...and they all lived happily ever after - a final word

10 months since we first bought the 6 girls home, I am happy to finally be able to say that they have all found their forever homes!

Far from the starved waifs I bundled into carriers and cardboard boxes back in February, just look at them now!

LUNA

I knew that Luna was mine the minute I saw her odd-coloured eyes. She was the youngest of the 6 girls, and the first to be 'rehomed' with us.  Luna and my other cats bonded within two days, and she now rules the roost in our home. Luna loves to play, and will make toys out of pens, bottle lids, and anything she can get her dainty paws on. We call her Princess Luna, and we feel so lucky to have her in our lives.

ASH

Ash was rehomed with my mum Sharyne and my step-dad Steven, in Devonport. Ash has settled in well, and has my parents wrapped around her paws! She sleeps on the bed, snoozes on the dining room table, and loves my mum to bits. She loves to play with balls made of foil, and on sunny days Ash snoozes in a hammock in her especially made outdoor enclosure. When mum's not looking, Steven's been known to share the best bits of chicken with Ash - she sure is a spoilt, well loved cat!

DELILAH (was THORN)

My good friend Terri and her husband Michael are cat lovers, and when Terri met the Turkish Vans she knew that Thorn was the one for her! Terri and Michael renamed her Delilah (Della for short), and she now lives happily with their other cat, Hendrix, and more recently, puppy Sadie.

APPLE

Apple was rehomed with a lovely Launceston couple who had recently lost their cat. They tell me she has settled in well, that she is doing well, and that she makes them very happy.

WILLOW

When Jo saw the photos of Willow, she just knew she had to bring Willow home.  Willow lives with Jo and her husband in Wynyard, and has made best friends with Jo's grandson Tristan - even when he gives her tail a tug! Jo tells me that Willow loves to snuggle down with her (when hubby's not home!), thinks she's a person, and has her eyes set on giving the Christmas tree a run for its money!

CHERRY

Cherry was the last of the girls to be rehomed - I think she was just waiting for Alana to come along! Alana and Cherry hit it off instantly, and Cherry has settled in well with Alana in Hobart. Alana tells me that Cherry is making friends with Alana's visitors, and although the curtains are a bit worse off, Alana loves her dearly. Cherry enjoys watching the world go by on the window sill, and when Alana's trying to get work done will laze all over the computer until she gets all the attention!

So that's it. All 6 girls survived their ordeal, grew happy and healthy, and are now with people who love them.

The only reason these girls were able to have a second shot at life was because of all the people who supported me.

A huge thank you goes out to the following people for their love, support, advice, donations, time and so much more:

Robbie and my family - for supporting me so much, for the cat enclosure, the babysitting, the reassurance, the millions of litter changes, and being a shoulder to cry on.

All the members of the Cat World forum - your advice, support, money and gifts made it possible. I never felt alone, and all that CW Magic is what helped the girls through. You guys are beyond amazing. Words cannot describe. I will forever be in your debt.

Meri-ann & Cassie - you both came around to be extra hands when I needed it most. Thank you for being such great friends!

Liz & Ann - ladies I'd never met, drove from Hobart to deliver food and blankets - thank you so much!

Kathy (SA) & Kathy (Devonport) - fellow cat rescuers whose advice was invaluable. Thanks!

Tasmanian Pagan Alliance members, Launceston Pagans in the Pub attendees - your donations of money, toys and bedding was very touching, thank you so much! You guys are the greatest of friends.

The local breeders whose reassurance, cat scratching post and medical knowledge helped me so much, and the cat association who listened to my story.

And finally, a huge thank you to the people who have given the girls forever homes, and the people who helped spread the word so the girls could find these people, and anyone I may have missed - so many people made this possible, a huge THANK YOU!!! to you all.

This is the last post - I'm so glad we could finish this story with a 'happily ever after'!

Thanks for reading.

Love,

Jess

Willow is ready and waiting for her forever home!

Willow is a gorgeous 3yo desexed female black and white Turkish Van.


Willow came to be skinny, starved, matted, unloved and too terrified to leave her cage, even to eat:





It didn't take long for her to realise she was safe, and now she is the gorgeous girl you can see in the pictures below.  Meeting Willow now, you would never know of her bad experience. She is the biggest of all the girls I rescued, and now weighs in at over 6kg.

She is very affectionate, and loves pats and cuddles. At first I thought Willow didn't like being picked up, but as we have gotten to know each other she is happy to be lifted into my arms from time to time. Willow also loves to play, string toys being a favourite.

Willow loves to be brushed, so I groom her every second day although she is very capable of looking after her lovely soft coat all by herself.

Her favourite spot is on top of the cat tower, where she can view the world and snooze the day away.

Willow is a very placid cat, and loves cat company - I think she is the chief face washer in the group! She has a sweet meow and a quiet purr, and is always the first to greet me in the morning.

