Rescue Stories 2012

Poor Daisy was found lying beside rubbish bins at the side of the road, feeding her four puppies.
She was taken to the vets straight away as it was obvious that she had a fractured back-leg.
Vet confirmed that her leg had been fractured (3-4 weeks earlier) - about the same time that she gave birth...

Mum and pups are all doing very well - puppies have weaned now so Daisy can have a well earned rest, she's a wonderful mum and her babies are adorable.
Daisy is such a lovely girl, she's so trusting, loving and affectionate, despite everything she's been through - such a brave girl.
Sadly, she will probably be lame for life as her fractured leg had already started to heal (out of alignment)
Once she's gained strength and weight she'll be going to the vet to be spayed.

We are desperately seeking forever homes for Daisy and puppies (or other foster homes) We are overwhelmed as we are caring for so many ... we really need others to help...

Update ~ 28.06.12 ~ GREAT NEWS!

Daisy and puppies are now all safe and well in Germany - Another happy ending :-)
Many thanks to FASE, and all who helped to make this possible.

Missing them already ... sending much love to them all xx

Photo update 28.10.12 - We were so pleased to receive these lovely photos of beautiful Daisy with her new Mum... :-) It's wonderful to see her settled and much loved :-)

This little boy is very lucky to be alive...
He was wobbling around in the middle of the road as we went around a corner. Hubby slammed on the brakes and swerved... Thankfully there were no other cars on the road at the time.
Somehow we just managed to miss running him over - he was fine but was making one hell of a racket from being so frightened, poor boy - hubby and I were shaking too! He soon calmed down once he was picked up and cuddled.
No sign of mum-cat or any other kittens - yet another single kitten on a country lane, in the middle of nowhere...

Little Mayo is now doing well after a difficult few days. He was having problems feeding, and was being syringe fed. He's just started to wean, his appetite has improved and he has gained weight. Hopefully he'll continue to thrive...

Update ~ 9.06.12
All is well with Mayo - he's a little fat boy now, loves his food a bit too much :-) He (and the rest of the gang) are keeping us very busy.

Abandoned kitten ~ Tino ~ About 5 weeks old ~ Rescued 26.05.12

rescued-tabby-tino

Another little boy lucky to be alive... tiny tabby, Tino.
We found this poor little boy buried beneath a pile of stinking rubbish at the bins, after hearing a very faint cry.
Sadly, we also found a second kitten; he had died... :-(
R.I.P little one - wish we had found you sooner. xx
Tino was very weak - severely malnourished, dangerously underweight for his age. We really didn't think he would survive for long...
Thankfully he did. :-) - he's still with us and is doing amazingly well - another little fighter.
He's gained weight and strength, but there's still some way to go yet...

Photo update 23.6.12 - Mayo & Tino - Both boys are doing well.
little-mayo

Injured cat ~ Milly ~ 31.05.12

Lovely Milly was rescued by friends. They asked if we could help when Milly was found seriously injured. X-rays showed that she had a fractured spine/nerve damage (stable fracture) and was paralysed (tetraplegic - all four legs) She was also doubly incontinent.
Her prognosis was not good at all ... only time, medication and care would tell us whether or not she had a future...
Milly came to stay with us as we have experience with spinal trauma and aftercare - she'd need strict cage rest for a few weeks, and physiotherapy, also multi-medication and personal care (incontinence)

2 weeks on -Amazing progress! - This photo was taken when Milly managed to sit up for the first time. She didn't have the strength to sit for long, but it was wonderful to see. Her back legs were still floppy, she couldn't stand up ... yet...

6 weeks on - Milly can now walk, and she has regained full bowel/bladder control :-)
Her recovery has been amazing, she's a very lucky girl indeed. She still has some way to go, as her back legs are still weak. This should improve over time with further physiotherapy.
The future is now looking very good for this gorgeous girl.

Update - 14.08.12 - Great news

Milly has made a full recovery.
It's absolutely amazing! She's such a clever, brave girl :-)

We found these three poor abandoned kittens at rubbish bins; frightened, hungry and dehydrated.
Two boys and a girl. Two had infected, sticky eyes that needed cleaning and treating.
They were so friendly and just wanted constant cuddles, once they knew they were safe, bless them.
These adorable babies are now being cared for by friends, and are doing really well.

