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​Welcome to CSAF Malta

OUR LATEST ENTRIES:
Roger: Will you open your heart?
Damian & Ta-Xbiex, ​5 February 2020.

Sponsor YOUR FAVORITE Cat
Cat Calendar: February 2020
Best Boy Bertie
 
​Adorable Alex, very playful
Hi flyers January 2020: Kamadu&Paul
Lending wings
Return of the artist
Adopt,dont shop!
Hello again! News from Papagena
​Never give up hope
The language of love
Mogli. A dog breaking down walls

Getting greener....
The Cats' Garden project 
MILO

​With an artist's eye.....
BRANDON -a Tom for all Seasons
FIV - not a death sentence!
FIFLU  - full of character 


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The old year is coming to a close and a new year lies ahead. Cats are reaching out to fellow felines:
to the homeless stray, sheltering from north-easterly winds, to the hungry, opening rubbish bags, to the sick, frightened and suffering, as well as to the former companion, now adopted into a welcoming family, to the adventurous, homed abroad, and to those Cats who went on, up and beyond the rainbow bridge. A gigantic network held together by feline communication and love is at work.


Church Cat in her Castle

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Heidi had nothing but a plastic jacket in a vigorously defended basket outside one of Malta's main churches. Day and night in all seasons and all weathers were spent in this tiniest of sanctuaries. Her basket was dining room and toilet. Heidi sat out sun and storms on empty bottles and syringes. When she developed a bright red, itching allegy to the plastic she determinedly sat on, one of her feeders took her to the Csaf Sanctuary. After successful vet treatment in a cage, Heidi transferred to a table (with food bowl and personal litter box) which she will not leave. Old fears die hard. However she recently received this very stylish accommodation. And the number of Cats allowed to share Heidi's table are gradually increasing.....

After the storm

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We mourn one of our two beautiful carob trees

lo​Cats are very reassured that so many people care. Yes it was terrible. So wet, so very noisy, with the icy hail drumming on the roofs, the wind howling, the water rushing. Plastic sheets sailing through the air, branches cracking. But most of us are meteorologists and had found a safe place long before the storm broke loose. The few not so clever Cats, who thought it might be interesting to be out, our carers had locked in. Only one small tabby risked his life when he tried to cross back from his rather cold and lonely hideout to the crowded enclosures. Having never before walked long distance on icy hail, tabby Mayday lost his footing and stumbled into a shallow drift of slippery and sliding hail. Panicking or shocked he was unable to regain his balance and tired himself out in desperate attempts to get out of the ice and on his feet again. No Cat, no carer anywhere, just the dark, lit up by frightening lightening, followed by thunder and relentless rain. Rapidly turning into a block of ice he could no longer move. All he could do was SCREAM. He could see the lights of the enclosures, surely somebody would hear? He screamed on. Again and again and AGAIN. Screams of a Cat in mortal fear. Tabby Mayday was heard, he was found and he was saved. And we other Cats realized again that if in need, you have to scream.
That's exactly what the Sanctuary did on the following day, after the storm. It was still raining, water was seeping at ground level into the enclosures, We mourn one of our two beautiful carob trees,her leaves and branches blown all over the ground, her crown cut off crown suspended in our fence. While chaos reigned outside. electricity was intermittent inside. Cleaning up in the dark? No hot water bottles to keep caged patients warm? . Cats and carers virtually SCREAMED. And we were heard. All over Malta, all over Europe. From Malta and Gozo, Spain and Italy came wonderful helpers. On Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, mornings, afternoons and evenings. Strong, capable, kind and generous. And they all loved Cats. So for a change we had wonderful times, being cuddled and admired, looked after and loved. And our carers had some sort of break, And fun. And a little bit more time for us. Time to answer phone calls and emails from all our friends in Malta and abroad. We are not alone. We have friends. We thank them all. Those who came, those who enquired, those who donated, those who thought of us. Tabby Mayday would like to thank the driver of the animal ambulance who came for him in the dark to drive him to Ta' Qali through storm and rain.


WANTED!!!!NOW!!!!! Cat whisperer with time and commitment 

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Doby in dispear
Update 2 March:
Supporting Malta's Cats is a gigantic, ever changing patchwork, a floating, living, team effort. Some of us feed, some medicate, others clean....Some do so much needed maintenance, some collect food, others funds...Some trap, others neuter and recover. Some donate time and petrol and do vet runs for the Cats, some help Cats with publicity on their individual platforms. Some home, some foster, some sponsor, some adopt....And some of us speak up for Cats and connect support, be it virtually or physically. You could be one of those very important voices .
YOU COULD HELP UNWANTED, INNIOCENTLY SUFFERING HOUSE CATS LIKE DOBY!!
YOU CAN

1. speak up for house Cats about to be euthanised, thrown into the street or taken to a Sanctuary.
FOR MOST HOME CATS  THE STRESS OF BEING ABANDONED IN A SANCTUARY IS FATAL.

 DOBY, LEON or NAJA died to remind us of that fact.

2. actively try to find possible homes to them. Just listen carefully and put in your word for them when you come across a possible saviour, be it in a vet's waiting room or in a supermarket queue. You can save a Cat's life with words, not just with your hands!

​February 2019
Cats believe that if we think positive, life will change for the better. The mouse will move out of the hole, the feeder will come round the corner, the scary dog move on. Positive thinking is one of the many things we learn from our Cats. Let's put it to the test:

Can we ALL, putting our minds and memories together , URGENTLY, come up with 
A Cat whisperer with time and commitment ?

If we say : "mission impossible", we have already  lost. If we really want it, the Cats tell us, it will happen.
Come on! Let's pool our vast range of  acquaintances, colleagues, neighbours, friends and family. And if we find the Cat whisperer with time and commitment, tell him/her about the enormous Cat Doby, so scared and defensive. Doby needs a human who can communicate with Cats, loves  and unnderstands them and has the time and commitment to heal.
Doby felt attcked and turned agressive. He now defends himself before he gets attcked again.
WE NEED TO BE FAST.
Too many home Cats died because we could not find a home fast enough. Stressed Cats die fast! And Doby is extremely stressed. Stresssed at home. Attacked at home (That*s how he would interpret what happened to him, though there was no bad intent). Transferred to a place full of scary street Cats. Just TRY to imagine the stress he is under....
Doby needs time,space, love, patience,  "therapy".
No miracle will happen. But the 
Cat whisperer with time and commitment would know that anyhow.
​Can you help? Start thinking now. And then ACT. What do we have to lose?

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A Cats Tale

​I am a good Cat. All my life I kept myself attractive and healthy. I cleaned myself religeously, I rested, I ate the food provided, I used my litter, I entertained myself during  long lonely hours.
I remained balanced, interesting and reliably friendly. I was loyal company for my owner. As my owner became frail and spent more time in bed, I stayed with her. Resting on her bed, at her feet or snuggling up close. I worked out what she needed and what was most comfortable for her. I purred her to sleep. I was there when she woke annd groped for reassurance. I made sure she felt never alone.
Now she was moved to a home. I am not allowed to join her. Will there be another Cat to look after her? When she calls out my name, who will attend? 
I am in a cage! In a  refugee camp for stray or ABANDONED Cats! I do not eat! When people call my name, I do not respond. They cannot understand why I cannot live. Cats understand and love Humans, but humans cannot reciprocate.

Carers' comment: We could avoid a lot of heart ache, if we provided for Cats in our care. When we become helpless, who will care for out pets?
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From the editing Cat:
We Cats trust it will be a GOOD New Year. For us, for our friends and for our carers. We realize that we are fortunate and we show it. The enormous hope for many of us is that 2020 will be the year during which we will find our human match! It is a decision which humans often make in a split second. So when we meet, we Cats should be fast. However, Cats need time for big decisions.
We are encouraged though by the reports which you can find under
Meet the Cats - Happily Ever After? - Adoption stories and from the pictures of so very contented ex-Sanctuary Cats in the quiz below.
Perhaps you have already decided to enhance  this year for yourself and for us?
Don't hesitate!!!! Come and find us!
​And take us home......



The Importance of Cats
Quiz

Boo F
Ella E
Gerry R

Are there current Cat owners capable of imagining life without a Cat?
Returning to an empty "
home"? No anticipation of the ritual welcome? 
Whatever your Cat provides for you, love, laughter, inspiration, sympathy, loyalty, comfort, company, routine, balance, peace or just the knowledge to be all-important, Cats will provide what we individually need.
Cats are -  very truly -  our best friends.

Again and again this is confirmed in words and pictures received from adoptive "parents".
Click into the photo of each of the nine ex-​Sanctuary Cats to enlarge and disclose the individual letter.
Can you - without using scrabble skills - match the Cats and their individual letter to the nine statements below?
​You will create a word describing the average human-feline relationship. 