With her lovely personality, gorgeous and low maintenance coat, big golden eyes and kitten like antics, Willow will be an exceptionally lovely pet.

Willow will need to be an indoor only cat, because she has no road sense and can suffer from sunburn on her white ears and nose. A safe outdoor cat enclosure would be ideal for Willow.

Willow will come microchipped, vet checked, vaccinated, wormed and flea treated (she is already desexed), and her adoption fee is $100 to cover these costs. 

If you would like to provide Willow with the loving forever she deserves, please contact me by pm, phone 0408 486 808 or email jess@tascommodores.com.

I can deliver Willow anywhere in Tasmania, and am happy to assist with flights to an interstate home at the new owners' expense.

You can watch a video of Willow here:

 

The girls, now on video!

Over the weekend I was able to catch a few videos of the girls to share. Enjoy!

Apple:


Ash:


Cherry:


Thorn:


Willow & Thorn play in the beds:



The girls:



Purrs:



Playing with a string toy:



More playing:



Luna playing inside:



Willow, Cherry and Ash play:

Apple is ready and waiting for her forever home!

The gorgeous Apple is now ready to search for her forever home.

Apple is female, around 2 years old, and desexed. She is a tortishell.



Apple loves to play almost as much as she loves cuddles. She is a very affectionate and cheeky girl, who will gladly jump in your lap for a pat and a brush. Apple is very active but not aggressive, and will gladly live amongst other cats and children.

Apple purrs like a tractor, and happily trills when getting pats. Her big golden eyes and stripy torti tail, combined with her cheeky and loving personality make her an adorable girl and an absolute delight to be with every day.

She will require an indoor only home, as she has no road sense, and her cute white nose and ears are prone to sunburn.

Apple will be microchipped, vet checked, vaccinated, wormed and flea treated.

Her adoption fee is $100 to cover these expenses. I am able to deliver her anywhere in Tasmania, and I am happy to assist with interstate flights at her new owners' expense.

If you would like to provide Apple with the loving forever home she deserves, please contact me via pm, phone 0408 486 809 or email jess@tascommodores.com. 



Apple in forground



Apple on the right, Cherry on the left

New beds and another picture heavy update!

Now that the cooler weather is setting in, it was becoming more urgent that we figure out a cost effective way of getting the girls' beds up off the ground, to assist with insulation, and to protect them from the damp.

Last week it rained quite heavily, filling the floor of the cat shed with water, and soaking all the bedding, so we had to come up with something asap (Funny to note, despite everything in the cat pen being wet, the girls were bone dry, not even damp paws! How they do it, I have no idea).

After a trip to Officeworks, Bunnings and some more Robbie and Jess imagination, we now have nice snuggly beds, up off the ground. Perfect!






Here we have Apple demonstrating the new beds!


Zombie cat does not want to be photographed...


Excuse me, some PRIVACY HERE! - Apple

The archive boxes are extra strong, and can easily take the weight of a cat or two sitting on top. Also, the lids make it easy to rescue stashed toys and change bedding. The gaps in between the crates underneath make great play spots during the day.



As it gets colder, I will be able to put blankets up and over the boxes on the outside for extra warmth, and the boxes are cable tied to the board so they dont slip off.

I think they get the tick of approval so far!

The best thing about a public holiday is having more time to spend with the girls - I took the opportunity to take plenty of pictures too!

Enjoy :)


Ash - she has really filled out. When I first got her, in certain positions the spot on her back was almost impossible to see. Its great to see her looking so well, her bones now covered in a nice layer of fat!








Toys?! - Ash





Ash in front, Thorn behind - you can see the difference in their coats. For some reason Ash's is very short (shorter than my short haired tabbies) - I suspect this will lengthen in time, I'm guessing all the old stuff fell out and is now regrowing since she's been on a much better diet.


Ash and Willow - the smallest and the biggest of the bunch


Willow






Look into my eeeeeyes..... - Willow



Pfft, you were already under my spell - Willow









The cutest ears



Apple whispers secrets to Willow



A full tummy really is bliss - Apple






I love this pic of Apple, it really shows her cheeky personality



Heh, I'm not cheeky! - Apple



Apple and Cherry



Cherry has really come a long way the past few weeks - her coat is looking lovely. She's a vocal girl, loves a chat and doesn't hesitate to tell me off when I'm doing something that displeases her!



Cherry has really filled out in the face too









My favourite photo. Cherry is going to make a beautiful pet for someone out there.



Thorn has the longest tail out of everyone, its very cute



Thorn





And finally a few group shots:


Its still heartwarming to see the girls tucking into food



Bath time for Willow! - Apple



More bath time.


That's it for now!


In the meantime, I'd love to set up a profile page for each of the girls that I can link to the blog - I'm not very blog-savvy so if anyone out there can help me do it, please let me know! :)