We saw these three tiny cuties on a very busy road, up against a crash barrier with a drop down to the beach below. The poor things were absolutely terrified.
We had to stop traffic to get them to safety - cars were just driving around them without any concern at all. These pups were very lucky not to have been killed.
Left to fend for themselves by the roadside in the summer heat; all were dehydrated and very hungry.

Thankfully, they are all doing well. They know they are safe now, and are slowly gaining confidence.

Again, we are struggling to find help with fostering, so they will be staying with us for the time being...

Update 03.08.12 - Great news - Jess has a new home!

Happy ending - Little Jess with her lovely new family...
Wishing them all the very best xx

Update photo - December 2012

Jess (now called Julie) in snowy Germany. It's wonderful to see her all grown up :)

Photo Update: 21.08.12 ~ Sam & Tessa ~ 10 wks old

Update: o9.09.12 - Lovely Tessa is now with a new foster family in Germany - Hopefully she will be going to her forever home very soon :-) Bye-bye Tess - miss you... xx

Update: 17.09.12 - Tessa has now been adopted and has a forever home - so happy for her :-)

Sam also has a lovely new home with friends of the lovely family who adopted his sister, Jess. He's settling in well and is very happy :-) Many thanks to Sam's new mum and dad - Bye-bye Sammy... xx

Photo update - Sam (now Marley) in his new home... :-)

We heard this poor little man before we saw him. He was crying his little heart out in the main street in town.
He was just skin and bone - suffering from malnutrition and dehydration. He was crawling with fleas, had ear mites, worms and an upper respiratory infection.
He's been very poorly and needed medication for the infection. He was struggling to eat and has had an upset tummy.
Thankfully we've seen an improvement over the last couple of days, he's a tough little guy!
Hopefully he will continue to do well - Everything crossed for little Elmo!

Elmo update: 31.08.12 - Approx 10 weeks old

This tough little guy is doing much better now - He's had problems with IBD due to suffering from malnutrition prior to being rescued. He struggled to gain weight and strength initially,
but now has a healthy appetite and plenty of energy; too much at times, which is always a good sign! So, hopefully he's over the worst of it now, and will continue to thrive...

Update December 2013 - All is well with Elmo, he's a very big boy now and is in good health.

Gorgeous street stray, ‘Fella’ was due to be neutered. We noticed that he wasn’t quite himself – something wasn’t right…
We took him to the vets for a check up and blood tests. We were concerned about his health as he was due to be neutered as soon as possible.
Test results showed that he has 'Ehrlichia' – A tick-borne disease.
Fella will need medication and care for the next few weeks at least. He’ll need further blood tests later on to see if there’s been any improvement with his low blood count etc.
Fella is not well enough to undergo any operations for the time being. Hopefully he’ll respond to treatment over the next few weeks… Everything crossed for lovely Fella.

Update 13.10.12 ~ Great news for Fella! :-)
We will have to say goodbye to our lovely fuzzy faced friend very soon...
He's had the 'all clear' from the vet, so he will be flying off to a forever home in Germany in a few days time.
We're so happy ... and sad! He'll be much missed...

Update 21.10.12 ~ Farewell Fella...
Fella arrived safely in Germany and was such a good boy throughout the journey. Looking forward to further updates ... Love ya Fella! Be happy! xx

Update January 2013

We received a lovely update, and photos - aww, bless him! :)
Fella (now called Boomer) is settled and very happy in his lovely new home. We're so happy for our fuzzy faced friend!

So many are taken from their mothers far too early – these three had only just weaned to solids and had diarrhoea.

All were absolutely terrified and had hidden amongst the rubbish – poor little things yelped when we picked them up to take them to the car…

Two weeks on: 03.09.12 – we’ve made great progress! They are all doing really well.

Initially the pups would cower down and try to hide. They now come running and want to be picked up and cuddled J

Update 27.09.12 - These beautiful babies are now with new foster families in Germany, and will be going to their forever homes soon...

Be happy babies ... miss you... xx

Burnt cat - Alena - 1-2 years old - Rescued 19.09.12

We’d been trying to catch this poor little girl for a while. As you can see she has many awful wounds. When we first saw her she had neck wounds and an eye injury. We tried to catch her then, but she was frightened off by another cat.
We didn’t see her again for a while, despite going back regularly with the catch cage … we were beginning to fear the worst…
We couldn’t believe it when she wandered over when we were feeding other strays. We were shocked to see that she had more new wounds on both sides of her face and shoulder area, as well as the neck wounds we had seen before. Her eye looked better than before though.
Thankfully we managed to catch her, she was so hungry…
We were sickened to hear that the wounds are burns. The vet thinks someone has burned her repeatedly, over time. She has recent burns as well as older ones, also bald patches - healed scared skin.
Her eye injury has more or less healed; she has a small corneal scar but thankfully nothing more serious.