Match the 9 Cats to the statements below:

1,  From day one he was at home.   .
    Put the letter which the caption of the Cat of your choice offers in first place:

2. The more she lives with us, the more we love her. 
   Put the letter which the caption of the Cat of your choice offers in second place:

3. He's my joyful smiley ray of sunshine.   
   Put the letter which the caption of the  Cat of your choice offers in third place:

4. The way she clings to you when she cuddles makes me have tears in my eyes! 

5. He's my kindred spirit and loving, gentle companion.

6.  I will love her endlessly .
     
7.  He's just too cute to get cross with him.    

8. He has adopted us. 

9. 2018 has been a special year for us..thanks to you who introduced him into our lives.
Nania U
Queenie R
Timmy T
If you do not own a Cat yet, but realize you are missing out, there is -  least !!!! - one Csaf Cat who will be delighted to meet you.


           Christmas wish from a homed Cat 

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Back for Christmas. Ex-Sanctuary Cat Papagena in transit, returning to Malta with her parents
​I hope that my left behind friends at the Sanctuary will be lucky to find so loving, caring and patient adoptive parents like I have found. Papagena.

Christmas wishes from a Sanctury Cat 

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Hello, MEOW!!
My name is Rabti. I am from Rabat.
I am one of many Cats found in the Csaf Sanctuary. As you know, Christmas time is approaching and myself and my brothers and sisters would like to receive some gifts to share with each other. I have over 300 brothers and sisters and we all like to eat, but some of us have leukemia and they need more attention than others.
So I would like for them to have special food and water bowls, preferably in red, so our carers can wash them with extra care for them.
I would also wish for big, new litter boxes because the ones myself and my siblings have are old, some are cracked and not always very nice for us.
We would also want some more bowls for us to share.
My carers also wish for more hot water bottles and kettles to help them provide the many hot water bottles which are needed by our sick or old siblings in cold evenings.
My brothers, sisters and I would also like to get something for our carers, like liquid soap for example, to keep their hands clean, because they do a lot for us, so we would like to get something useful for them.
But, like any child, we want some toys and some new bedding for us to share.
I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at the Csaf Sanctuary!
Thank you,
Rabti

Ginger tom Rabti's interpreter and secretary was Julia from St Joseph Blata-l-Bajda School.

St Joseph and St Michael visit the Cats

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Ginger tom Rabti on his hind legs, asking St Joseph School teacher Claudia Lepre for support with letter writing.
Who says that it's only St Francis who looks after animals on this island?
​On 19th December both St Joseph and St Michael sent representatives from their schools in Blata-l-Bajda ans Santa Venera to the 300 Sanctuary Cats in Cospicua.
They brought the most precious of Christmas gifts: Time, Love and Hope.
It was a wonderful surprise for the Cats (and for their carers) how sensitively and respectful the students communicated with their feline hosts. There was so much kindness, fun and generousity.
The students were great ambassadors for their schools and for their generation.
They embody hope. For the future as well as for Malta's Cats!


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Included, noticed and loved. One of Csaf's leukemia Cats enjoying the occasion.

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Interested?  Please click here

Cats looking for a home - Take TWO !!

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The trend is towards a Company of Cats: why not take two?

This month's encouraging trend setters are so far
- the new owner of a recently rescued kitten looking for a young and gentle playmate for her, 
- the fosterers who decided to keep their leukemia patient forever and were looking for a suitable companion from our leukemia villa, 
- the family who came to home one cat and decided they could afford to make two cats happy.

Two cats are hardly more work than one, but that the joy is double.
Not only are you giving another homeless cat a fulfilled, happy life, you also double the fun for its companion AND you disproportionately enhance your own life!
It will save you a lot of time and effort, if you can introduce both newcomers to your home at the same time. So choose carefully and then TAKE TWO.


Stay in touch!

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Sheriff
once a year one of his numerous ex- feeders comes from abroad to visit him. Sheriff knows when. Gleaming with pride and joy he stands in position and his tail does not know how to twist and curl enough, so great is the excitement of this old street fighter. After the visit he settles back into normal life, a little bit stronger and very, very satisfied.
Mr Dalloway
his feeder brought him in with bad burns from underground pipes or a car engine. Caged after treatment and pain relief, Mr Dalloway would neither settle nor eat, but exhausted his strength with almost non stop crying . How do you medicate a hurting stray who refuses to eat? 
Mr Dalloway terribly missed his waterside territory, but fortunately he himself was also missed.
​His friend, a fisherman, enquired his whereabouts from the feeder and to the great surprise of Cats and carers came to visit regularly. Together with freshly caught fish, he also brought memories and hope. The crying stopped, food and medication were accepted, healing began. Can you guess who took Mr Dalloway back to his patch once he was fully fit again?

