This is Lucy, my little 4 year old niece who came for a sleepover. It gave me the opportunity to try on her new fancy dress costume ready just in time for Halloween this weekend and what a pretty kitty she makes. Working for SimplyCats she just had to be a cat!
Margaret
Grub stayed at my house from a Friday to Monday to give Claire a break. Now I need a break!! Its very hard work looking after a kitten that is so reliant on you for its every need – from feeding and toileting to affection and play. Setting the alarm for midnight, then 3am then 6am for three hourly feeds and toileting takes its toll on you physically. Its not easy, but its so rewarding to see him thrive.
My son Calum, who’s only seven, loves him to bits and Grub likes to curl up in the crook of his arm and go to sleep. Our other three cats were not so keen on the tiny visitor though, and kept their presence in the room to a minimum. It takes me back to seven years ago when I was up every four hours to see to Calum’s needs. If I remember correctly, Calum was just as greedy as Grub with his bottle!
Caroline
31st October is almost upon us and the team at SimplyCats have carved some pumpkins to get into the Halloween spirit.
If you are on Facebook, click here to view some more photos of our creations.
Claire
On Thursday 22nd October I had to cover a shift at St Clair Pet Care, a small animal veterinary clinic in Blyth owned by Sarah and Paul due to staff sickness.
I’d almost forgotten how different working in a small animal practice is to working in a cat only practice.
These days I’m used to the peaceful, serene environment at SimplyCats, however working with dogs is a different kettle of fish entirely, a German Shepherd Dog was brought in to the practice and within seconds I found myself covered in dog hair and dog slobber. The cat in the waiting room waiting for a booster vaccination didn’t look to amused either.
I have two dogs myself so I’m used to being around dogs and worked in a small animal practice for years but it’s so easy to forget how different they are to cats in a veterinary environment.
Although I have to admit I particularly enjoyed fussing over a 7month old West Highland White Terrier puppy after we took a blood sample (I’m a bit of a Westie fan as I own two myself)
Claire
Hand rearing a kitten is time consuming and tiring, however it’s so rewarding it makes up for the lack of sleep and social life.
Those of you who have been into the surgery recently will most likely have met Grub, my little boy who is now 16 days old. He’s starting to develop a real personality and is incredibly greedy. He’s very demanding at food times, he is now on 3 hourly feeds and I could set my watch to his demanding calls every 3 hours on the dot! He certainly likes to make himself known when it’s dinner time. You’d think he was never fed the rate he takes his milk at 
The photo below is Grub in his cat carrier demanding food and attention. Despite the fact that it’s not dinnertime just yet, he went from 2 hourly feeds to 3 hourly feeds on Monday (2 days ago) and he is still getting used to his new routine.
I shall post photos regularly to keep you updated on Grub’s progress, however I am updating our Facebook page with regular photos and videos of him, click here to view our Facebook page. He will also feature in our Mewsletter and I shall write an article on hand rearing kittens, click here to view previous Mewsletters and to sign up to receive the Mewsletter.
Grub now has his own gallery on our website, click here to view it.
Claire
I got a new camera from my husband for my 40th birthday and it seems to have started me off on a new craze of ‘close-up’ nature shots! Here’s a small sample of what I’ve taken so far.
Caroline
Grub is 2 weeks old today! He’s doing great, here is a photo of him taken today 
Claire
I’ve now been at SimplyCats for just over 3 months and I’m really enjoying getting to know all aspects of my new job. Meeting our clients and their cats has also been particularly enjoyable and I’ve even come across friends I haven’t seen for years.
Unfortunately September was tinged with sadness due to the recent death of our kitten Pierre Junior (affectionately known as PJ). He contracted Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) and despite the wonderful care and support from the SimplyCats team, we had to make the decision to have him put to sleep. He has left such an unforgettable impact on our lives and although my husband and I were left heartbroken, we would not have foregone the opportunity of providing him with a loving home. It was an absolute joy watching him on summer evenings frolicking in the nastercians trying to catch bees and climbing his favourite tree.
Working part time gives me plenty of opportunity to pursue my hobbies and interests such as horse riding and walking. We have spent this wonderfully mild Autumn trecking through Houghall Woods on the outskirts of Durham looking for sloe berries. The blackthorn hedges are laden with them this year so if you fancy having a go at your own sloe gin, I have added a simple recipe to follow which will provide you with several bottles to put down for those long winter months. Good luck if you’re having a go!
Firstly you’ll need to pick your sloes from blackthorn hedges in October or November when they are most ripe, probably after the first frosts. You’ll recognise the hedges as the have long spiky thorns on them. The berries look like:
Ingredients:
Method:
Margaret
Unfortunately Cats Protection are no longer offering neutering for £5 as of 16th October 2009. However they are still offeing vouchers to subsidise the cost of neutering, please contact your local Cats Protection branch on 0191 3860902 to obtain a voucher.
For further information please contact us
Claire
We are now on Facebook and Twitter, click here to visit our Facebook page and click here to follow us on Twitter
On Tuesday 13th October, Grub the kitten opened his eyes. He’s still doing well, eating like a horse. Margaret our receptionist is going to take him for me overnight tonight so I can have a night’s sleep as he’s currently feeding every 2 hours and I’m shattered, so I’m have a (well earned) night off tonight
Claire
Just a quick post to let you know that my little kitten Grub is doing brilliantly. He is 1 week old today. He’s eating like a horse and seems to be doing well at the minute. Here is a photo of him curled up, fast asleep after a feed.
Claire
On Monday 5th October, we gained a new member of the SimplyCats team. A newborn kitten, the kitten had been born outside and the mother had rejected him. He was brought to the clinic infested with fly eggs and larvae and has therefore been affectionally named ‘Grub’.
He has been adopted by Claire and is being hand reared by her, he currently needs fed every 2hours – day and night. So far he is doing brilliantly and eating like a gannet. He weighed 100g when born and is putting on 10g per day.
We will keep you updated with photos and regular posts about Grub but no doubt if you visit the surgery you’ll hear him calling for dinner
Grub just after dinner time
Claire