Further to last nights post explaining that we are no longer admitting any wild birds due to the risk of Avian Influenza, I am posting to let you know the symptoms and signs to look out for in birds that they may have ‘bird flu’ and what to do if you find a bird that is dead (particularly water birds) or you suspect that it may have H5N1. I have attached quite a distressing video of of a seagull suffering from Avian Influenza.
The following is taken from the .gov.uk website:
Signs of bird flu
Birds infected with the most serious strain of bird flu, called highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), usually show some (or all) of the following signs.
• sudden death
• swollen head
• closed and runny eyes
• lethargy and depression
• lying down and unresponsiveness
• lack of coordination
• eating less than usual
• lethargy
• sudden increase or decrease in water consumption
• head and body shaking
• drooping of the wings
• dragging of legs
• twisting of the head and neck
• swelling and blue discolouration of comb and wattles
• haemorrhages and redness on shanks of the legs and under the skin of the neck
• breathing difficulties such as gaping (mouth breathing), nasal snicking
• haemorrhages and redness on shanks of the legs and under the skin of the neck
• breathing difficulties such as gaping (mouth breathing), nasal snicking (coughing sound), sneezing, gurgling or rattling
• fever or noticeable increase in body temperature
• discoloured or loose watery droppings
• stop or significant drop in egg production
If you suspect a bird has Avian Influenza
STOP!!🛑 DO NOT PICK THE BIRD UP.
You MUST contact DEFRA on the following number DO NOT MOVE THE BIRD OR TAKE IT TO THE VETS.
Report dead wild birds by phone: 03459 33
55 77
When you report dead wild birds, they may be collected and tested for bird flu or other cause of death.
Not all dead wild birds will be collected.
⛔️⛔️Do not touch dea
Yesterday we moved the tawny owl to the flight aviary to test fly her.
She can fly! Unfortunately, she worked her way round the aviary and managed to find an escape route - that we can’t find despite searching the entire aviary for the escape exit.
I’m so very sorry that we aren’t going to be able to release her back to her home location like we had planned, she clearly had other ideas which didn’t include us taking photos of her big release back to the wild.
We will be investigating the aviary yet again, and going round reinforcing areas that we think could possibly serve as the escape hatch.
I apologise yet again to all those who were waiting for the release and will shout if we get another owl in from a similar area that we can take back to the home location so that you can get some photographs.
Boo (the purry one) and Peeka (the current non purry one) are coming round well. I know it doesn’t look it when you see Peeka in this video, but it’s because I put the phone in her face, as you can see she’s not phased by my hand touching her.
Boo adores being stroked and can cope with it for quite a good length of time before it becomes sensory overload and she slithers away to lie down on a bed just slightly further away from you.
Peeka aside from her initial greeting hiss this morning hasn’t hissed all day (phone being shoved in her face aside). She’s been visited by lots of new people today and is very slowly starting to understand that humans won’t hurt her and can be trusted.
We still have an uphill battle with Peeka, but with Boo by her side she’ll get there, I have no doubt.
This is a video I took last week, the tortie girl really amuses me, as much as she really protests the loves, she actually doesn’t mind it now. She’s already better than this, now she tolerates the kisses without hissing quite so much. Small steps with her.
(Excuse the state of me, it was late in the day)
One of our pregnant Queens - Lucky proving that just because she’s pregnant doesn’t stop her from behaving like a kitten!
We don’t know exactly when she’s due, but don’t think it will be until January.
Lucky, once she has given birth and the kittens are around 5 weeks old will be spayed. As soon as the kittens are weaned Lucky will be available for adoption
She’s a very playful friendly tortie, she will be very happy in a home where she has access to the outside whether that be in a catio or free roaming. She will need about a month to 6 weeks inside with you to adjust to her new home and understand your home is her new safe place.
Lucky won’t be suitable for a home with young children who are loud as she gets scared by them, but if your child/ren have indoor voices and can understand that Lucky will need time to trust them then we can certainly assess this as a possibility.
Lucky is still a young cat, being around a year old and this will be her second litter. She loves balls to play with and charge around - so prepare to move all ornaments she doesn’t have much awareness of when to stop!
Betty our completely blind Cretian girl who is in foster had her first UK Christmas, and by the look of her she got absolutely spoilt and loved it.
This little video made my eyes leak a little bit, just to see an animal who has been so badly treated in the past loved so much and treated like she always should have been.
She is flourishing being the only animal in the household and getting ALLLLL the love from the humans. She deserves nothing less!
This is the first post in a little series of posts about our rubbish tip kittens.
This is the usual greeting from the girls, but as you can see it’s all bluff luckily, the tabby and white kitten does have a sore paw, which we suspect is as a result of being in the crusher, but until I can get her comfortable with being handled she won’t be able to be seen by George comfortably without being pinned down or gassed down. It’s not causing her any discomfort currently and I am able to keep an eye on it, but not comfortably clean it without distressing her. As soon as she is ready, or sooner if there are any complications she will be at the vets.
Hopefully you can all see this!!
Emergency post!!!!
I’m currently stood hanging on to one of our peacocks aviaries.
We have to move it as it’s facing the wrong way for the wind. That we can do. But we need someone to come and drill them into the concrete so that they don’t move. Is anyone able to brave the weather to come and help us? All their weather proofing has blown off too but they can deal with that.
After finishing his worming Hamish joined the two other kittens Waif and Stray because he was so lonely on his own and he’s already had a vet check and was assessed as well.
He is much MUCH happier with company and is playing with the girls, well, playing consists of him rolling around on his back pulling himself around the scratching post whilst usually Waif sits on the top trying to get him from above. *
With more volunteers today all the cats had someone to sit with them and give them lots of love and strokes. Our Cretian girls were on their element and got to experience a variety of different ages of people but they fell in love with our youngest member and Saffy spent a long time sitting on her knee and giving her nose kisses.
Lucky is still being super affectionate and has such a loud purr, she’s a tortoise shell so no doubt she will have a sassy side, but so far I’ve not seen it!
Thank goodness for people who like cats, it means everyone gets an opportunity to have socialisation with a wide range of humans allowing them to learn that humans provide love and affection as well as food.
*For info Hamish had just eaten almost his whole weight in food which is why he was having his tummy felt because he felt like he was going to burst, when he finished eating he could barely walk!!
We made a very successful start into breaking and entry into our own storage unit today, because I, yes I lost the keys to the padlock a little over a week ago (what’s the betting I find them now the lock is defunct).
We now have a keyless lock so I can’t be held responsible for the keeping safe of any keys ever again!!
This morning I spent a few hours in the vets whilst the newest feral was spayed. She fought against the ketamine exactly as I would expect a feral in her position to do, and she ended up having to be taken back to the darkened cattery area to just chill out and stop spinning. This is where feral cats differ massively to ‘domestic’ cats. Domestic cats just sort of give in to the anaesthetic safe in the knowledge that the humans around them are highly unlikely to hurt them, so they can just rest and sleep off the anaesthesia effects. Whereas the feral cats are up and ready almost from the moment they are given the reversal drug.
Whilst I was at the vets this morning I took the opportunity to get in some puppy loves, it always makes up for a vet visit, as of course does seeing George (in case he reads this and feels left out).
This afternoon was taken up with the angle grinding of the lock. I didn’t just stand and film, I did hold the lock for a little bit until we discovered if it was flipped up it would keep still without my hands being near the blade or sparks.
Then I collected a rabbit who had been hit by a car, that was another trip to the vets just to check him out, luckily he seemed to have avoided any actual contact with the car and probably rolled rather than was struck. But he had managed to bite his lip, and had a small tear in his skin on his rear leg, but no further injuries in evidence. So he’s back in the rescue for some R and R before being released. Sadly whilst I was caught up with the rabbit, I was unable to answer a call from a lady who had a very poorly hedgehog. Luckily she also called Barny Hogs who she was able
Tom and his Queen mounted the great escape mere hours after going to their new home.
They must have tried every corner, side and millimetre of their temporary holding area, and finally found an area that had some give! So at 4:30am they left the safety of the holding cell and made their way into uncharted territory.
After a period of worry for their new caretakers and a message to me where we all came to the same conclusion of leave food out for them and see if they come back, they strolled back to their holding cell at 7pm that evening and calmly tucked into their food.
So… they are free, they know where their food is, they are exploring the barns and getting to know where to snuggle down for the day and what else lives in the barns…
I’m so extraordinarily proud of them for being so switched on to know that the humans would provide if they just went back to the place they were put initially, enjoy your wild life my feline friends ❤️
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