Dorobello
picked up by a cat caring runner, the ca 12 week old feral ginger and white had only one instinct: FLIGHT!  He panicked when you neared the cage, climbing up inside it as high as she possibly could. He felt alone in a very, very foreign environment. However, Dorobello is not forgotten. Almost every other day his life saver drops in after work to check on him. Sometimes briefly, sometimes longer . He might feed him, - and others, he might clean out his cage, if there is time. What matters is routine and recognition. Kitten Dorobello has found calm and comfort. He turned into a playful little tom cat with a lovely personality,  gaining confidence by the day. When his day came, Dorobello was ready. His Mummy found him, attentive, responsive and trusting: Dorobello is now a family cat.......

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Strangely enough these three examples stand out against so many, many very different experiences.
​Cats and Kittens  are brought to the Sanctuary with tears and promises. Promises of visits and support. And then the Cats are abandoned and their carers are left. Forever. 


The idea might be: " They are in very good hands. They don't need me anymore."
But here you are so wrong. THEY NEED YOU! Cats know whether they are left or not! They know whether they have a right to hope. And this hope, the bond sustains them, heals them, comforts them, helps them settle.

We carers experience both: the hopeful improvement of Cats visited or remembered (some even receive messages and photos from abroad) and the devastating, life threatening, heartbreaking hurt or anger of those left forever.

What is stopping you to set time aside to visit a Cat you bonded with? Brush it, talk to it or bring some high quality parasite prevention exclusively for their care. The pleasure will be mutual.
​Not everybody will get up early to catch fish, but don't we all want to recognize responsibility and show love?
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  SKY - How will her story end?

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A very young, white Cat, pregnant, in a hostile environment.
So many reasons for intervention:
  • Very young means that a kitten-mother often lacks motheing skills. Overwhelmed and confused she will neglect or abandon her litter. Even in cat friendly environment.
  • White means doomed for skin cancer most likely at the prominent ears or nose. The Mediterranean sun knows no mercy.
  • Pregnant means caught in the vicious circle of still raising one ltter while already carrying the next one . Once pregnant there never will be the obvious hiatus in which the female Cat can be caught for neutering.
  • A hostile environment will give no chance to the litter. Even with an experienced, healthy and caring mother.
To ensure that all - mother and kittens - could be neutered and no more unwanted strays were born from Sky, she had to be caught. Contrary to common belief, blue-and-green-eyed Cats are not deaf. Creeping up barefooted behind the watchful, wary feral was a difficult feat for her feeder. However, perseverance paid off, Sky was caught and taken to the Sanctuary.  
​
On 24 July a depressed, insecure  Sky gave birth to 5 babies. She turned into a protective mother who would defend her cage vigorously, but: she was feeding . However, the more care her babies demanded, the less attention the inexperienced Sky was paying to them. When she stopped milking and turned the kittens out of her bed in August, carers came to the rescue.
For the four remaining babies a bottle feeder could be found (though they are very hard to come by). After a while Sky was neutered. She is much calmer now and very, very, very gradually opening up and building up trust.

In many countries odd-eyed Cats are prized as treasures. How will the story end for this pure white Maltese ​beauty?


NEUTERING- the only solution to the unwanted cat and kitten crisis

At CSAF we see daily the trauma and horrors of unwanted cats. Not only horrendous illness, starvation and injury, but also many cases of abuse by humans.
We do all we can to help these cats, but, there is only ONE solution to the problem - NEUTER all cats so that no unwanted kittens are ever born and therefore can not grow up to be unwanted, unloved cats producing more unwanted, unloved kittens...
Both male and female cats need to be neutered. While females produce numerous litters in a year, remember that one male can impregnate numerous females in one day!
Please help us to help the cats! Neuter your pets! Help us to help colony feeders neuter their cats. Please email us or Facebook message us for any further information.
csafmalta@gmail.com     https://www.facebook.com/CSAFMalt/

We neuter routinely all our resident cats on arrival!

In addition we support neutering outside our sanctuary



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