Awful August.

                                                   by Alexandra Bastedo

 

                              www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk  and www.alexandrabastedo.co

 

 

                                   Where has the English summer gone?  We all need – including the animals – vitamins A and D from the sun and with the weather  predominantly rainy, cloudy and now windy, so far this summer  we won’t  have been able to boost our immune systems for the winter ahead.  That means I will be adding cod liver oil to all the animals feeds -and my food- a lot earlier than I usually do.

 

                                             Somehow though the weather - the dampness probably – has been particularly conducive to sweet itch in the equines.  I seem to be endlessly buying fly sprays and sweet itch treatments and hours are spent bribing the animals with pony nuts, mints or carrots so we can catch them and treat them.  Unfortunately they can’t work out that the treatments cure their discomfort and  unless they are caught first just bolt whenever they see a spray.  The garlic powder in their feed helps deter the insects up to a point.  In fact the farrier says he can smell the garlic in their hooves when he comes to trim them.

 

                                             Freckles, our gentle grey pony, is very pleased to be home and thanks to Sue Marskell’s and Gail Ramsden’s expertise he is looking much better. However they did discover a melanoma on his behind in a very tricky place which is normally untreatable. However thanks to my volunteer Helen Drew and the Internet we have read about the human drug Cimetidine (also known as Tagamet) – extending the lives of equines  with melanomas sometimes by 4 years so we will be trying that shortly.  In the meantime he is being thoroughly pampered with extra feeds of Happy Hoof and Alpha A, together with  MSM sulphur, zinc, vitamin E, the skin vitamins , along with  a multi vitamin and mineral complex in an attempt to keep his immune system at optimum levels for as long as we can and hopefully slow down the disease.

 

                               He really adores being spoiled  and actually realises that we are helping him. He comes rushing over when we call his name and no longer kicks or even needs a head collar as we gently rub soothing Sudocrem on the sore area twice a day.

 

                               Awful August – they often say deaths come in threes but amazingly it has been the deaths of three white creatures.  My favourite cat little white Dancer who would wake me up every morning by gently tapping my face and who was our talented mole catcher disappeared for two days.  In my experience cats are creatures of habit and routine so if they stray from the norm it usually means they are either accidentally locked up somewhere – or dead. Eventually I noticed his little white form lying under a hedge by the road.  He had obviously been run over.  How cars manage to run over a highly visible white – undeaf – cat on a quiet narrow  country lane beggars belief.  Somebody was obviously driving too fast.  It would be easy go get depressed by dwelling on Dancer’s death but a vet once said to me “Concentrate on the living” and with so many others that is what I have to do.  Also I notice that when there is a vacuum another animal usually takes its place.  In this case it’s Teddy, the young Selkirk Rex, who was ill for so long .  At 7.30am he now lands with a thump on my bed purring away and demands a cuddle, but I still miss sweet Dancer gently tapping my face saying “Wake up, wake up it is time to get up!” 

 

 

                                          Next to go was white Ebden goose who had been unwell for sometime.  With the tragedy of my two Canada geese dying of grief  within 24 hours of the first being killed by a mink I was worried that her Ebden husband and his other wife might also follow suit but maybe because her illness had been a slow decline they were more prepared for it.  They seem, so far, to be fine.

 

                                          The third surprise was the death of Keats, one of the two white Wiltshire Longhorn sheep.  In some respects it was my fault as he developed fly strike.  However, I had not come across it before and had also been wrongly told that they were unlikely to get it as that breed does not grow a fleece.  The fact that the two Wiltshires were difficult to catch - as opposed to Katie, the Texel ewe and Kylie and Kim her daughters - did not help. I saw at a distance what looked like an ink spot and, with the help of Jim the farmer next door and my volunteers, managed to catch and treat him but it was too late as tragically he died two days later. We immediately – with difficulty – drove the other four into the barn to be sprayed so they should escape the same fate.

 

                                                 So three white creatures dying over three consecutive days has been somewhat disastrous.

