Nik and Alex runs Lazybones Cat Sanctuary and spoke to Peanuts on what is involved in a days work
WHAT IT IS LIKE TO RUN A CAT SANCTUARY
Taking cats off the streets where they struggle to survive into a place where they are safe, warm, fed and loved is extremely rewarding.  There are too many cats living rough on the streets so every little life that is saved is one less breeding machine. An unspayed female cat, her mate and all of their offspring, producing 2 litters per year, with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter can total 12 cats in 1 year, 67 cats in two years, 376 cats in 3 years, 2107 cats in 4 years and 11801 cats in 5 years and so on.
When we learn of a homeless cat we check the area. There has only been one occasion where there is only one cat, most are living in colonies. Colonies can have many cats and some colonies merge into other colonies. After we check the area we decide where we will leave the trap and when to leave it. We never leave a trap unattended so we stay close by so when a cat enters the trap we take it immediately. This is to prevent other people finding the trap and hurting the cat and also so other cats don’t see the cat trapped.
Once we take the cat to our rescue, they are placed in isolation until they have been to the vet. While the cat is waiting to see the vet we spend as much time as we can with them to see if they are friendly. Not many cats are friendly immediately. Some take a long time to warm up to being inside and having people around. Some cats never warm up and those cats will stay at the sanctuary for the rest of their lives. Friendly, healthy cats are the only ones that get adopted.
Currently at Lazy Bones Cat Rescue 90% of the cats cannot be rehomed. Most of those 90% are antisocial and don’t like people, but some of them are old and some have long term medical conditions.
At LBCR we have a purpose built cattery that houses most of the cats. The indoor section of the cattery has TV, lounges, cat beds, fluffy blankets, toys, scratching posts, litter trays and under floor heating for those cold nights. The fully enclosed outdoor section has cat houses, play equipment, more scratching posts, tree branches, more litter trays, toys, cat mint and cat grass, outdoor couches and chairs. The cats can come and go inside and outside as they please. Some cats reside in the main house with the humans, these are the ‘people cats’. They also spend some time in the outdoor cattery. Then there are the ‘bedroom cats’ that sleep in our bedroom, these are the sick ones that can’t spend time with the other cats.  And lastly, the ‘office cats’, these cats are in isolation until they see a vet and they have their own toys, scratching posts and beds.
The most time consuming aspect of cat rescue is chores and cleaning! Each morning it is up at 5.30am. First is the cattery cats, pick up all the bowls from dinner, sweep and mop the floor, put out clean bowls of food, empty, clean and refill the water bowls, fill the biscuit bowls, clean the litter trays. Then it’s time for the inside cats and all the same chores. Then the bedroom cats and the same chores, then the cats in isolation and the same chores. After that, it is time to give the sick cats their medicine, this is ALWAYS a challenge no matter how friendly a cat is!
Then it’s off to work to pay for all this.
Arrive home at 5.00pm or a little after and it’s back to the cattery to do all the same chores as this morning, then the inside cats, then the bedroom cats, then the cats in isolation. Now it’s time to think about feeding yourself lol. While your own dinner is cooking, there is time to put some blankets on to wash, clean up spew (these are usually on the lounge or the rug and never on the areas that are easy to clean), de-hair lounges/chairs, pack away cat food, restock cat biscuits, tidy up toys. After your own dinner it’s time for ‘second’ dinner for the cats. Cats are always hungrier of a night, possibly because this is usually the time they hunt. So it’s back for round two . . . top up the biscuit bowls, serve a second round of food. After second dinner, medications are administered if required.
Now you can set the alarm for 5.30am, put on a movie in bed and fall asleep in the first 10 minutes.
Please adopt Don’t Shop, if interested please contact us as there are many more beautiful babies looking for forever loving home  🥰
