Marvel found his match

By BAWCS Jul 1, 2015

Almost a month ago, a very special match was made with our beautiful Marvel. Such a gentle soul, who had been in BAWCS care for some time and was loved by all of our volunteers. It warmed our hearts when we received this lovely update from Marvel’s new “mum”, and we just had to share…

Thought Tony and I would send through an email letting you know how Marvel is settling in. Marvel is absolutely adorable and we love him to bits. He has settled in really well and seems to think he’s boss…lol!

Marvel stretched out

He is very well toilet trained, no mishaps whatsoever and loves his tucker both wet and dry food and has his daily routine down pat….or should I say we have his daily routine down pat…like I said he thinks he’s boss 😉

Marvel loves his smooches, snuggles, pats and kisses with both Tony and I and distributes them differently with the two of us.

At night when it’s bed time, he snuggles right in with Tony and I on our bed, on our pillows behind our heads, at the foot of the bed or anywhere on there he feels comfortable. We often wake up at night and he’s on our pillow next to us looking at us, then he makes sure we’re okay and settles back in and starts purring all over again….until we move our tootsies and he’s up for a play 😉

He has started to become more adventurous within our home and looking into places he hasn’t yet gone. He knows exactly where his food is kept and even when Tony and I are in the backyard he is often at the sliding door watching and staying close.

marvel beautiful boy He has found ‘his spot’ on the couch, on our laps, on the dining room chairs, on our bed, on the floor and has just started approaching his scratching post without as much fear.

Oh and he loves, loves playing with his toy mice and adores shoe laces.

The kids love him to bits and he is not so shy with them as he was when we first brought him home.

Tony and I just laugh at all the fun and cute little things he gets up to, even his cantankerous mood and crankiness at times.

We are so grateful for our furry feline child in ways I can’t describe and Marvel means the world to both Tony and I.
One thing I am so thankful for is BAWCS no kill policy because we would not have Marvel if that was the case seeing as he was a BAWCS resident for 2 years. How no-one snapped him up before us is unbelievable however he was waiting for the right family to come along and take him home and love and spoil him rotten, which Tony and I do without hesitation.

Marvel has started snuggling with one of his toy mice attached to a shoelace of a night time. If you look closely at his photo, the toy mouse is under his cute little head. Marvel and his toy mouse
Before I sign off…this kitty loves TV…he sits there watching it with us…he sure is lovable.

Until next time…love Marvel, Tony and Christine x

Tagged as: Adoption, Cat, Rescued

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Rusty weathers the storm for a vibrant future

By BAWCS Jun 22, 2015

Rusty was a pretty sad sight when he first arrived into BAWCS care, with a large open wound on his head and a damaged eye. While he was happy to have a loving pat and keen to get some attention, it was obvious this poor boy was in pain. As fate would have it, he had found himself at Central Victoria’s only “No Kill” shelter and he was in safe hands. He was immediately taken to our vet who suspected the head wound was an abscess which had been untreated. The eye had a very painful and deep seated ulcer, leaving the only option to remove the eye. A blood test also revealed a further challenge, he was FIV positive.

FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) is a feline disease which weakens the immune system and is most commonly spread through deep bite wounds that usually occur outdoors during aggressive cat fights.

Rusty underwent surgery to remove his damaged eye and repair his head wound. A flap of skin was stitched over the wound on his head but it was unknown if this would be successful given the size of the area. Rusty came through the surgery well however he was left with quite a few stitches and a drainage tube.

Rusty with drainage tube — Rusty post surgery with drainage tube and stitches

A return visit to the vet confirmed that the skin flap hadn’t worked but the skin around the area appeared to be healing. A second surgery was undertaken and this time the stitches held and over time, the wound healed and revealed a very playful and vibrant young cat.

It was a long road of recovery for Rusty, but we never doubted that the process would be worth it…and he reminds us every day! Rusty is currently sharing with our group of “office cats” at the BAWCS Shelter, where he entertains us with his antics, sometimes his playfulness proving to be a little too much for the more mature “Pumpkin”.

Rusty Feb 2015 — Rusty ready for adoption!

Rusty is available for adoption now and ready to start his new life. If you would be interested in adopting this special boy, you can view his profile here.

Tagged as: Adoption, Cat, Rescued

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Get “behind” our BAWCS Beasties!

By BAWCS May 11, 2015

Have you visited our NEW online shop, featuring our Hand Knitted Beasties?

Whether you’re looking for a unique gift or a special friend for yourself, BAWCS Beasties are exclusive to BAWCS and have been lovingly hand made by our skilled volunteers in Bendigo, Victoria. Just like the animals in our care, each Beastie is unique, and you’ll be helping to support Central Victoria’s Only “NO KILL” Shelter.

Here at BAWCS, we have no paid staff, just passionate volunteers who care about animals. This means that your purchase price goes directly to feeding and caring for the unwanted, sick and injured animals in our care.

Why not give a home to a BAWCS Beastie today?

