At short notice THE PET STYLIST decided to run a “Pet Photos With Santa” fundraiser for us and we couldn’t believe it when Sonia visited us with a cheque for $1,363 in her hand!

Sonia provided the venue, funded and sourced the reindeer statue, the Santa couch, Christmas trees, flyers, advertising and decorations herself. Her partner Les sponsored the Santa suit, and Brian - the Pics4u Limited photographer - refused to have his costs covered. On top of that Santa Andy decided not to charge a fee because he loved our charity.

We are so grateful to everyone who supported this initiative and especially to Sonia for putting it together solely for our benefit. We and all our rescued animals are delighted that she intends helping us out in the same way next year!

Huge thanks and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones Sonia and to the friends and clients of THE PET STYLIST.

One of our permanent shelter residents, Caesar, adds his beauty to the joy of the festive season.
(Photo courtesy of Sonia from THE PET STYLIST)

When a council worker opened the men’s beach-side public toilets in the early morning, he found two 5-week-old kittens abandoned in a bare banana box. Kind members of the public took them home until we were contacted and went to collect them. Their little personalities immediately started to emerge, so we named the wee male Monkey, and his sister Diva. We set up a cosy kitten enclosure and tempted them with various foods. When we offered them teats to suckle, it became apparent that they were not fully weaned and would need round-the-clock monitoring and feeding.

With our shelter operator recovering from a broken leg, we knew we couldn’t give them the level of care they needed. We contacted our friends at Gutter Kitties and, although it was late at night, they kindly picked them up.

If you would like to apply for the adoption of Monkey and/or Diva, please contact Gutter Kitties directly.

When we went to photograph and assess the hen, rooster and chick numbers at the home of a hoarder, we didn’t expect to leave with twelve severely debilitated and ill birds. Amongst the dead and dying was a thin little hen pitifully flapping around in circles in the dust. We named her Bumble.

A vet check revealed a very painful and long-neglected dislocation of her leg that could have been corrected with veterinary attention at the time of her injury. In addition, Bumble had a deformed wing, was egg-bound, had an impacted crop and suffered severe leg-mite, body lice and worm infestations.

To relieve her of her agony, one of our kind supporters sponsored Bumble’s immediate leg amputation – and weeks of rehabilitation followed. This stoic little girl made a full recovery and spent almost two years happily hopping around our shelter gardens and being spoiled by our volunteers.

When her remaining leg developed a horny growth that was growing back onto her leg, she underwent a second surgery to have it removed. Months later cancer at the growth site caused the leg to collapse and we had long discussions with her surgeon. Due to her otherwise vibrant good health and love of life, we made the decision to amputate her second leg rather than euthanize her.

That was four months ago and this happy little hen continues to thrive. Bumble is one of our most intensively cared for permanent residents and an absolute delight. She is fed and sleeps indoors, and spends her days using her strong wings to move about the garden digging her beak into the earth and keeping company with rabbits, pigeons and the shelter dog. Her favourite foods are fruit smoothies, blueberries, watermelon, tomatoes, bread crusts, daisies, Wandering Jew, oxalis and corn.

When we asked a few of our volunteers to describe Bumble, these are some of the words they used: “flappy, cute, fire-plumage, double amputee, lap-sitter, stubborn, happy, will get her own way, chatty, survivor, fearless, inquisitive, stroppy, sweet, Diva, floppy comb, spoiled, skilled wing balancing, almost human, affectionate, bossy, unique, one-off, extremely friendly, optimistic, loves being carried about, knows what she likes, unafraid, nosey, drama queen, cuddly, gentle, likes to look at her reflection, demanding and loved”.

The story of this adored and cheerful little hen had to be told.