 

                                          On a lighter note Pip the dobermann puppy continues to be as naughty as ever pulling out and shredding books from my husband’s library shelves in the hall, chasing the cats and ducks, trying to catch fish and taking a glass jar of Canderel sweetener from the sideboard and breaking it all over the floor.  Underfoot Canderel is like powdered toffee and it has taken ages to clean.  I was not best pleased!

 

                                   However, help was at hand – some American friends came to lunch and decided to give him some training.  Pip didn’t know what had hit him!  I am keeping up the lessons and have noticed a change in his behaviour for the better, though I still don’t dare leave him alone in the house for fear of the devastation we will find upon our return! We are shortly going away for a short holiday and I have a little surprise in store for Mr. Pip - if he thinks he is going to have an easy time with Peter Kirkwood our nice volunteer who has offered to look after things he is very much mistaken as Peter has a wealth of experience with recalcitrant dogs!

 

                                                  Very exciting was the arrival of Mike Tomkies, the famous wild life writer on Thursday evening to film our wild life. He set up a hide and spread choice morsels and Pip’s toys around. He was very pleased with the dusk and dawn footage of four foxes and next day we found Pip’s toys littered around the donkey field. If we can manage to get the film on to our website we will!

 

                                         Take care, all the best,

                                                          Alexandra Bastedo

 

 

Copyright Alexandra Bastedo.

 

Alexandra is the patron of many animal charities and the founder of the ABC Animal Sanctuary on www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk   the sanctuary/ rescue centre is run entirely by volunteers and is most grateful for donations- no matter how small- towards its running costs. Forinstance before Sue Marskell discovered the real problem with Freckles  four visits from the vets amounted to over six hundred pounds and poor Phoenix, our large rescued black cat had a visit to the vets today. Unfortunately he suspects cancer which will entail surgery to remove a large proportion of his tail. The feed bills are substantial but the veterinary expenses which are unexpected are always the most crippling costs so if you can help we will be most grateful. Our supporters are always very welcome to visit and see what we do.

 

SHOW-BUSINESS:

 

My husband has just returned from the Edinburgh Festival where his show “A Festival of Charles Dickens” has been a huge success. Simon Callow is absolutely magnificent as Dr. Marigold and Mr. Chops but he is so talented and versatile that he plays all the other characters as well!

 

Carole Latimer, the photographer, has just had me over for a photo session as I haven’t had any new pics done for ages and my agent said it was about time I had a photograph representative of the way I look today!

Not so flaming June.

                        by Alexandra Bastedo

                      www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk

                        Where to start. So much has happened since I penned my last blog that I haven’t had time to write until now. In fact I was so exhausted I have just managed to take 3 days off and wrote this at a retreat in the New Forest. Sometimes  a ‘phone call out of the blue can turn your life upside down. Thus my daily routine with the 150 animals at the sanctuary was brought to a standstill when my agent rang to say I had been asked to act in two episodes of East Enders. As the part was charming and fun - I am sworn to secrecy about it!- and as the salary would go towards the animal feed I immediately said “Yes”. However life instantly went in to overdrive as I had to ring up Gatleys and order in stocks of Layers Pellets and Mixed Corn for the birds, Denes Cat and Dog food for the felines and dogs, special donkey food for the mokes, Happy Hoof, Alfalfa A , Calm and Conditioner and garlic for the equines plus extra supplies of fly fringes and anti-midge lotion for the plague of summer insects. Our not so flaming June and damp weather without a cold winter has meant insect problems are rife.

                                      Fortunately my compassionate volunteers - almost all animal lovers are kind people- offered to help cover the situation and with time off between the episodes I was able to drive back from the BBC Elstree Studios and resolve any animal health problems.

                                       There was Billy the one year old Maine Coone that I had offered to take from Stacey at Paws Animal Sanctuary at Findon (where I am President) as I had other cats with similar skin problems from particular spot on treatments. He also had cystitis and had had a long course of veterinary administered steroids. I managed to cure that with the homeopathic remedy Cantharis 30 and put him on sugar free foods immediately. Not so easy as he was  used to additive , colourant and sugar-laden brands and refused to eat such a pure diet so I have had to wean him off his habitual foods slowly. Paris , the deaf white cat has been joined by his friend  Mandy the ginger and white cat who is allergic to the sun at my lovely neighbour Cathy’s home. There they are being pampered and their particular needs are being catered for- what fortunate felines.

