have the dogs and cats to consider also.We have some ideas and once the other property priorities are dealt with it shall be operation Chook Chalet..and i will be getting an old chandelier to hang in their coop as i think these birds deserve a bit more fanfare than they usually get……

So for the moment Chicken sitting is a joy and also a treat as at least 18 eggs a day these girls are providing…oh and i always say thankyou for the eggs 😉

May 2013 Fur Friend of the Month – Pickles

Bless 🙂 mums girl

My Three Moggies

Welcome to the post dedicated to our new friend Pickles 🙂

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An extraordinary Cat is Pickles

Pickles is a 6 year old Tabby cat,just like any other tabby you might think.

But Pickles or Pip a we call her is a lucky little girl.I was asked to do a rescue from a cat hoarder.This person had been taken into care and the house was over run with cats and kittens.I had a key but had a police escort just to make sure all was above board.On approaching the house the smell was unbearable,so bad in fact that the police came no further than the front porch.I wangled the key and when i opened the door..well to put it mildly it was horrid.The house was in complete darkness,it stank and this being mid summer made it even worse.The police went about their day glad i am sure to be rid of it all.I could see and sense movement everywhere,the power was off so i fumbled around putting food out and water..trying to spot any cats.They came out very shyly and began to eat.There were adults and kittens and it broke my heart.I did a quick scan around and tried to work out how many..it appeared to be about 20 or so.I left and went home to work out what steps were next.

After a lot of calls between myself ,the shelter i was a foster carer for ,and the persons not to interested daughter ,it was decided to try and catch them for rehoming to a safer enviroment,this was no easy task as a well known shelter was no help and the shelter i volunteered at was at absolute capacity..day after day i went down trying to get the cats used to me and slowly through feeding them and providing trays of litter and bowls of water,they started to show themselves..there were even more than i had thought.We set about catching them,my husband and i,it was a nightmare,some cats and kittens were easy but some had gone feral..they climbed curtains and threw themselves around.We took some out to this well known shelter and i got into a huge fight with the staff in their very nice luxurious office as they were trying to refuse taking them,i pointed out the money they received and the funds available to them versus the small shelter i was from..they ceded and took them.It was on a day i had come back to feed the remaining cats ,i had my son with me and we heard a faint meow..we looked around and couldn’t see anything..then we noticed a large table,it had been turned on it’s side and the top was against a wall..my son looked behind and there squashed between the table and wall was a tiny kitten..we pulled the table out and i picked up this little waif..i popped her on the floor and her back legs splayed out..she couldn’t move…well i lost it, i picked her up and my son held her in his arms as we left.When we got outside she looked almost blinded by the light..she had been born and growing in darkness.I took her to my vet,her skull was misshapen and out of alignment..the vet checked her and said she was badly dehydrated and gave her fluids she was a bit swollen around the neck because of the fluid but he assured me this would pass..he checked her legs and said she had been trapped for a while so it may just be temporary …i hoped so..I took her home,i rang my husband and he said “she stays” and i was so glad..we already had 5 cats but how could i resist her.I called her Pickles..due to the pickle she was in when we found her.She came along just fine her legs became wobbly but she was walking.I took her for a check up a bit later the next week and the vet was very pleased with her progress,she had gained some weight,her legs were fine but i noticed she had one eye slightly half closed,the vet checked and said due to her skull being crushed she may have a little damage to a nerve and that she also may get sinus problems…well she just kept improving,only now and then will she get the occasional wink and her sinuses have never been issue.Pickles became a member of our family,she was desexed and had her shots and is much loved by us all.Sadly the daughter of this person opened the door before we could get down with more cages and let all the cats and kittens out..making a big problem even bigger.I like to think we made a difference,at least to the ones we got out,and i know that Pickles has made a difference in our lives.She has never grown to the full average sized cat,perhaps lack of nourishment in her mother ,who knows ,but i adore my little Bonsai sized Tabby.Indeed Pickles is an extraordinary cat.