Alena is somewhere between 1-2 years old but is underweight – 3kg. She’s eating well so should gain over the next few weeks.

She’ll need medication and wound care for 2-3 weeks – only time will tell how well her wounds will heal…

Update 13.10.12 ~ Lovely Alena is doing really well - she has to wear a collar to stop her scratching her wounds. She's coping well with it though. She's also been spayed, so at least that is over and done with - all is healing nicely.

Update 04.11.12 ~ 6 weeks on ~ What a difference! :-)

This beautiful girl has done so well over the last few weeks. She had to wear the dreaded collar for a long time, and have ointment applied to her wounds, twice daily, as well as oral medication. We couldn't have wished for a better patient though :-) She's coped exceptionally well with it all - well done Alena! :-)

Unfortunately we don't have much information about this little girls start in life. A local woman contacted us asking if we could help (we've already given a forever home to three special needs cats that she was unable to care for) Apparently little Lucy-Lou was one of a litter of very young poorly kittens rescued by a lady in Athens. It was proving very difficult to find a safe home for Lucy as she is blind. We agreed to take Lucy if a suitable home couldn't be found in Athens, as it was implied that she may have been put to sleep...

Little Lucy arrived in October 2012. She had no problems settling in, and soon had her little paws under the table, and everywhere else! She's such a little sweetie :)

She has on-going eye problems and may need further treatment. We were hoping to contact the lady that rescued her for further information about any previous tests/diagnosis/treatment etc, but this is proving very difficult ... it's very frustrating...

Street stray - Buster - 3-4 years old - November 2012

Originally, street stray, big Buster was only supposed to be with us for a few days. We offered to foster him while he was recovering from surgery. Due to complications, poor Buster needed further care and medication, so he's still with us.

Update - Great news! Buster has been reunited with his owner, he was lost/missing. So pleased for him and his family.

Elderly stray Siamese - Melina - Rescued 18.11.12

We received a call asking if we could help a very sick stray cat that had been found in town. A kind man had seen a couple of dogs trying to get at something in the bushes; he found the poor cat and rescued her. The dogs hadn't hurt the cat but she was very poorly; hunched up, struggling to breathe...

We collected 'Melina' and took her to the vet. We were preparing for the worst ... we really didn't think she would pull through...

4 weeks on, she's still with us! It's amazing as she is an elderly lady and was close to death when found. She had a severe upper respiratory infection and was suffering from malnutrition/dehydration - we don't know how long she had gone without food/fluids. She needed round the clock home care in between vet visits; syringe feeding, eye/nose care, medications and subcutaneous fluid therapy.

She still needs medication for kidney damage but is doing really well considering... She has now retired and is living a life of leisure. Long may it continue! :)

Sad update... Lovely Lady Melina passed away 20.03.13
Rest in peace Melina - miss you... xx

Abandoned emaciated dog - Lizzie - 13+ years old - rescued 24.11.12

We were so shocked and sickened when we first saw poor old
little Lizzie. She literally crossed our path by crossing the road in front of us. She was emaciated, dehydrated and close to collapse. The vet said she wouldn’t have lasted much longer as she was already showing signs of organ damage and would need immediate treatment, medication and care. Only time will tell whether or not she will make a full recovery…

Update - 6 weeks on - 08.01.13
Lovely Lizzie is
doing well. Her
weight gain has been steady and she
is looking and
feeling much better.
She will need
regular check-ups
to keep an eye on her organ function etc as she does have some health problems. We are really pleased with her progress.

Sad update: Lovely Lizzie went to sleep in February 2015... Miss you Lizzie ... sweet dreams... xx

Abandoned puppies - Bess & Bonnie - 5-6 weeks old - Rescued 12.01.13

These two little sweeties were abandoned in a supermarket car park, left alone without any food or water. It was a very chilly evening when we saw them huddled together desperately trying to keep warm. The supermarket was busy but as usual, people just ignored them… We couldn’t just walk away and leave them…

Bess and Bonnie are both doing well. Little Bess is underweight, but she is eating well, so I’m sure it won’t be long before she’s a healthy weight for her age. Both girls are very affectionate and love being held and cuddled.

