T - for Trapping

Our team of volunteers who trapped all jobs on the West of the island have been and gone. Tracey and Sue, who volunteered in February, came back to help again (thank you, thank you, thank you!)...they also dragged Nikki along (a veterinary nurse) and Debs who has been helping cats on Ibiza long before Angela started care4cats. To complete the team we had 2 more new volunteers: Sasha and Lorraine who run the Cats Protection in Glasgow. A better group of trappers you couldn't have asked for: organised, passionate and dedicated to catching every last cat!
Phone calls started to be made to schedule the weeks jobs. Some had already been set up for Sunday enabling the new volunteers to work alongside the old hands and get used to the paperwork, traps and locations.
Toni, our vet for the week at Clinica Kans in Puig d'en Vals, helped us get a head start by kindly opening up on Sunday evening to take in the cats trapped that day.

So - the sun was shining, the cats were hungry and the trapping began! 2 of the teams worked together for the first few days doing the larger numbers whilst Sasha and Lorraine did the smaller jobs plus working alongside Vera in Club Cala Vadella who was helping to trap a very large colony there.

Early mornings and late nights were the order of the day for everyone.
All was going according to plan until Sue, Nikki, Tracey and Debs headed off to a call from a lady called Evalina. She'd originally phoned asking for help re-homing as she felt she couldn't cope with the large number of feral cats now in her garden from when she'd started to feed a few ferals alongside her own 3 cats. I explained C4Cs couldn't do that but would neuter them so the group didn't expand. She felt relieved and explained there were about 20-30 cats. Being used to people over-exagerating I conservedly thought it might be about 25. However when I finally walked up the dirt track to her tiny house I was amazed at the numbers of cats that shot out from every concievable bush! A call went out to the other team to come quickly so that all traps and cages available could be used. Evalina had done what had been asked and not fed them, so they were ravenous...and thankfully easier to catch. We think Sue now holds the record for the number of cats caught by a dropper in one go...3!
Most were feral but one little snow white kitten was clearly her favourite, she had been dropped at her front door by the mother cat and so Evalina had hand fed her. She was such a sweetie.
In total the number trapped there was 41 cats. When I rang Toni to let him know we were bringing in a large number of cats I had to repeat the number 3 times! He thought I said 13 not 30! The girls caught the rest the following morning before the others were released - so a job well done. We left Evalina with all the food we had as it was clear she couldn't afford to feed them...though the piece of land she lived on in her small wooden house was idyllic and totally safe for all the cats once released.

In the end there was only 1 female cat not trapped, as she was spotted as the team was driving away, and some kittens that were too young. When the charity visits in February then of course we will make sure they are all trapped and neutered. Then Evalina can relax in the knowledge that no more kittens will be born. I can't tell you the relief she felt knowing that the Care4cats voluteers were there to help her out of the nightmare she'd found herself in.

Anyone who has worked in a trapping team will know it's all about deadlines and logistics; getting appointments made in advance then making sure you have enough cages for the jobs you're doing. Many jobs on the list were small numbers of cats. Trapping 3 jobs of 3/4 each is more time-consuming than one colony of 20. Even on the Saturday, before leaving for their flight, they had 35 cats to release. This just shows the dedication of our volunteer trappers - they work up to the last possible minute. To the amazement of all during the week our fab teams managed to trap over 160 cats from all the jobs phoned in.
Naturally there were one or two cats that failed to be trapped, always frustrating, but they will be the first on the list for the next visit. The positive thing is that several colonies are now completely neutered thanks to the charities volunteers.

Stay tuned for more stories from the trapping expeditions...because as I type the 2nd Team is now out and working all the jobs on the East side of the island. The hard work goes on!

PHOTOS: 1 - trapping volunteers before the work starts! 2 - Nikki with Snowball  3 - cats being released

Time to Trap!