                                      Great news too is that my friend Lee Turner (the owner  of Pip my dobermann puppy’s sister) has told me about a wonderful non-chemical, no side-effect treatment for fleas for cats and dogs. It is Johnson’s “4 Fleas” tablets available at most pet shops. If you put your pet on a white sheet and administer the pill ten minutes later you can see the fleas drop out dead. At last a flea product that doesn’t seem to have any side effects at all. So many of the cats that have had a bad start in life have lowered immune systems and just cannot deal with chemically based products so for the ABC sanctuary and Stacey at Paws who frequently has poorly cats as well “4 Fleas” is a godsend.

                                       Teddy , the Selkirk Rex is also highly allergic to chemical products but even without them he was still having facial skin problems. My enlightened vet said he had a cat of his own with the same problem and that he had an allergy to plastic food bowls. Now he has very shallow china ones and his face is a lot better. Apart from that my husband has become very fond of Dancer our young white house cat. Why? Night after night he has been presenting him with poor dead moles and our pitted and rutted lawn has now returned to its former glory. None of our humane anti-mole products had worked. Once the late Rex Harrison went to see his agent at his country home and asked why there were lots of children’s plastic windmills sticking in the ground. “It’s for the moles” said his host. “Oh, I didn’t know moles needed electricity” said Rex. The vibration was supposed to drive them away but we certainly had had no luck with them- until the arival of Dancer!

                                  Enough of the cats - the equines are more work than ever because of the terrible plague of flies and midges this year. We have had to invest in some anti-midge coats for the most sensitive ponies and have shampooed them all with Malaseb and Dermoline shampoos and on occasion have washed them down with Deasect - which is supposed to treat almost anything. We also ordered large pots of the magical Camrosa ointment  which seems to cure most skin problems. Internally we  added zinc, sulphur, vitamin E and a teaspoon of yeast to their feed. On top of that and sprays there are fly fringes too as the flies drink from their eyes and can cause infections.

                                   All but one of the equines were looking really good after all that tender care and that was Freckles. Four  costly vets visits achieved nothing and all the prescribed treatments including steroids over 2 months were to no avail , he was still tormented by terrible, itching skin. Finally I turned to my friend Sue Marskell, one of the founders of the excellent “Nag Magazine” a mine of equine information and her husband Jim and friend Gail who have an extensive practical knowledge of horses. They offered to take him away to their own stables and he is now doing much better- in fact he has almost totally recovered thanks to them, a Hibiscrub rub down and —- amazingly—- a bath in Fairy Liquid washing up liquid. Months of expensive treatment and all he needed was Fairy Liquid! I shall never buy another shampoo again!

                                            Other news is that my friend Del Baggott  has come up with the idea of doing a 2009 calendar of rare photos of mine from “The Champions” cult TV series period. They will be available shortly through my www.alexandrabastedo.com website and all the proceeds will go to the animals in the sanctuary.

SHOWBUSINESS:

My husband Patrick Garland is directing Simon Callow at the Edinburgh Festival in a “Festival of Dickens” which he has adapted from two of Charles Dickens’ stories. It will be on from August 4th to the 16th.

I went to see William Gaunt, my co-star from the TV Series “The Champions” who was starring in Chekov’s ”The Cherry Orchard” with Diana Rigg at the Chichester Festival Theatre. He really is turning into one of our best actors- everything I have seen him do recently has been stunning. I do hope I get the chance to work with him again one of these days.

East Enders: As I knew the animals were in very good hands I was able to concentrate on the work in hand and I have to say it was a most enjoyable experience. The director John Greening was excellent and created a very relaxed atmosphere in which to work and the cast and crew alike were most welcoming and warm-hearted. Often when you join a series with well established characters you feel like an interloper but this was not the case on EastEnders and I was made to feel quite at home. As to the plot I am still not allowed to say—yet!

            Must go, I need to get some sleep in order to stay one step ahead of Pip our incorrigible and exhausting dobermann puppy. 

