Greatbluehopefuls nest box 2019 & 2020 - Kildare,Ireland
Mar 22, 2020 7:29:35 GMT
YorksherLass likes this
Post by greatbluehopeful on Mar 22, 2020 7:29:35 GMT
Hi all, no real news bird box wise - Beaktrik has started to fill her box up again with moss....this is ongoing since yesterday morning. Working away straight way this morning. Nothing happening in the other sideview box at all.
There she is this morning, bringing in a bunch of stuff:
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Not bird related, but I have a bit of a conundrum....I've been troubled about it these past few days.
We have been pet free since our cat & dog died in 2017. The cat was age 20 and the dog age 16 - they had a long life and both were very spoiled and well loved. You probably remembered me talking about them in previous years?
Since moving house, we weren't quite ready to be pet owners again, and had said we'd wait another while, but the question of getting a new dog has cropped up again, and we do want to get some hens.....but definitely not a cat - we were adamant about this mainly because of the bird boxes and the carnage of small animals that cats in general can leave in their wake.
In over the months we have had lots of cats visit the garden, they stay for an hour, we enjoy their company, then then they go home. But in recent weeks, we noticed a new black cat visit us. It was a kitten....well, more of a juvenile cat. We gave it a rub as we did with the other cats, but never fed it or encouraged into the house or anything.
It is very affectionate and friendly so has clearly had plenty of human contact.
What was puzzling us though, was although the cat must have had an owner somewhere in the area, this cat was very thin, clearly very hungry and it seemed to be in distress.
It is beginning to show signs of wildness and distrust, which contradicts its good nature. When we make a sudden move, it lashes out wildly with its paw. Perhaps it has been kicked or beaten by someone? We think she is in pain too... somewhere near her belly or legs.
Now...since last week this cat has been hanging around our garden full time, and we believe has begun sleeping in the wood shed and also under our deck....so something is definitely amiss.
Yesterday, I put a notice up about her with a picture and have since found out that this poor cat is known in the area and some kind neighbours have been feeding it when it comes begging.
The bad news is that apparently it was abandoned by a women who lived in a house across the road from us, who's house was repossessed due to non payment. So she must have had to move out in a hurry and just left everything, including her cat?
But it get worse....this is one of THREE cats that she abandoned. From piecing the story together, I believe this cats mother was the cat that the woman initially owned...she then abandoned it and her cat had two kittens either while still living there with this woman, or just after the woman moved out....these kittens are now grown bigger...and I believe that it is one of these two kittens that is visiting us.... AND IT GETS WORSE....people think this little cat is now pregnant....oh gawd.
So, we are so conflicted here...we DON'T want a cat....but this cat has come to us for help - its starving, unloved and in great trouble.....what do we do???? Nobody wants to claim ownership for it, its not getting regular feeds and we feel responsible now...it seems to have chosen us. Its literally telling us it needs us.
Either way we need to get it to a vet and get her checked out. That should be fun.... we'll be torn to shreds!!!!
I'll feel so much happier though if the cat is spayed. At least she won't be bothered by other male cats then.
I can't in my good consciousness leave it to perish but it so typical!!!!!.
What will we do??????????
Here she is:
There she is this morning, bringing in a bunch of stuff:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Not bird related, but I have a bit of a conundrum....I've been troubled about it these past few days.
We have been pet free since our cat & dog died in 2017. The cat was age 20 and the dog age 16 - they had a long life and both were very spoiled and well loved. You probably remembered me talking about them in previous years?
Since moving house, we weren't quite ready to be pet owners again, and had said we'd wait another while, but the question of getting a new dog has cropped up again, and we do want to get some hens.....but definitely not a cat - we were adamant about this mainly because of the bird boxes and the carnage of small animals that cats in general can leave in their wake.
In over the months we have had lots of cats visit the garden, they stay for an hour, we enjoy their company, then then they go home. But in recent weeks, we noticed a new black cat visit us. It was a kitten....well, more of a juvenile cat. We gave it a rub as we did with the other cats, but never fed it or encouraged into the house or anything.
It is very affectionate and friendly so has clearly had plenty of human contact.
What was puzzling us though, was although the cat must have had an owner somewhere in the area, this cat was very thin, clearly very hungry and it seemed to be in distress.
It is beginning to show signs of wildness and distrust, which contradicts its good nature. When we make a sudden move, it lashes out wildly with its paw. Perhaps it has been kicked or beaten by someone? We think she is in pain too... somewhere near her belly or legs.
Now...since last week this cat has been hanging around our garden full time, and we believe has begun sleeping in the wood shed and also under our deck....so something is definitely amiss.
Yesterday, I put a notice up about her with a picture and have since found out that this poor cat is known in the area and some kind neighbours have been feeding it when it comes begging.
The bad news is that apparently it was abandoned by a women who lived in a house across the road from us, who's house was repossessed due to non payment. So she must have had to move out in a hurry and just left everything, including her cat?
But it get worse....this is one of THREE cats that she abandoned. From piecing the story together, I believe this cats mother was the cat that the woman initially owned...she then abandoned it and her cat had two kittens either while still living there with this woman, or just after the woman moved out....these kittens are now grown bigger...and I believe that it is one of these two kittens that is visiting us.... AND IT GETS WORSE....people think this little cat is now pregnant....oh gawd.
So, we are so conflicted here...we DON'T want a cat....but this cat has come to us for help - its starving, unloved and in great trouble.....what do we do???? Nobody wants to claim ownership for it, its not getting regular feeds and we feel responsible now...it seems to have chosen us. Its literally telling us it needs us.
Either way we need to get it to a vet and get her checked out. That should be fun.... we'll be torn to shreds!!!!
I'll feel so much happier though if the cat is spayed. At least she won't be bothered by other male cats then. I can't in my good consciousness leave it to perish but it so typical!!!!!.
What will we do??????????Here she is: