Beaks & Whiskers Animal Rescue & Sanctuary

21/08/2024

~~~~ ACCEPTING EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST ~~~~

Meet Mr. Zuko & Mr. Bolin – Beaks & Whiskers Rescues #990 - #991

These handsome boys joined Beaks & Whiskers in February from Bonython, ACT.

Sadly, the family were no longer able to give the boys what they needed due to work commitments and the cost of living.

So, they reached out and asked if we could help. Of course, we were happy to help, and here they are.

PERSONAL DETAILS:
Mr. Zuko – 3 years old – Rex – Broken Black & White
Mr. Bolin – 3 years old – Rex – Black & Orange Harlequin

BACKGROUND: Owner surrender

PERSONALITY: Very sweet, gentle and placid. They are more than happy to be picked up, carried, kissed, cuddled, patted etc.

VET WORK: They have been vet checked, nails clipped, teethed checked, vaccinated and most importantly de-s*xed.

ADOPTION FEE: The boys adoption fee is $300.00 ($150.00 each) – their adoption fee is not negotiable.

MEDICAL NEEDS: None

OTHER: They are toilet trained and travel beautifully in the car.

NON-NEGOTIABLES: Mr. Zuko & Mr. Bolin are a bonded pair, so will require a home together. Do not ask us to separate them

PLEASE NOTE: If you are not interested in giving both of these babies a home together, don’t bother expressing interest, as you will find out like everyone else who has tried with previous bonded pairs, we aren’t budging on our resident’s happiness and welfare.

Mr. Zuko & Mr. Bolin are already available for adoption in our “Adopt Us” album, so please check it out for extra photos of them.

“We are the bridge between what was and what will be”

19/08/2024

18/08/2024

Meet Miss Saboo – Beaks & Whiskers Rescue #1009

Miss Saboo joined Beaks & Whiskers back in November 2021 from Macquarie, ACT.

Miss Saboo along with another street cat were being fed by a family. Unfortunately, the family was moving and understandably concerned about what would happen to them. So, they reached out to see if we could take them in. Of course, were happy to help.

Miss Saboo and her companion (to be introduced) aren’t trusting of people - outside of myself - and sadly have signs of being involved with negative human interactions. Miss Saboo herself has a wonky backend and bowed left back leg, but it doesn’t stop her living her best life.

So, what can our community learn from this –

1. Street cats are a funny topic. Some rescues say take them off the streets, so they are safe, while others say TNR – trap them, des*xed them and then return them back to the streets. I personally don’t TNR cats, as I rather take them in and give them lifelong sanctuary, if we are unable to adopt them out.

2. Sadly, it is said that 75% of cats born on the street will die or disappear before six months of age. So, unless each and every street cat is des*xed, kept in a safe monitored space and feed multiple times a day, I don’t see how TNR is really helping these cats truly stay safe while living on the streets.

3. I feel that the world is becoming more dangerous for animals, especially for those who are on the streets – whether they are owned or not. There are more and more posts about animals, especially street cats who have been shot, bashed, ran over etc. even while being part of a “safe” colony. This doesn’t include cats fighting with each other, interbreeding and of cause sickness and disease that can run ramped through these colonies.

As I said above it is a funny topic and not one that there is an easy answer to, as our current street cats aren’t all des*xed, people are still going to be irresponsible and not des*x their pets, while others with un-des*xed cats will still allow them to roam and to top it all off vets will continue to charge high fees to simply get them des*xed. The vicious circle.

“We are the bridge between what was and what will be”

17/08/2024

****** ADOPTER UPDATE ******

Good morning!
Since it has been almost another month, I just wanted to share some more photos of Miss Cicada! She has discovered pillows are super comfy and won’t sleep without one! 😊
Apparently her good side in photos is her left side as well 😊
She loves ice cubes, everytime I go near the freezer I have to drop her an ice cube on the floor she can bat around the kitchen until it melts 😊
Thanks again for your help in matching her to us we love her so much 😊

"We are the bridge between what was and what will be"

16/08/2024

GOOD NEW STORY -

We received an email on Monday asking if we could help a cat that had been found.

Being responsible, we asked the family who had found her if they had taken her to a vet to have her checked for a micro-chip.

They had not had her scanned prior to reaching out to us, so went ahead and took her to a vet to be scanned.

Not only did she have a micro-chip, but the vet was able to connect with her owner and Little Miss was reunited with her family.

We are so happy for her and her family.

This is a good reminder to not only have your pets micro-chipped and the details kept up to date. But to also have found animals scanned for a micro-chip before handing them on, as their family will more than likely be close by.

“We are the bridge between what was and what will be”

14/08/2024

