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This blog reflects my personal experiences and opinions and does not represent or reflect those of DierenAmbulance Nederrijn.
It was either the snowman weaved into the sides of my socks or the AC in the ambulance which made the otherwise unbearable heat today bearable. No further heat was needed. I’d determined before the start of the shift to keep some distance from the usual 15-20 minute ramblings, but there was no need. We only had one rescue and we could head straight out! 🙂
Weak Pigeon
Someone who found this pigeon yesterday had the luck of living opposite a pigeon expert (who knew they existed?!) and brought the pigeon there. The expert gave him a good look over and saw he was thin and very weak. He gave him food and water but noticed there was diarrhea so he gave us a call.
On the gate was a brilliant sign:
Beware: This house is protected by a pigeon!
The pigeon was in a large cage, and indeed we saw the evidence of food, water, and what food and water becomes later on in the digestive process. Neither Sally or I could see that he was thin, but we’re not as familiar with pigeons as the expert.
Getting hold of him and bringing him out of the cage was far easier than getting into the cage…
We put him into the rescue box, and with no more rescues on our list we were able to bring him straight to the rescue centre where I made sure to put him in a cupboard that was in the shade.
Break (What a luxury!)
There was still nothing else on our rescue list, I’m sure, thanks to the parallel second team that was working today. This meant that for the first time in months we could head back to the base and have a break!
Paper Cat
Sort of. The centralist asked me to move some boxes of magazines from one building to another, ready to hand out for an upcoming information day. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise; paper is dangerous! Ask anyone with paper cuts and a stiff back!
Paper also makes the noise of a sweet little cat miaowing. Or it might have been this little guy who was waiting in the same (air conditioned) room to be taken to a shelter:
Solar Eclipse
A solar eclipse stood in the celestial planning between around 19:00 and 21:00 in the Netherlands, and I wanted to make sure the centralist and Sally knew about it! Although it was ‘only’ a partial eclipse from here, the moon was going to take a hefty (90%) bite out of the sun. Well worth a (safe) look!
I showed Sally how to view it with a self-made peephole projection, and the centralist suggested using the selfie phone camera. This obviously needed a demonstration and the centralist turned it with ChatGPT into a comic strip – now printed and pinned in the common room!
Paper and eclipses sorted, it was high time for our cup of tea! Perfect timing because the second team turned up on-site too; they’d rescued a pigeon too!
Half a cup later the centralist asked which of us wanted to rescue a kitten who’d walked into someone’s house. I jumped at the chance and volunteered Sally and I! 🙂
Wandering Kitten
What an absolutely adorable little thing this was!
The finders didn’t recognise this kitten but it was easy to see she was tame and accustomed to humans. Indeed she was really playful! We estimated her to be around 10-12 weeks old max; certainly not old enough to be safely wandering the streets unsupervised. At this young age they haven’t developed any street sense and their small size makes them especially vulnerable to even mild threats. Maybe she’d escaped from her responsible owners?
Unfortunately she wasn’t chipped, so this made things tricky. She was too young to let her back out on the street with a call-me-collar. Yet bringing her to a shelter meant taking her away from her home and her owners – although shelters give 2 weeks (I think…) for owners to reclaim them. That said, there was nothing else we could do for the cat other than bringing her in.
It was easy putting her into the rescue box, in fact, the curious kitten walked in herself!
Back in the ambulance something didn’t feel right, so Sally and I discussed our options again. But we had a stroke of luck; a local approached us and asked if we were here about a white, grey and black cat. Yes!
She informed us the kitten belonged to one of her neighbours and that another neighbour had been looking after her whilst the owners were on vacation. Chatting further, we learned the kitten was free to go outside and the ‘cat-sitting’ neighbour was only providing food. The owners had only just left for their holiday. The lady we spoke to knew this really was not a wise situation, but couldn’t herself bring the kitten inside her own home and keep her their because of her own pets.
We called the ‘cat-sitter’ but were moved onto voicemail after 2 rings. We’ve found this happens a lot when we call with the ambulance phone because it shows as an anonymous number and many people are suspicious of these kinds of calls. We left a voicemail to call us back (and we gave our number!)
But we were still in difficulty. Now we knew for a fact there was an owner so knowingly taking the kitten away didn’t sit quite right. The AC in the back of the ambulance wasn’t working and the kitten was there with only a small window open between the back and the cooler front of the ambulance to cool her down.
We called the Animal Ambualnce Piket for advice. They pointed out we needed to do what was best for the cat, and that was bring her to the base so she could be looked after until the cat sitter called us back. We were also advised to leave a note on his door with the same message. Sally wrote one out, and the kind lady put it on his door.
We headed back to the base, phoning the finder on the way to let them know that the kitten lived nearby.
Back at the base
We found the largest pet caddy thing we could find and put Kitty inside. It was big enough for a cat litter tray, and we put water, and both wet and dry food at the other end. She ate straight away! I’d sort of hoped the cat I saw in the morning would still be around so they could keep each other company through the bars, but she’d already been brought to the shelter.
Judgemental bit
I shouldn’t judge. I know. These thoughts simply race around inside my head. This rescue really riled me up because the kitten wasn’t being looked after well.
These early weeks in a cat’s life are crucial for socialisation and development. Bogging off on holiday leaving a kitten alone and free to go outside…(*growl*)
The kitten wasn’t chipped which suggests she wasn’t adopted through a shelter because shelters in the Netherlands chip cats before putting them up for adoption (as well giving them a good health check). They also vet (and advise) potential pet parents to ensure they know what to do and what to expect. This didn’t seem to be the case here.
Ignorance isn’t innocence.
Why don’t people find out things before buying a pet from a pet shop or through second-hand websites etc.?
I understand the admin and kerfuffle with many Dutch shelters can be heavier than a mill stone and buying privately cuts a lot of corners. But it’s clear that sometimes those corners are needed (or at least, necessary to bear through) so that animals are safe and healthy.
Then again…
This stuff is obvious to me. And it might also be obvious to the owners too, so it might have been assumed to be obvious to the cat sitter as well. But if this wasn’t the case, then indeed, how would the cat sitter know?
Indeed. I don’t know the circumstances.
Looking forward
Sally called the cat sitter again, but this time with her personal phone so there was a number. The sitter called back and arrangements were made for the kitten to be collected from the base. And Superhero Sally made the sitter promise to keep the kitten inside until the owners come back – and strongly advised for the cat to be chipped!
I’m extremely grateful for the finders who called us, and also for the proactive lady who came to us and gave us some information. It’s good to know there are good people around!