The annual trapping visit is currently being organised. An announcement has been in the local press now for 2 weeks and we are taking calls from people who need help with neutering feral cats. The first team are due to arrive on Saturday (16th October) with a second team due out on the 30th October. Both teams are here for 1 week and will endeavour to trap and neuter as many cats as can be afforded.
The budget is tight this year but we now ask people to donate a minimum amount and anyone who is going direct to the vet is asked to pay 40 euros. This helps to keep the bill under control.
So...the cages and traps have all been checked, cat food has been bought and the paperwork is about to be organised...then it is full steam ahead!
Of course now that we have our new system in place with the approval form, this means that we can continue year round to help people who can take the cat/s direct to the vet themselves...as long as the budget lasts.
We hope to concentrate on San Antonio this time as there are many cats living there in colonies and kittens just keep being born; many to die, sadly, in awful circumstances.
All the volunteers desperately want to make a difference to the lives of these poor cats and they give up their holidays to do so...and pay for flights. Thankfully we have benefactors on the island who offer accommmodation so that saves money for the important tasks ahead. Every cent goes towards the cats.
Check back with us Mid November when we'll have news and stories on how the volunteers got on.

Ibiza Heros #3

Two years ago when we went down to the river to feed the cats, we saw two people already feeding them. We got chatting and they told us they were from Glasgow in Scotland. and that Peter works in Oman for 5 weeks then has 5 weeks holiday. For 3 of those weeks they come to Ibiza as they have such a great love of the Island and the cats of Ibiza.
From then on they started to help us feed the river cats and sometimes, even though they're on holiday, they go twice; if one of the cats doesn't turn up for the afternoon feed they go back at night with more food.
We can't believe it is only 2 years since we met as we've become firm friends with them both. They've given so much money to help the charity care4cats, to us to help pay for cat food and to another helper of the charity to treat other cats on the Island.They're now members of the charity so receive the news letter with regular updates of the care4cats work on Ibiza plus we always let them know what is going on with the river cats when they are not here.
They were last here in July when one of the old river cats seemed to be having trouble with his mouth. They were worried as he couldn't eat or drink, so contacted Monika (one of the care4cats team) who got a cat trapper box to trap him so he could be taken to the vet.
Off we all went, Michael, myself and Monika, down to the river. Maggie and Peter were already there and met us with the news that old cat "Tetu" was fine. It turned out he'd been stung in his mouth by a wasp but had managed to cope with it himself (clever cat who needs human help?).
Maggie and Peter will back on Ibiza soon and we always tell the river cats so they can look forward to the lovely kind hearted people who will give them lots of sardines, pichards and tuna...but no haggis they say!!!
Love
Susan and Michael (year round feeders)

Little Lucy!

Little Lucy is a beautiful cat that Luke (one of our trappers) rescued last November. She was found lying by the side of the road, half dead with all her intestines pushed upwards. We had no idea what had happened to her but she was within hours of dying. During a touch and go operation Toni (the vet) was able to put them back where they should be. She was very young and because we couldn't find a foster home for her we placed her with Wendy who runs the cattery on the island. She grew stronger and fitter enabling us to also have her neutered.
She was due to be re homed to Hamburg where she had a home waiting for her, but during the health check, needed before travelling, the vet discovered a swelling on one side of her stomach. Apparently it was the result of her accident, or deliberate kick, we don’t know and the vet decided that we could not fairly re-home her as it's possible she'd need veterinary treatment later, so Lucy was classed as 'disabled'. This was a great problem – what do we do with her? Re-homing on Ibiza is hard enough...but with a kitten that might need care all its life the problem was naturally greater.

Wendy had grown very fond of her, as she has looked after her since last November, and said that if Care4Cats paid for her bed, board and vet bills she would keep her. So that is what we're doing. She sleeps in a wonderful cattery every night after she's had dinner, but in the daytime she roams around the cattery and woods with 25 other cats that Wendy has rescued over the years. She is completely happy.
We're now looking for some sponsors to 'adopt' her and we hope that we can find maybe 8 people willing to care for her.
Could you pay a small annual amount? With 8 sponsors paying £50 it will add up to her annual  fees. She is worth it. Here are some photos of her for you to see for yourselves (she loves to roll about!). When she first arrived after her operation, she was scared of humans and had never been stroked in her life, but Wendy has quietly socialised her and she now sits on Wendy’s lap of her own accord! A real spoiled cat now and happy with her life! Please help her just contact Jaki by email and she can give you more information about what to do. Thank You!

