When cats arrive at the Home, they go through routine health checks and procedures to ensure they’re happy and healthy before going to their new homes. This is so we can identify issues like ringworm, which was affecting Motley when she came into our care in August.

Ringworm is a common fungal infection in cats that can cause hair loss and adverse reactions such as dermatitis. It’s also contagious and can be passed onto humans, which we thought would make it difficult to find a foster carer for Motley.

Fortunately, we have a community of foster carers who consistently go above and beyond for our cats, and Motley was in foster care within days of her diagnosis.

Not only did Motley’s foster carer commit to consistent ringworm treatment, personal protective equipment and all, she also helped Motley come out of her shell. Motley has started to approach her human for pats and playtime, and show her affectionate personality.

Motley will soon come back into the Home to check the progress of her treatment. If resolved, she’ll soon be desexed and become available for adoption!

After over one year in our care, we’re pleased to announce our gorgeous Narla has found her forever home! 

Narla arrived in August 2019 with a council ranger as a very curious young girl. It was clear she was very intelligent and friendly and would make a beautiful companion, but with a few behavioural quirks and such an active personality, it proved difficult to find her a suitable home.

While Narla waited for the right family to come along, she went into wonderful foster homes with our volunteers Robert, Sam and Stef, who went above and beyond to give Narla an exciting and active lifestyle, and help with her training.

As time went by, it became clear Narla just wasn’t meant to be a city girl, so we started investigating rescue options in more regional areas. 

Stef was integral in finding a rescue for Narla and got in touch with Albury Wodonga Animal Rescue (AWAR), who agreed to take Narla into their care. Both Stef and our volunteer Sandra drove her all the way to her new temporary home.

Just a few months on, Narla has already attracted a new family out in Albury and is on a trial adoption in what will hopefully be her forever home!

Thank you to Robert, Stef, Sam, Sandra, AWAR and all the committed volunteers who supported Narla’s long journey to find her happily ever after.

Congrats Narla! 👏 

Aries appeared to be a happy, healthy cat when she was surrendered into our care in June. She passed standard health checks with ease and was sent to our adoption partner PETstock, where she could meet potential adopters and find a forever home.

Then, shortly after Aries left the Home, the PETstock team noticed changes in her urine. It was showing blood. We promptly organised to bring Aries back to the Home for an extra health check, when our vet noticed she’d developed a large, fluid-filled swelling on her neck. We tested the fluid and the results suggested she had a growth called a follicular cyst. This is a benign mass that wouldn’t normally cause harm, but given its size and location, we knew it could potentially interfere with important structures in the neck if it were to continue growing. Our vet team moved quickly to get Aries into surgery and remove the cyst, making sure not to damage important structures of the neck.

Lab tests confirmed the cyst was gone for good and Aries got the all clear. She recovered with ease at the Home, sporting the most majestic mullet, which had been skilfully shaved for her surgery.

With such a slick hairdo, it didn’t take Aries long to find a forever home. She was adopted in early August by Priyanka and Kishore and has taken very well to her new family.

Priyanka tells us:

“Aries is my husband’s first pet. I can’t even believe that he is taking care of Aries more than me. 

She was bit shy and scared at first, but she started becoming friendly after two weeks. When she wakes up, she needs cuddling. She starts rolling on carpet and asking me to pat her.

Aries loves tuna… Before feeding she starts rubbing her face against my hand (sometime it’s hard to give food!). She wants to play after her breakfast and it’s a must. She loves her birdie dongle & mouse.

She loves to chill with us on the sofa (but she prefers to keep some distance!). When I am taking a shower, she will sit outside near the bathroom door and start missing me. Sometimes she loves to play by herself.

Aries has her kneading pillow. She loves to do kneading on our body too! I wonder if she can make some donuts for us.”

Sounds like the stars have truly aligned for Aries!

The weather is warming up and you know what that means, pet owners! Ticks and fleas… While they can be found all year round, these pesky and potentially deadly parasites thrive in the warm, humid weather of Spring and Summer, preying on all sorts of animals, including dogs, cats and humans.

Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to ensure your dog or cat is protected during the warmer months and throughout the year. Read on to learn more about ticks and fleas, how to identify them and how to prevent and treat a bite or infestation.

What are fleas?

Fleas are 1-2mm long, reddish brown insects that jump from one animal to another, living on their skin and feeding on their blood.

Fleas can pose all sorts of dangers to you and your pet, including:

• irritation, ranging from mild discomfort to intense scratching, biting and restlessness
• flea allergy dermatitis, an allergic reaction that can cause severe skin reactions and infection in pets
• anaemia, especially in very young or old pets
• spread of fatal myxomatosis to rabbits
• transmission of a tapeworm infection to pets and humans
• transmission of a bacteria that causes a potentially serious disease called ‘bartonellosis’ in humans.

How to tell if your pet has fleas

As behavioural responses to fleas can vary from pet to pet, the best way to recognise fleas is through regular grooming. As fleas can be difficult to see, it’s best to look for the presence of flea dirt on the surface of your pet’s skin. Flea dirt is flea faeces, and it looks just like tiny specks of dirt. To properly identify flea dirt, carefully remove some of the specks from your pet and place them on a wet paper towel. If after a few minutes they spread out like a bloodstain, you’ve got fleas. You should always wear gloves when checking your pet for flea dirt. Flea dirt coming into contact with small breaks in the skin is the most common route of infection for cat scratch disease in people.

Other symptoms that may indicate a flea infestation include itching, redness of the skin, scabs and bald patches.

What are ticks?

Ticks feed on the blood of your dog or cat for days at a time, with adult ticks engorging to become approximately pea-sized. There are several species of ticks in NSW that use cats and/or dogs as hosts, including bush tick, brown dog tick and paralysis tick. Paralysis ticks are generally found in bushland and high grass along the east coast of Australia, whereas brown dog ticks don’t stray far from dogs.

Ticks can be extremely dangerous for domestic pets, causing everything from irritation to severe illness and death. They can also carry diseases that pose a serious threat to pets and humans.

How to tell if your pet has a tick

It’s important to check your pet regularly for ticks, especially if they have ventured into bushland. We recommend checking your pet for ticks every day, by running your fingers through your pet’s fur to feel for small bumps. Ticks particularly like to hide around the ears, eyelids, tail, under the collar, under the front legs, between the back legs and between the toes.

If your pet has been bitten by a tick, their symptoms may include:

• redness and swelling at the site of the bite
• weakness or loss of coordination in the hind legs
• changes in their voice
• retching, coughing or vomiting
• excessive salivation/drooling
• loss of appetite
• progressive paralysis
• difficulty breathing or rapid breathing
• other unusual behaviours/symptoms.

Flea and Tick Prevention

Unfortunately, fleas and ticks can be very difficult to avoid, so the best way to manage them is through prevention.

We recommend using Seresto Flea and Tick Collar, which is available for both dogs and cats*. The collars are a hassle-free, low maintenance way to kill and prevent fleas and ticks.

On dogs, the collar protects against fleas for up to 8 months, and repels and kills ticks and prevents the transmission of tick-born diseases for 4 months. On cats, the collar protects against fleas and flea-borne diseases, and repels and kills paralysis ticks for up to 8 months. Seresto repels ticks – to prevent them from attaching and biting, and kills fleas fast and on contact alone, so that there is no need for these parasites to bite your pet to be killed. This makes Seresto a good choice for controlling flea allergy dermatitis, and for preventing the transmission of fleas and tick-borne diseases. Seresto is odourless, water-resistant, and safe for pets and families.

Flea and Tick Treatment

If your pet has fleas, fitting a Seresto collar will kill them within 24-hours. After this time, fleas that jump onto a Seresto-treated pet will be killed within 2 hours.

If your pet has a tick, remove it as soon as possible. The best way to remove a tick is with a tick remover. Advantage Petcare has a great article that lists the steps for tick removal here.

Once you have removed a tick from your pet, we recommend taking the tick and your pet to the vet to identify whether it was a deadly paralysis tick and ensure your pet gets appropriate treatment.

Once you’ve checked and treated all household pets for fleas or ticks, it’s important to treat your home. Make sure to clean your pet’s bedding by washing it in hot water, and to vacuum any furniture/surfaces your pet has been in contact with. Some products, including Seresto, also help with this by killing flea larvae in your pet’s environment.

* Before starting any new flea/tick treatments, have a chat to your vet to ensure they are suitable for your pet.

Nemo and Dory the female guinea pigs were brought to us in April after being abandoned on the side of the road. The poor girls were in a terrible state, living in a small, dirty cage.

The pair were both suffering from a major mite infestation, causing Dory to chew her back raw, so we swiftly gave them mite treatment. Nemo also had a fungal infection and dandruff, and both guinea pigs had cracked, dry and swollen skin on their feet.

The girls needed specialist care, so we reached out to Porsche from Porsches Rescue to see if she could help rehabilitate and rehome Nemo and Dory. Porsche’s Rescue always does an amazing job with pocket pets and has a great success rate of rehoming guinea pigs.

Porsche took Nemo and Dory on with open arms and was quick to get them back in good health. In her care, Nemo’s fungal infection and dandruff cleared up and Dory’s wounds healed, allowing her fur to grow out.

Before going up for adoption, Nemo and Dory were placed in quarantine to heal and ensure they weren’t pregnant. Turns out they’re just a bit chunky…

The girls both have the most calm and placid nature, so after a little bit of patience, they were adopted into their forever home!

Nemo and Dory’s situation highlights how important it is to provide guinea pigs with appropriate living conditions, to avoid stress and vulnerability to all sorts of illness. With the help of our Animal Care Manager & Veterinarian Dr Renae Jackson and a few tips from Porsches Rescue, we’ve put together a guide to guinea pig housing and enrichment, feeding, and health and veterinary care.

Housing and Enrichment 

A hutch/cage serves as the basis for guinea pig housing, but they are temporary enclosures only. It is important that guinea pigs are given an opportunity to exercise outside of their hutch/cage for a few hours every day in unfiltered natural sunlight. The hutch/cage needs to be safe and secure and provide protection from the elements and predators. For one guinea pig, the cage should be at least 7.5 square feet. For two guinea pigs, 10.5 square foot is recommended. 

Indoor enclosures should be secure and kept in a sun-free, low traffic area. Keeping them permanently outdoors is not recommended as they get hot in the warmer months. Guinea pigs can tolerate temperatures between 18C – 20C, anything more than 25C can lead to heat stroke. To help keep them cool in the warmer months, you can:

• house them indoors
• provide lots of fresh water, ice packs/frozen water bottles, damp towels, frozen ice treats
• provide tiles inside the hutch/cage, fan or air conditioner, ice/gel packs.  

A hutch/cage needs to be easy to clean so that soiled bedding can be removed daily. As Porsche notes, keeping bedding fresh is important to keep your guinea pigs’ bums dry and clean. The entire hutch should be cleaned at least once or twice a week. Guinea pigs should be given suitable bedding such as hay, straw or shredded paper, which should be changed regularly. 

Porsche adds that surfaces like wire or hard flooring can lead to a condition called bumble foot, a very painful infection of the foot pad.

Naturally, guinea pigs live in groups and in burrows underground either dug by themselves or other animals. It’s a good idea to provide your guinea pig with a similar form of ‘safe’ place, so they can hide in their ‘burrow’ if they feel frightened. A burrow can be simulated in the form of an upturned box or a covered corner of the room. These safe holes help the guinea pig to feel more secure in their environment. Guinea pigs will also love some toys to play with; wooden toys, tunnels and balls can be great! 

Guinea pigs can be trained to use a litter tray or a particular toilet area. Suitable litter material includes hay, straw and some cat litters (avoid clay types). This will have to be changed regularly.

If your guinea pig is having a free play, ensure your home is guinea pig-proofed; they can chew electrical cords and hide well!

Feeding 

It is vital that your guinea pig has adequate nutrition that is high in fibre. Providing a good quality grass hay (timothy or oaten), and fruit and vegetables (one cup per day) will ensure your guinea pig is provided with enough minerals and nutrients. They like capsicum, coriander, kale, cos lettuce and leafy greens. Always check the nutritional content of any pellet/mixes.

Health and Disease Prevention 

While they don’t need regular vaccinations, routine veterinary examinations are a must for guinea pigs. Even if your guinea pig isn’t exhibiting signs of malaise or pain, it’s crucial to take them in for a veterinary examination at least once every 12 months. It’s also important to take your guinea pig to the vet if it’s injured or if anything else seems different in terms of behaviour or health. Some signs that may indicate illness or pain in your guinea pig include:

• runny discharge of the nose or eyes
• abnormal bleeding
• changes in water consumption patterns
• bloody urine
• problems breathing
• diarrhoea
• rapid weight gain or loss
• decreased body temperature
• contact sensitivity
• lethargy
• decreased energy
• irregularities with the skin
• difficulty walking 
• swelling.

It is recommended you take your guinea pig to a specialist vet for desexing and microchipping. Desexing reduces aggression, urine spraying and mammary cancers. It will prevent also prevent unwanted pregnancies as guinea pigs can start to breed at 4 weeks old.  

If you intend to keep more than one guinea pig (they are very social animals and love having companions), suitable mixes include:

• one male and one female (only if they are desexed)
• two desexed males or females. 

It is not advisable to mix guinea pigs with rabbits as they can bully each other and transfer diseases to each other. You should make an effort to bond your guinea pigs through slow introductions. Further research on this subject will start you off on the right track. 

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As with any pet, owning a guinea pig is a commitment of love, energy, time and resources, and that involves everything from regular interaction, veterinary care and beyond. But as any guinea pig owner would know, when you give them the care they need, they pay you back tenfold with their fun, loveable personalities!