Knitted Beasties Group Banner

Tagged as: Shop, Support

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In Memory of Mogg

By BAWCS May 1, 2015

Late last year a very special girl came into our lives. Our sweet Mogg, with her endearing little half ear and cute little kitty chirps. Originally, a “community cat”, a change of circumstances meant her future was uncertain as the care she had been receiving was not going to be available any longer.

She immediately won us over with her beautiful nature and we wanted to find her the home she deserved…but we didn’t get the chance.

On arrival into care, our hearts sank as we immediately noticed a very large mammary tumor and we held our breath when she went into surgery to have it removed. Our worst fears were realised when she was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer. Mogg recovered well from the surgery and she joined our ‘palliative care’ family of cats with the word put out for a long term foster carer to take her on.

Whilst we waited for that special home, another two lumps became evident and they were very different to the original one so we decided again to have these removed given Mogg had recovered very well from her previous surgery, and sure enough, she came through with flying colours again.

We knew her time was limited however we weren’t expecting such a rapid deterioration after the last surgery. It is with a very heavy heart and many tears that we must now let you know she has lost her battle.

Over the last week she had started to decline and her little chirps became less frequent and after finishing a course of antibiotics and pain relief for an infection, we knew the end was coming closer.

Once she became unable to eat and developed difficulties with her breathing, the time to end her suffering was upon us and whilst heartbreaking, we knew we had to let her go. Right by her side, whispering comforting words and telling her how much we loved her, Mogg was given her wings and she is now flying pain free, another Angel at the Rainbow Bridge.

Although, we didn’t get the chance to find her that loving home, we hope the love we felt for her and the care we had shown her was enough for this beautiful girl who will always be remembered by the many that were touched by her.
R.I.P sweet Mogg.

Tagged as: Cat, Palliative Care, Special Needs

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Trailer Kits – Way to go Neo!

By BAWCS Apr 26, 2015

Back in February this year, we received a call for help from a local trailer business, after they discovered four tiny kittens hidden inside a camper trailer which had been delivered from their Melbourne warehouse.

At just 2 weeks of age and without their mother, they were in desperate need of help to survive, so BAWCS stepped in to take care of them. We were handed a box with four hungry little kittens huddled together and headed back to our shelter, with the promise to give them the life they deserve.

Nat feeding Bindi — Adoption Cattery volunteer Natalie trying her hand at bottle feeding Bindi

As with all babies, they initially needed around the clock bottle feeds. A task which was no easy feat with four hungry, loud and demanding little mouths to feed! At such a young age (and without their mothers care) we were reminded how fragile their little lives are, when Neo fell ill in the early hours one morning. With his tiny little body limp and falling in and out of consciousness, it was a much panicked drive to the vet at 3am! After not responding to the initial treatment, it was thought that he might not make it through the night.

Miraculously, after continued treatment with antibiotics for a suspected infection, we were so relieved to hear he was back to himself later in the day and charming the clinic staff with his cuteness!

Over time, they were weaned off the bottle and with lots of love and patience, we have watched them slowly grow to become playful and affectionate little kittens which have left tiny little paw prints on our hearts.

After having been fully vet worked, we are thrilled to have found a permanent home for Neo. Our remaining three “trailer kits” Beauty, Melody and Bindi are available for adoption and we look forward to finding them homes to begin their new lives.

Neo ready to head off to start his new life!

Tagged as: Adoption, Kitten, Volunteer

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Tiny trotters, tiny tail and tiny snout…

Truffelina and Porcini Nov 2015 revisited

By BAWCS Mar 30, 2015

.…you’d be smitten without a doubt! When our piglet Truffelina recently arrived at the BAWCS Shelter, we were instantly in love with this special little girl.

Originally living on a farm, her owners relocated and Truffelina’s future was looking very bleak! A compassionate friend took her in temporarily, realising that her residential property was not the ideal environment and contacted BAWCS in the hope of finding a permanent home for her.

Liz and Truffles — Volunteer Liz helping Truffelina to feel comfortable with her carers

On arrival at the shelter, it was quite clear that she was not comfortable with human interaction but with patience and care, we are slowly gaining her trust.

She is very inquisitive and has an obsession with chewing on her carers shoes and untying the laces. It was an exciting step when she recently rolled over for tummy rubs, a true sign of her trust growing for her human carers!

Like all pigs, Truffelina is keen to explore. Their flat snouts are ideal for digging up the ground, one of their many natural instincts, which are denied to pigs being housed in intensive farming environments.

Sadly, piglets raised in commercial piggeries do not have the same rights to life as Truffelina. We encourage you to learn more here http://www.aussiefarms.org.au/ and please choose compassionately when shopping.

Truffelina is fortunate as she has a safe future ahead of her as a permanent resident in our Farm Friends Program, where we can watch her grow and live a happy (and long) life that she deserves.

If you’d like to be friends with Truffelina then why not become a Farm Friends Sponsor?

Tagged as: Farm Friends, Piglet, Volunteer

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