Busy, busy, busy

The island is now in full swing. All the tourism businesses are open and holidaymakers have arrived. In cat-world it is kitten time.
This is a difficult time for Care4cats because we get many calls asking for help with kittens that have been found half-starved or that have just turned up in gardens...alone and looking for food.
Care4cats isn't a re-homing charity as such, but we do our best and help when we can. Working with people like Sissy and Agnes who have been rescuing cats for years and re-homing them to Germany we can at least manage to help those most in need.
Only last week a call came in from someone who had climbed over a wall of a neighbouring house to rescue a tiny kitten that the children there had been throwing stones at. They were unable to give it a home and thankfully Agnes could take it. So the kitten is now in a safe environment and being cared for until a place can be found on a flight.
Neutering as many feral cats as we can afford is of course the answer to this kitten explosion and that is why we need donations to keep going. That still goes on and calls come in throughout the year for this support.
A month ago Simon from San Juan called us about 6 kittens born to a cat living on a colony on a farm in San Juan. Unfortunately the farmer doesn't care for the cats there already and they often go hungry. Plus none of the females are neutered. Naturally Simon was concerned that these kittens would not survive.
He re-homed 1 kitten and the remainder, with donations, he helped fund to be re-homed in Germany. Monika, who works with Care4cats in many areas, managed to find a flight partner and the kittens are now safely arrived in Germany at the charity we work with there. Once they get used to their new surroundings Michael and Carmen (who run the charity) will set about finding them loving homes. You can see them in the photo waiting for their passports at the vets!
Simon has also made an appointment at the vets to get all the 3 females neutered, with our help, so no more kittens!
So summer is here...and the ever-important work goes on!

Poor Rosie - an appeal

Poor Rosie hasn't had the best life so far. No doubt abandoned she turned up at an apartment complex hungry and pregnant and desperate for care and attention. Thankfully she found an animal lover who took pity on her and started to feed her regularly and build up her confidence with people again.
Now her 'carer' is heading back to the UK mid May and we're desperate to find little Rosie a home as the residents on the complex have made it plain that they do not want cats around.
If you can't re-home her could you help to foster her short-term? We can get her to Germany to a charity that helps re-home our stray cats but we have to wait for a flight partner to come along. It may be only be a matter of weeks but if we can get her off the complex in Cala de Bou where we fear she'll come to halm and into safe hands we'd all exhale a sigh of relief.
Contact me on 625997009 or by email
Thank you!

Happy Luna!

Anyone involved in re-homing cat or kittens to Germany will tell you how hard it is to see them go. Even though they're going to the wonderful Carmen and Michael in Hamburg who work hard to find them loving 'forever' homes you still miss them. This was most definitely the case with little 'Luna', as I'd built up such a bond with this lively black kitten whilst fostering her that it was hard to take her to the airport and leave her with Monika who was accompanying her to Hamburg. See the story here.
Michael and Carmen found her a home very quickly...though anyone seeing Luna would have had their heart captured immedietely, such was her personality. One of the reasons why this sweet kitten just couldn't live her life on the street...she needed someone to love.
It was fantastic to get Michaels email a couple of days after she'd gone telling me she'd found a home with a young couple and that the woman had always had black cats from being small...so knew them well. I was thrilled!

When you've fostered you love to find out how the cats or kittens are doing in their new home. Although it doesn't always happen that new owners send photos to Michael when it does it sort of helps complete the circle.
So imagine my surprise and delight when this morning Michael emailed me some photos of Luna happy in her new home!
I was over the moon to see her and especially loved the photo of her in bed with her owner! Isn't that where every cat should be? Snug and cosy warm?
I just had to share them with you - hope you like them as much as I did!