~~~~ ACCEPTING EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST ~~~~

Meet Miss Izarra Beaks & Whiskers Rescue #881 & Lord Hampshire Beaks & Whiskers Rescue #756

Both Miss Izarra and Lord Hampshire came from Goulburn, NSW. Miss Izarra joined Beaks & Whiskers in February 2023 and Lord Hampshire joined Beaks & Whiskers May 2023.

Miss Izarra was an owner surrender along with her three kittens. The family was only going to surrender two kittens and keep Miss Izarra and a kitten who they believed to be a boy. They had no means to get either cat de-s*xed, and after explaining to the family that the cats will breed despite being related, they chose to surrender the whole family.

Lord Hampshire was a street cat with a few mistresses (some owned) and plenty more babies. We ended up taking in not only the lord himself, but two mothers and their seven kittens.

It’s one thing to take kittens in, especially when they are on the streets, as one mother and three kittens where but it really doesn’t help anything, as the parents are still there to continue breeding. So, it’s a whole other thing to take a whole family, Mums and Dads included, to stop the cycle of them breeding completely.

Lord Hampshire was adopted in May 2022 but came home in January 2024, due to no fault of his own - his family had a baby, DV situation and mental health issues.

PERSONAL DETAILS:
Miss Izarra – 2 years old – DSH – Brown Torbie
Lord Hampshire – 4 year old – Maine C**n x – Ginger Tabby

PERSONALITY: Both Miss Izarra & Lord Hampshire are human orientated, confident, affectionate, placid & gentle. You can have the best of both world with Lord Hampshire being the snuggle bug who loves to make biscuits while you rub his back and tummy and carry him around like a baby. While Miss Izarra will keep you company with whatever you are doing, as she just loves to be with you and involved. You can also have the best of both worlds, as Lord Hampshire is a couch potato who loves watching tv and Miss Izarra loves heading butting and rubbing up you to ask for her toys to be thrown and for you to flick her cat wand around for her. They are both more than happy to be picked up, carried, kissed, cuddled, patted etc.

VET WORK: They have both been vet checked, vaccinated, micro-chipped, wormed, flea treated, nails clipped and most importantly de-s*xed.

ADOPTION FEE: Miss Izarra & Lord Hampshire’s adoption fee is $750.00 (Miss Izarra $400.00 and Lord Hampshire $350.00) – their adoption fee is not negotiable.

MEDICAL NEEDS: None

OTHER: They are both toilet trained and travel beautifully in the car.

NON-NEGOTIABLES: Miss Izarra & Lord Hampshire will require a home together.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are not interested in giving both of these babies a home together, don’t bother expressing interest, as you will find out like everyone else who has tried with previous bonded pairs, we aren’t budging on our resident’s happiness and welfare.

Miss Izarra & Lord Hampshire are already available for adoption in our “Adopt Us” album, so please check it out for extra photos of them.

“We are the bridge between what was and what will be”

11/08/2024

Meet Mr. Zolton – Beaks & Whiskers Rescue #1008

Mr. Zolton joined Beaks & Whiskers back in November 2023 from Murrumbateman, NSW.

Mr. Zolton turned up at a family’s home. We were told that he had only been there a couple of days, they had him checked for a micro-chip (he didn’t have one) and the vet has given him a once over and deemed healthy outside of his weight. They had also wormed, and flea treated him. They had said that they were feeding him – they even brought the open can of cat food with them to Mr. Zolton’s surrender, to show us what they were feeding him and then proceeded to take it home with them. They had gone on to explain that he was a bit emaciated and hungry but was actively gaining weight.

The family had told us that they were unable to keep Mr. Zolton as their current cat had a compromised immune system and that they were going away on holidays in a couple of weeks. They explained that they did reach out to a local rescue and a rescue in Canberra and neither were in a position to help and after a further search, found Beaks & Whiskers. We were over capacity, but knowing that he being left outside, in a bad way and obviously the likelihood of anyone else taking him in was slim. So, we offered him a place here.
When we picked him up, we realised that the family’s description of him being “a bit emaciated” but was gaining weight, was severely exaggerated and I couldn’t believe just how emaciated he truly was. I was also saddened to think that not only he was being left outside in his condition, but that the local vet had apparently deemed him healthy outside of his weight.

I have said it once and I will say it again, if you are thinking of getting into animal rescue, be prepared for people to mislead you in every way possible. Which is quite sad given that we take in anyone and everyone despite age, temperament, s*x, species, breed or medical status given we have the room due to this pet epidemic and the lack of adoptions. So, lying to us really is unnecessary.

After getting Mr. Zolton home to our sanctuary and settled in, we contacted the vet to find out first hand what they had found. According to the vet, the family had Mr. Zolton for a few weeks but never took him to the vet, they just went in and bought flea treatment and wormer. Sadly, this means that they purposely lied and never had Mr. Zolton checked for a micro-chip and he was never deemed healthy by a vet, which now made sense.

To add insult to injury, the fact that they couldn’t keep Mr. Zolton due to their current cats compromised immune system also wasn’t true, because within a couple of days they were inquiring about adopting one of our other feline residents. They had also told us they take their cat on walks outside of their property and have their cat interact with cats and dogs they come across along the way.

We did have Mr. Zolton looked over by our vet and sadly due to the lack of food, love and care, he was a mess. We knew he was another hospice case, and we tried everything for him, but he was left unattended for too long, and his body was already shutting down.

Mr. Zolton spent his last days on earth in our home, eating all the yummy food and snacks, watching tv, napping on our laps on the couch, being stroked to sleep and being doted on. I was with him when he passed peacefully.

So, what can our community learn from this –

1. If you find a stray animal the first thing you need to do is take him/her to a vet to be checked for a micro-chip. You will also need to post that said animal has been found, please however, do not hand over any animal without proof of ownership.

2. If the animal in question is not micro-chipped, the owners cannot be found and no longer want the animal in question, you need to find a rescue who can take him/her. Pounds and shelter seem to have months long wait list and are kill shelters, so obviously not a safe place for them to go. In saying that, there are plenty of rescues who won’t take on a major medical, old animals or certain species, breeds or colours because they cost time, space, a whole lot of money and/or not deemed desirable.

3. If the animal in question is in a bad way, you need to seek help immediately, not hold on to the animal for weeks and then find help, as sadly, the longer you prevent the animal in question getting help, the less chance they have, just like Mr. Zolton.

“We are the bridge between what was and what will be”

10/08/2024

****** ADOPTER UPDATE ******

Miss Pixie (black)

First photo of Nacho and Pixie!

"We are the bridge between what was and what will be"

