Gardening was a planned job, our garden was empty of plants/ trees from when we moved in August. Not a good time of year here for new plants in 40 degrees just wanted it looking a little more homely. Bills to be paid, mooring fees 1800 tl , council tax 420 tl. Pool needed grouting and cleaning for family visits. Then the kitten arrived!! Everything else was forgotten. It's mum 'Squeak', turns up every few days, she is feral but likes a bit of fuss. In March we realised she was going to be a mum. 9 weeks later, they were born ( still unsure how many) after about week 3 we were out walking and heard a kitten cry, looking around, we spotted a tiny tortoise shell walking towards us on its own. Quickly realising that it was one of her brood, we looked for mum who was nowhere to be seen. There were also no sign of the other kittens! After a long think and discussion, we felt we had to help this squeaking ball of fur, at 3 and a half weeks old, this was not an easy decision. With his sticky eyes and very loud mewing, we just couldn't walk away. We bundled him into a box with a soft cloth, tried a little milk using a very small squeezy bottle. He was pretty reluctant. Having clean eyes and filled tummy, he looked a little less sorry for himself, and fell asleep snuggled into a pink fluffy floor cloth ( a clean one!) He slept all night, around 6.5 hours, when he woke, we tried again with the milk, managed to not drown him with it, before he dosed off once more. Our plan was to get him to the local vet, really nice guy, ask his opinion and decide what to do from there. Half an hour later, he (as it turns out ) was injected for cat flu, eye drops prescribed and formula milk / baby bottle all packed up ready for us to bring home!!! Help, that was not quite what we had intended !! not sure what we expected either! Within 24 hours our lives had changed from carefree travellers to anxious parents of a furball with blue fluffy cloth attached! :(( We straight away realised that we could not actually keep him, but sooo cute! Kevin set about contacting all cat / kitten related groups on local, social media for some ideas and assistance. Geeza, as Kevin named him was flourishing rather well, despite my pathetic attempts to get the milk into a very hungry, claw covered little fur coated set of teeth. He settled into a routine quickly and loved to be with us, either settled on my shoulder or chewing Kevin's toes (I know which I prefer! ), but always with his pink fluffy cloth. I hadn't considered what a cat actually has to do for such a small kitten, no one told me we would have to wipe bottoms having massaged bellies to encourage toilet habits! In addition, how do you burp a kitten ? Another trip to the vet a week later revealed a very healthy kitten :) he survived a week in our clumsy hands. We explored the idea of a cat passport and taking him with us on our travels, however, so many issues came up that meant no........it was not to be. Still no sign of a cat lover, willing to handle a now, 4 and a half week old (with pink fluffy cloth) We became very attached to this little fellow, loving the pin sharp claws half way up our legs ouch ! Again we tried to rationalise the cat on boat issue, with our trips back to the UK. Still, the outcome was not reasonable, and all for Geeza's welfare. We were beginning to panic knowing the longer he was with us, the more we would struggle to let him go. However day 10 arrived and at a healthy 5 weeks old, and now nibbling on kitty biscuits, a very helpful lady said she would take him on. sad and happy emotions tugged at our hearts. Geeza has moved out to the countryside with two dogs to play with. (Fluffy cloth went too!) Heartbreaking, but an amazing, unforgettable experience. It took a week or so for us to recover, he had an enormous impact on us, in the short time he was with us.
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Sailing Kejstral AdventuresRetired and following our dream of sailing around the world Archives
April 2019
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