Loving forever homes needed for these gorgeous girls, they have so much love to give…

Update: Great news! Bess & Bonnie have been adopted. Bonnie now lives in Germany and Bess has a new home in Norway.

Injured street stray - Elsa - Rescued 28.02.13

We spotted this poor girl in town as we were leaving the market. She had lost an ear and had a large infected head wound and was very skinny. We went home to collect our catch-cage and managed to catch her by the rubbish bins, she was scavenging for food. We took her straight to the vets. The prognosis was not good for Elsa as the infection and tissue damage was severe. Nothing could be done until the infection was under control. Despite an intensive long course of strong antibiotics the infection continued to spread... Sadly we had to make the heartbreaking decision to let her go peacefully as nothing more could be done to help her...
This sweet brave girl was put to sleep 04.04.13 - Sweet dreams sweet girl... xx

Abandoned puppies - 4-5 weeks old - Rescued 01.04.13

More dumped puppies ... we found these three little cuties hiding in a huge stinking pile of rubbish; hungry, dirty, smelly and covered in ticks. 1 male and 2 females about 4-5 weeks old. All are now safe and well but are in desperate need of forever/foster homes...

Update 25.04.13 Great news. Both females (Cleo & Nera)
have been adopted and are now with their new families.

tommy-rescuestories

Gorgeous little Tommy is still looking for his forever home...

Update: Tommy has a new home in Austria!

Be happy Tommy! xx

This sweet little 'special needs' kitten, 'Minnie' endured a long journey all the way from Northern Greece. A kind lady took her in and cared for her after she was found in a very sorry state. The lady contacted us as she was unable to care for Minnie long-term and was struggling to find help locally. We also tried to contact rescues in the area ... no response...

Minnie arrived safe and well late evening 10th April. We had everything ready for her. She greeted us when we opened the carrier; used the litter tray, ate her supper and snuggled up in her new bed. It was amazing how well she settled, we'd been so worried as she had come such a long way, it must have been very stressful for her.

Minnie has a congenital spinal deformity that is causing neurological problems; spinal cord compression, muscle weakness which affects her mobility/balance. She also has a deformed jaw but she is able to eat without any problems. Sadly the long-term prognosis is poor as her condition is most likely degenerative and untreatable. There's a risk of paralysis if her condition deteriorates over time...

Minnie is adorable, she's so affectionate and friendly to everyone. We will do all we can to give her the best life possible, hopefully time will be kind and she will be with us for some time to come...

Abandoned puppies - Goldie & Amber - Rescued April 2013 - 6 weeks old.

These sweet little girls were left alone without food or water in a car park beside a busy road. Both were shaking with fear, poor things... They soon started to gain confidence once they were taken to safety and given lots of cuddles.

Another happy ending; both girls were adopted in June 2013 :)

At only 4 weeks old these dear little kittens were dumped with the rubbish beside a busy road. They were left in the heat without food or water. Both were dehydrated and distressed by their ordeal. They would not have survived for very long without help

We cared for Tango & Daisy for a few weeks until a forever home was found. They were both adopted together and are settled and happy with their new family.

Abandoned/orphaned kitten - Matilda - aka Tilly the Gonk - Rescued August 2013 - 7-14 days old

Tiny Tilly (7-14 days old) was found alone, she was either orphaned or abandoned. We received a call asking if we could help as she would need to be hand reared. It was touch and go early on as she had problems feeding, we really didn't think she would pull through. We persevered and thankfully she slowly began to thrive. Tilly went from strength to strength and is now a very happy, healthy little lady.

Stray kitten - Tigger - Rescued August 2013 - 6-8 weeks

Little Tigger was found wandering on a road next to a beach. We don't know if he was abandoned or a stray. He was nearly run over as a car that had been parked pulled away. He continued to wander in the road so we picked him up and took him to safety, he came home with us and he's still here! He's such a friendly fella!

Stray kitten - Luna - Rescued October 2013 - 5-6 weeks

Little stray Luna was a very sorry sight ... she was in the middle of the road pawing at the remains of a kitten that had been killed by a car. She is very lucky to have survived herself.
She ran and hid in the grass verge when we stopped, we managed to tempt her out and catch her, she was starving... She soon came round with a full tummy and gentle fusses, such a sweetie!
Lovely Luna was adopted in November 2013. She is now enjoying life as a pampered house cat in Athens.