08/08/2024

~~~~ ACCEPTING EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST ~~~~

Meet Miss Luna – Beaks & Whiskers Rescue #1008

Miss Luna joined Beaks & Whiskers last month from Queanbeyan, NSW.

We received an email from a family asking if we would take in their cat. We are over capacity for felines and not exactly taking in owner surrenders but when the email consists of -

We adopted a cat which is supposed to be low allergy, the people we got said they would take it back but then lost interest. I’ve tried everywhere to offload but it’s impossible.

I’m sure that would raise concerns for anyone, so we offered to help.

It wasn’t until we caught with the family, that we found out the whole story. Which is, Miss Luna was owned by a family whose children had tormented her to the point that Miss Luna was no longer happy and the family no longer wanting her.

A member of her current family got her thinking they wouldn’t be allergic to her due to her breed. However, they ended up highly allergic and obviously couldn’t keep her. Miss Luna was only in this home for three days.

PERSONAL DETAILS: Miss Luna – 3 years old – Russian Blue – Blue.

PERSONALITY: Miss Luna is very human orientated, affectionate, confident and talkative. She is more than happy to be picked up, carried, kissed, cuddled, patted etc.

VET WORK: She has been vet checked, vaccinated, micro-chipped, wormed, flea treated, nails clipped and most importantly de-s*xed.

ADOPTION FEE: Miss Luna’s adoption fee is $400.00 – her adoption fee is not negotiable.

MEDICAL NEEDS: None

OTHER: She is also toilet trained and travels beautifully in the car.

NON-NEGOTIABLES: Miss Luna will require a home as an only child – meaning a home with no other pets.

“We are the bridge between what was and what will be”

06/08/2024

Meet Miss Luna – Beaks & Whiskers Rescue #1007

Miss Luna joined Beaks & Whiskers last month from Queanbeyan, NSW.

We received an email from a family asking if we would take in their cat. We are over capacity for felines and not exactly taking in owner surrenders but when the email consists of -

We adopted a cat which is supposed to be low allergy, the people we got it from said they would take it back but then lost interest. I’ve tried everywhere to offload but it’s impossible.

I’m sure that would raise concerns for anyone, so we offered to help.

It wasn’t until the time of Miss Luna's surrender, that we found out the whole story. Which is, Miss Luna was owned by a family whose children had tormented her to the point that Miss Luna was no longer happy in her environment, and the family no longer wanting her.

A member of her current family got her, thinking they wouldn’t be allergic to her due to her breed. However, they ended up highly allergic and obviously couldn’t keep her either. Miss Luna was only in this home for three days.

So, what can our community learn from this –

1. When it comes to children, plenty of parents feel that it is up to the animal in question to be good with children and not up to the children to be good or respectful of animals. I feel that it would make far more scene if the children were taught how to be respectful and be well behaved around animals. Then in turn, animals would be more than happy with children. Sadly, there are far too many animals surrendered due to child related reasons and disappointingly the animal in question is the innocent party.

“We are the bridge between what was and what will be”

05/08/2024

New Rescue Sneak Peek……………….. that is all

“We are the bridge between what was and what will be”

04/08/2024

****** ADOPTER UPDATE ******

Mr. Iceman (deaf) & Miss Mukara

Okay he’s happy, thank you bird Youtube
Loves a pat even if hiding in the cupboard
Hunting treats
Very cuddly buddies

"We are the bridge between what was and what will be"

01/08/2024

~~~~ THANK YOU I HAVE BEEN ADOPTED ~~~~

Meet Mr. Sunny – Beaks & Whiskers Rescue #956

This sweet guy joined Beaks & Whiskers back in December 2023 from Taylor, ACT.

Mr. Sunny came to us because his family no longer had time for him and were possibly moving, so no longer wanted him.

Mr. Sunny’s family originally advertised him “Free To Good Home” on a dodgy site, but after having the typical dodgy site experience, they decided it wasn’t safe to rehome him through that channel.
So, they contacted us to see if we could take him in. Of course, we were happy to help and here he is.

Sadly, it wasn’t until Mr. Sunny came into our care, that we found out that he wasn’t well – extremely skinny and anemic.

We took him straight to our vet, who was concerned for his outcome, but we followed all the instructions, and he has now been cleared by our very happy vet to be adopted.

PERSONAL DETAILS: Mr. Sunny – Adult (exact age unknown) – Harlequin – Mini Lop

VIDEO: Available in video/reel section.

BACKGROUND: Owner surrender

PERSONALITY: Very sweet, gentle and placid. He is more than happy to be picked up, carried, kissed, cuddled, patted etc.

VET WORK: He has been vet checked, nails clipped, teethed checked and most importantly de-s*xed.

MEDICAL NEEDS: None

OTHER: He is doing well with his toilet training and travels well in the car.

NON-NEGOTIABLES: Mr. Sunny requires a home with no other rabbits. He has been tested with other rabbits and sadly, doesn’t do well with them. He would be happy with a feline in the home.

“We are the bridge between what was and what will be”

28/07/2024

****** ADOPTER UPDATE ******

Miss Faith

Got her sorted just like you said 😊

"We are the bridge between what was and what will be"

26/07/2024

~~~~ ACCEPTING EXPRESSOINS OF INTEREST ~~~~

Meet Miss Twyla – Beaks & Whiskers Rescue #970

This pretty little girl is the last member of her family looking for a home and family of her own.

Miss Twyla joined Beaks & Whiskers back in December 2023 from Yass, NSW.

Miss Twyla along with her two siblings were strays found under a family’s house. They didn’t want them, so reached out to us to see if we could take them, as the local rescue was unable to help. Of course, were happy to help.

One of Miss Twyla’s siblings had sadly endured trauma while being caught by the family and once in our care and immediately assessed by one of our vets, it was devastatingly found that the rainbow bridge was the kindest result for the little one. Miss Twyla’s other sibling Mr. Cheezel has already been adopted, which also makes Miss Twyla the last of her family to find a home.

PERSONAL DETAILS: Miss Fala – 9 months old – DSH – Brown Calico.

PERSONALITY: Miss Twyla is very human orientated, affectionate, playful, confident, social placid and talkative. She is more than happy to be picked up, carried, kissed, cuddled, patted etc.

VET WORK: She has been vet checked, vaccinated, micro-chipped, wormed, flea treated, nails clipped and most importantly de-s*xed.

ADOPTION FEE: Miss Twyla's adoption fee is $400.00 – her adoption fee is not negotiable.

MEDICAL NEEDS: None

OTHER: She is also toilet trained and travels beautifully in the car.

NON-NEGOTIABLES: Miss Twyla will require a feline companion – she can be adopted with a fellow Beaks & Whiskers friend or into a home with an existing feline.

PLEASE NOTE: If you don’t have another cat and/or are not open to two felines don’t bother expressing interest, as you will find out like everyone else who has tried, we aren’t budging on our resident’s happiness and welfare.

Miss Twyla is already available for adoption in our “Adopt Us” album, so please check it out for extra photos of her.

“We are the bridge between what was and what will be”

23/07/2024

Behind the scenes of what we did today........

And no, despite trying to take a minute to do something for ourselves, it still resulted in a rescue.

"We are the bridge between what was and what will be"

21/07/2024

>>>> I AM NOT AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION, AS I HAVE FOUND SANCTUARY AT BEAKS & WHISKERS

20/07/2024

****** ADOPTER UPDATE ******

A few weeks ago it was Miss Skye & Miss Smooch’s second Gotcha Day. I have attached some pics of them with their bird-safe muffins.

"We are the bridge between what was and what will be"

17/07/2024

~~~~ THANK YOU WE HAVE BEEN ADPOTED ~~~~

Meet Miss Spots & Miss Shelly – Beaks & Whiskers Rescues #591 & #592

This gorgeous pair of sisters joined Beaks & Whiskers back in March 2021 from Yass, NSW.

Their family was working through some health issues and sadly, couldn’t continue to provide a home for them. So, they reached out to us to see if we could take them in – of course we were happy to help.

Miss Spots & Miss Shelly were adopted out, but then came home in September 2023, after 2.5 years. Yes, when we say we stand by our residents for life, we actually do. The family had a change of heart and could no longer provide a safe and loving home for them. So, they reached out and asked if they could come home – of course we welcomed them home with open arms.

The girls were adopted again in May and came home after six weeks due to misleading information about the existing cat’s temperament towards other cats.

Please note, the girls did no come home due to any fault of their own and have been an absolute pleasure caring for them.

PERSONAL DETAILS: Miss Spots & Miss Shelly are both 5 year old DSH Black Calicos.

These girls are best friends and can always been found sleeping together, eating together and grooming each other.