14-year-old Primrose came into the Home in May as skin and bones with patchy fur and a severe live flea infestation. Her skin was irritated all over, so we immediately jumped to action, administering flea prevention to swiftly kill the fleas.

With her skin under control, Primrose then underwent a thorough health check, when we discovered she had a cyst on her lip, impacted anal sacs, matted fur around her back end and major dental disease, with a lot of her teeth already missing.

Treatment went underway, with our vet team emptying her anal sacs, giving her a bath, clipping our her matted fur and running blood tests to check for signs of underlying disease, which fortunately came back negative. The team suspected Primrose’s dental disease was so bad, she may have an infection extending to her jaw bone, so she started on a long course of antibiotics.

While we waited for her antibiotics to kick in, Primrose was placed into a foster home, where she could recover from her procedures and get ready for major dental surgery.

When Primrose came back in for a recheck in June, she was very itchy around her hind end. While she didn’t have any fleas, it appeared she was suffering from flea allergy dermatitis, an allergic reaction to her original flea bites.

The medication continued. Primrose was prescribed a steroid to suppress the inappropriate immune reaction and a new type of antibiotics suited to skin bacteria.

Two weeks later, Primrose was finally ready for her dental surgery. Her diseased teeth were removed, leaving onto one healthy tooth behind.

Primrose healed well and one week later, underwent desexing surgery and a procedure to remove her lip cyst. During the surgery, the team found a cyst on one of Primrose’s ovaries, so both her cysts were sent off to pathology. Luckily, they were both benign.

After over $1,100 worth of treatment, things were finally looking up for Primrose, and she went up for adoption.

Primrose was adopted in June by Elle and has been settling really well in to her forever home. She’s even made friends with her ex-battery hen housemate! Her fur has filled out, she’s gained weight and she has the most endearing gummy smile.

Primrose has gotten really close with her mum and despite only having one tooth, is loving all the new foods she’s been sampling. Elle told us: “She’s the most wonderful girl and I treasure every day that I have with her. I remind her daily that I love her and she simply MUST live forever.”

As Sydney’s only charity pound and community facility, we rely on donations to give senior pets a second chance in life. Donate today to the Senior Pet Project to give pets like Primrose the care and treatment they need to thrive in their twilight years.

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ABOUT THE SENIOR PET PROJECT

In its second year, our Senior Pet Project was started as an initiative not only to put a spotlight on golden oldies to help with their rehoming, but also to raise the funds required for their much needed veterinary care and often prolonged stay at the Home.

With your support we are looking to raise $50,000 to help fund the Senior Pet Project in the months ahead, enabling us to give the seniors entering our care a new leash on life.

Crumpet came to us in April, made weary by his time on the streets. The 10-year-old gentleman had no ID and initially appeared to be suffering arthritis, a cyst on the back of his neck and dental disease.

To get to the bottom of his ailments, we did a blood test and x-rays, finding he had moderate dental disease, an area of resorbed bone in the lower jaw and arthritis of the spine, hips and elbows. Otherwise, he was a healthy cat.

Our vet team were concerned Crumpet’s jaw issue might indicate cancer, so a bone biopsy sample was sent to pathologists. Thankfully, no cancer was found, with his results indicating a bone infection, which was easily treated with antibiotics

Crumpet underwent a major dental procedure, complete with a scale and polish, in addition to cyst removal from his neck.

Crumpet was fortunate to have a wonderful foster carer Alicia, who helped him recover post-surgery, and monitored his arthritis for signs of improvement while on pain relief. Crumpet’s energy improved and his back legs stopped shaking, indicating major improvements in comfort and quality of life.

Meanwhile, Alicia was growing quite fond of Crumpet. She’d fostered several pets before and is normally a dog-person, so thought fostering cats would make it easier to let go. Crumpet proved her wrong!

Crumpet became a ‘foster fail’, meaning he was adopted by his foster carer. We’re told he’s doing really well in his forever home and loves cuddling and spending time with his people. What a wonderful way to retire!

Crumpet now has his very own Instagram, where you can follow his forever home adventures. Check it out @crumpelstiltskin_cat.

As Sydney’s only charity pound and community facility, we rely on donations to give senior pets a second chance in life. Donate today to the Senior Pet Project to give pets like Crumpet the care and treatment they need to thrive in their twilight years.

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ABOUT THE SENIOR PET PROJECT

In its second year, our Senior Pet Project was started as an initiative not only to put a spotlight on golden oldies to help with their rehoming, but also to raise the funds required for their much needed veterinary care and often prolonged stay at the Home.

With your support we are looking to raise $50,000 to help fund the Senior Pet Project in the months ahead, enabling us to give the seniors entering our care a new leash on life.