Abandoned puppies - Max & Maisie - Rescued November 2013 - 4-5 weeks old

More abandoned puppies! These two cuties (4-5 weeks old) were left without food or water beside a busy road outside town. The little boy was running around in the road, it didn't take us long to find his terrified sister at the side of the road. Both were hungry and dirty and were so grateful to be taken to a safe place. They were soon snuggling together on a cosy blanket with full tummies, bless them.
Lucky Max & Maisie were adopted in December and are now enjoying life in Germany with their new families. We've had some lovely updates.

The cemetery six - These tiny pups (few days old) were left alone to die at rubbish bins outside the local cemetery. We saw them lying on the dirt beside the road as we left the cemetery. It was a very warm day, some of the pups had their tongues out and were very weak; we really didn't think many, if any would survive. We couldn't just leave them to die in the dirt so we picked them all up and headed home with heavy hearts...

Feeding was difficult to say the least, some struggled to suckle. We did our best but tried to prepare for the worst. We thought we would lose some that day... Somehow all were still with us at the next feed, and the next ... it was amazing!

Days turned in to weeks, all six pups thrived and survived... It was such hard work keeping them all going but so worth it. We were (are) struggling to cope with overwhelming grief having lost our dear daughter. I really don't know how we all made it through.

Looking back it is so comforting to know that something good happened at the worst time of our lives, I am so proud to have been able to help these little ones, I don't know how any of us found the strength...

These lucky pups were all adopted in September. All are enjoying life with their forever families in Germany. Love and thanks to all.

Many thanks also to everyone who helped with transport and rehoming. Together we did a wonderful thing and made such a difference... xx

These little puppies (about 4 weeks old) were left alone at rubbish bins beside a road, without food or water. We saw a couple of them as we drove past. We stopped and walked over to find there were four of them. We couldn't leave them there, they were very close to the road, they wouldn't have lived very long... We picked them up and headed home...

They were all hungry, thirsty and very tired. They went straight to sleep once they had filled their tummies. All did very well over the next few weeks...

These lucky puppies now all have forever homes. They traveled to Germany in August and were soon adopted. All are now settled and enjoying life with their new families. We've since had some lovely photos. Love and best wishes to all.

Thank you to all who helped these pups find love and happiness. Another happy ending!

Poor Kassia was abandoned at the local vets. She had a badly infected swollen foot that was crawling with maggots. Most of the soft tissue had been eaten away, leaving just bone and tendon, she would need to have her leg amputated as the tissue damage and infection was so severe.

My husband saw Kassia and heard her story when he took one of our furry friends in for treatment. The vet was happy to do the surgery but there was no one to pay for it ... we agreed to help Kassia, she was in a bad way and desperately needed help...

The surgery went well and Kassia came to our home to recover once she left the vets. She was on cage rest and medication for a couple of weeks and made a full recovery. She soon adapted to life with three legs.

We don't know Kassia's history but she must have had a tough start in life before the injury as she was very frightened and would cower down and tremble. It took a while to build her confidence but it was wonderful to see her progress while she was with us, it was quite a transformation. I'm sure she was very grateful for our help.

Lucky Kassia was adopted in September. She is now settled and happy with her new family in Germany. It was so hard to say goodbye to this lovely girl but we are so pleased that she has a loving home. Sending love and best wishes to Kassia and family, thank you for opening your hearts and home to this gorgeous girl. xx

We rescued stray/abandoned kitten, 'Misha' from the road, she was wandering around in obvious distress. She was emaciated and had a badly infected wound and skin loss on one side of her face, exposing her teeth/jaw. We could also see that she had very limited vision.

She was at the vets for a few days, she needed medication and the wound needed to be cleaned daily. She is it home with us now and we are continuing with the wound care. The infection has cleared up and new healthy tissue, muscle has slowly started to grow. The tissue will not grow back to cover her teeth completely but she looks so much better already. It will take time to heal fully, she is due back at the vets for a check up in a couple of weeks.

Misha is partially sighted. Malnutrition and anaemia had already damaged her eyes. She is gaining weight and has coped so well with everything that she has been through. She is such a brave sweet natured little girl.

~~All being well we will be looking for a loving forever home for Misha in a few weeks time. If anyone out there reads this and is willing to help this lovely little girl, please do get in touch...~~

Great news! Misha made a great recovery over the last few weeks and has recently been adopted. She is now with her lovely new family in France, lucky girl. Saying goodbye was really hard but we are so pleased she has such a wonderful forever home. We miss you already Misha, be happy sweet girl... Many thanks to Misha's new family xx