PERSONALITY: The girls are human orientated, affectionate, chatty, playful little lap cats. They are more than happy to be picked up, carried, kissed, cuddled, patted etc.

VET WORK: Both ladies have been vet checked, vaccinated, micro-chipped, wormed, flea treated, nails clipped and most importantly de-s*xed.

MEDICAL NEEDS: None

OTHER: They are both toilet trained and travel beautifully in the car.

NON-NEGOTIABLES: Miss Spots & Miss Shelly are bonded so will require a home together.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are not interested in giving both of these babies a home together, don’t bother expressing interest, as you will find out like everyone else who has tried with previous bonded pairs, we aren’t budging on our resident’s happiness and welfare.

“We are the bridge between what was and what will be”

14/07/2024

Guess who’s back…………………. back again……………………………….

Miss Spots & Miss Shelly

Again, no fault of their own, as it tends to be when animals are returned and sadly, they are the ones who end up with the raw end of the deal.

Unfortunately, in my couple of decades in the animal rescue world, animals being returned is happening more than ever. Yes, you do get the typical change pf circumstances, moving overseas etc., but now it seems to be more that people are misleading us and their “stories” or “experience level” aren’t quiet what they said it was.

I have no issue with what the reason is, it’s simple, if our resident is no longer wanted or you can no longer provide what you promised, they come home. Yes, we know this sadly, isn’t a common response from rescues.

So, why did Miss Spots & Miss Shelly come home?

According to their adopter, their existing cat, who we were told and reassured was good with other cats, including females, as her previous companions were females, was apparently not good with not only other female cats but other cats in general.

Yes, we did drive Miss Spots & Miss Shelly to their home and conducted a meet n greet with the existing feline and it went well. Miss Spots and Miss Shelly were great and were very happy exploring the house, interacting with the adopter including coming to them, getting pats and rubbing up their leg.

We had updates saying that everyone was doing well, their existing cat wanted their bedroom to herself, which was fine, and our girls were with them on the couch, in front of the fire and sitting on their lap.

We believed the adopter, as they made sure to inform us every time if the girls didn’t eat their dinner – because it was the one they ate here, which litter they used – because it wasn’t the one they used here.

Then things didn’t quiet add up, as we started receiving text saying everything was great, but the girls wouldn’t come near them but then sent photos of the girls currently asleep on their lap, they questioned the girls date of birth and if they were actually de-s*xed despite having been provided with all paperwork. They also accused one of the girls of peeing outside of the litter tray, which ended up being their existing cat and not our girls.

Sadly, Miss Spots and Miss Shelly settled in beautifully and it was a great match for the girls and the adopter. Which was the reason why the adopter kept them and didn’t provide us with all of the information for six weeks, in the hopes it would all sort itself out, despite apparently causing so much stress to their existing cat that she ended up at the vet and us receiving a text message saying they needed to come home.

Do we get angry with adopters who return our residents, no, that’s the deal, and our adopters know just how much we love our residents. I’m happy they know that they can contact us and that they know that no matter how long they have had our residents for, they can come home. That way everyone involved knows that they are back safe with us.

I know some rescues share stories to break people’s hearts and other to encourage outrage and hatred. While others share very little to nothing for reasons unknown.

I share stories of our residents returns and those who are surrendered, not to have a go at anyone, but to share why said animal has ended up here/back up here. Sadly, jumping to conclusions is the only exercise some people get, and for some reason they assume it is always the animal’s fault. Where in fact, it rarely is the animal’s fault, and is more often than not the fault of their “owners”.

I know at times those who surrender animals or surrender back resident get put out by us sharing the animals’ stories but first of all, we never name anyone, we don’t even tell you the adopter’s gender. Secondly, I share the facts from emails, text messages, and what we are told in person at the time of surrender. Thirdly, if you read “your” story and feel angry or guilt, that’s on you. I don’t believe we should mislead or alter the facts of the situation to make owners look better or have the animal in question to take the hit for you, it’s as simple as that.

“We are the bridge between what was and what will be”