Monday 31 May 2010

What would you be to shy to give to a charity

I was reading a blog about making a million from a pound and it reminded me how i have often thought if everyone who said they thought the Wear Valley & Darlington Cats Protection was a great charity and how they loved what we did gave just 50p or a £1 it would make such a huge difference.

Oh dont get me wrong I think the people who do donate to our branch are fantastic, I just wonder why some people who would like to support a good cause, any good cause it doesn't have to be Cats Protection often say they just cant afford it.

People are almost embarrassed to just give a pound, they will put it in a collection box but say when it comes to face to face or in the post its as if £1 isn't worth bothering with.

Now i think that's is totally not true as if they all just gave that £1 it would soon add up to a great amount. I dont think we should underestimate even in todays high prices just what a pound can do.

Then I think well what about me what do I give, apart from my time that is, then of course would I be embarrassed to say here is a £1 for Cats Protection ?

I also know i get heartily sick of all the adds asking for £2 a month direct debit so I am not suggesting that just say a £1 a yr off 52 people = a months food and litter for a Kitten

What do other people think ?




Friday 28 May 2010

The Week

Well its been an odd kind of week but then aren't they all ;-)

Monday and was still waiting for my new grandson to be born, he was due 17th May and still isn't here but come Saturday my daughter goes into hospital to be induced so he will hopefully arrive this weekend.

Monday also saw me go out on a Cats Protection mission, we had got a call from a community support worker saying one of her clients had a cat and newborn kittens in the garden, apparently the cat had just laid in the garden and given birth, no shelter or hiding place and some of the kittens had already died. So after phoning the woman and getting all details including her telling me the cat was friendly not wild etc off we went.
On arrival I discover the cat was feral but not crazy feral as some are, she was quite curious but wouldn't let me pick her up and darted off when i approached, so a cat and mouse game ensued where I placed kittens in open cage and waited for her to go in, closer and closer she got but didn't quite make it.
As we stood there the neighbour told me how a man in the street fed all the strays and I saw around 6 young cats myself, this mum cat was only about 6mths too. The street backed onto a railway embankment which was dense with trees and undergrowth which told me this inexperienced mum cat had been caught by surprise when the kittens came otherwise she would have made a nest elsewhere.
After about 20mins the woman decided she was going to see the guy who fed them to see if he could pick mum up.
Well this guy arrived and was aggressive from the word go, he asked me what i was doing etc and told me to leave them alone, then proceeded to say i could neuter them if i liked. Well we don't need go looking for kittens which i told him as he berated me for even touching them. So a long story cut short I left, no other thing for it, he was adamant he knew more than me so I had no choice but to go. I must say i was a bit sickened off as I do this voluntary and was responding to a call for help giving my time free. I did tell him we would neuter them all and the kittens needed handling but he was adamant mum would abandon them if they were touched, which is rubbish, as he had read it on the Internet. Well time will tell what happens with that one but i suspect we wont hear anymore till around next year when this 8 cats have become 80 and suddenly they aren't so cute anymore.

Come the end of the week though and Thursday saw us take in this little one
isn't he adorable ? he was heard crying at the back of a bus stop and further investigation by the finder revealed this feral kitten but young enough to be tamed and he is already making good progress. Infested with fleas and quite thin we are sure some TLC will see him on top form soon.

Saturday 22 May 2010

Instructions for Administering CPR to your Cat





















We all hope it will never happen but sooner or later some of us may be faced with a collapse in our pet and how those first vital few minutes are managed can make all the difference to survival just as it does in Humans.
I have many a time had to use these techniques during my animal rescue work and there is nothing more rewarding than breathing fresh life where there was none.

Do you know what to do to try and save your cat or Dog ?
"Artificial breathing is an emergency procedure used to exchange air in the unconscious cat. Heart massage is used when no heartbeat can be heard or felt. When heart massage is combined with artificial breathing, it is called cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). As cessation of breathing is soon followed by heart stoppage and vice versa, cardiopulmonary resuscitation is most often required in the life threatening situation. The following emergencies may require artificial breathing or CPR: Shock Head Injury Poisoning Electric Shock Prolonged Seizure Obstructed Airways (choking) Coma Sudden Death

IS THE CAT BREATHING? Observe rise and fall of the chest. Feel for air against your cheek.

If YES, pull out tongue, clear airway. Observe.

If NO, feel for pulse.

DOES THE CAT HAVE A PULSE? Feel for the femoral artery located in the groin.

If YES, employ Artificial breathing.

If NO, employ CPR

ARTIFICIAL BREATHING (MOUTH-TO-NOSE BREATHING)

1. Lay the cat on a flat surface with its right side down.

2. Open the mouth and clear secretions. Check for a foreign body. If found, remove. If impossible to reach, execute the Heimlich manuever.

3. Pull the tongue forward and close the mouth. Place your mouth over the cat's nose. Blow gently into the cat's nostrils. The chest will expand. Release to let the air come back out. Excess air will escape through the cat's lips, preventing overinflation of the lungs and overdistension of the stomach.

4. If the chest does not rise and fall, blow more forcefully; or if necessary, lightly seal the lips with your hand.

5. The breathing rate is one every four to five seconds (12 to 15 per minute).

6. Continue until the cat breathes on its own, or as long as the heart beats.

CPR (ARTIFICIAL BREATHING AND HEART MASSAGE)

1. Continue with mouth-to-nose breathing.

2. Prepare for heart massage. Place the fingers and thumb on either side of the sternum, behind the elbows.

3. Compress the chest firmly six times; administer a breath. Then repeat. Massage rate is 80 to 120 compressions per minute.

4. If possible, do not stop heart massage while administering a breath.

5. Pause every two minutes for 10 to 15 seconds to check for pulse and spontaneous breathing.

6. Continue until the heart beats and the cat breathes on its own, or until no heartbeat is felt for 30 minutes."

Thursday 20 May 2010

Lady in Waiting

Well my new grandson was due to be born on the 17th May but so far no show, I just want to meet him but he obviously isn't ready to meet us all just yet LOL

Monday 3 May 2010

About EMDR

This is fascinating follow link for full info.
About EMDR

How Does EMDR Help to Resolve Problems?

People have the inborn ability to process disturbing events and feelings. In most instances, the brain reprocesses painful information over time so that it is stored in our normal memory system without any symptoms. In normal circumstances, the individual can access memories without being unduly stressed. However, there are instances in which the brain becomes overwhelmed and isn't able to process the memory in an adaptive way. The memory seems to become frozen" in our mind, and the painful images, thoughts and feelings associated with the event seem to be "locked" in the nervous system, often out of conscious awareness. These memories then have a lasting negative effect; influencing the way we see the world, react to everyday situations, and relate to others.

Whether the traumatic experience is physical or psychological, if it is so overwhelming, you may freeze or disconnect from the experience. This protects you from the terror you feel, but it also prevents you from moving on. These feelings stay outside of your conscious awareness in their original intensity.

EMDR helps to unlock painful and negative memories, and helps the brain to more effectively reprocess old information so that it becomes less debilitating. The use of bilateral stimulation of the brain via eye movements and sound allows for a resumption of the normal reprocessing so that images, sounds, thoughts, and feelings can be experienced without undue upset and disorganization.