                                                       Until the next time,

                                                         Goodnight,

                                                  All the very best,

                                                        Alexandra Bastedo.

Copyright Alexandra Bastedo.

                       Alexandra runs the ABC Animal Sanctuary on www.abcanimalsanctuary and is very appreciative of any help you are able to give throughy through donations or adoptions on the website. She is also happy to take round small groups of people who are interested in seeing the work the sanctuary is doing and can be E mailed through the website.

Ne’er cast a clout ’til May be out.

                                  by Alexandra Bastedo  www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk

 

                             Going from winter to summer with no spring in just two days though welcome comes as a bit of a shock to the system. I can jettison my polo neck sweater and fleecy jacket but the poor animals don’t have that option. With thick winter coats the ponies and donkeys have been struggling in  26 degrees  and our tiny black deformed Shetland called Jill Merrrylegs actually collapsed in the heat and had to be put in the cool barn during the day.

                              The things that have been enjoying the weather and have come out in force are flies, midges and mosquitos with the odd wasp and bee as well. In fact I think the summer is more difficult than the winter as fly fringes have to be put on all 25 ponies and donkeys and I have become the mean monster as I approach with polo mints or pony nuts in one hand and, hidden behind my back, a fly spray in the other,

                            Freckles, the grey pony’s bottom remains a constant factor in our lives as we bathe it twice a day and apply various healing anti-insect creams. Hutch, the brown donkey has been the other casualty as a tiny undetected flint has caused an infection in his rear left hoof. I am having to poultice it daily but my only reward for my trouble is an unwelcome kick which -so far- I have managed to avoid!

                           Thirty hens from the organic free-range farm arrived in much better condition than their predecessors. However with only 24 hours notice to find homes for them I dread to think what has happened to the other 2,470. When their maximum egg-laying potential is over although young and still producing eggs they are called “spent hens” and are no longer wanted on commercial farms. I thought our Silkie cockerel would think he had gone to heaven at the arrival of the new concubines for his harem but it was quite the reverse- they didn’t know what a cockerel was and drove off his unwelcome attentions with surprising ferocity leaving him cowering in a corner! A couple of days have now elapsed and peace reigns once more. However the bird I definitely don’t see eye to eye with is the Naraganset stag turkey who attacked me so violently that he broke the feed bucket. That was the last straw so he is now residing in the large shed with its outdoor enclosure until his spring hormones have subsided and he learns some manners!

                                            The sheep provided an interesting conundrum as they had to be rounded up and put in the pig area. Blue tongue disease was diagnosed at Haywards Heath only 30 minutes away so tomorrow our vet Andy arrives to vaccinate them along with Russell and Peter two of our volunteers who hopefully will hold them while he does it. However moving sheep without a trained sheep dog is not that simple. Katie, the Texel ewe, and her two daughters, Kylie and Kim, were relatively easy as they followed their food bowls out of the field and up the path to the enclosure. However Keats and Kipling, the two Wiltshire Longhorns, were a nightmare and categorically refused to follow. I then realised that they wouldn’ leave Shabba the pony of whom they are particularly fond, so by taking him a more circuitous route through larger gates following behind they eventually arrived at their destination. I await to see how we fare tomorrow when we try to catch them!.

                                        The problem with so many of the rescued cats we take in is that after such bad beginnings they have impaired immune systems. Cathy, my lovely neighbour offered to take on Tabitha our blind cat whom nobody else wanted. Her personality has been transformed by all the kindness and attention she is receiving and she has blossomed. However she has had infected claws and fluid around her middle which may be FIP- Feline Infectious Peritonitis- which ironically I have just written about in my latest A to Z health blog. All the medical options are being used both conventional and complementary because antibiotics will just not touch it. However a combination of Hepar Sulph 6 three times daily and the relevant vitamins seem to have made her somewhat perkier. It seems to be the same remedy more or less for most immune deficiency diseases and Teddy my little Selkirk Rex has to have a constant supply of remedies and vitamins if he is to stay well having had intestinal parasites, blood parasites and ringworm upon arrival a year ago.

                                                   The bane of my life at the moment is Pip, the dobermann puppy. I do believe he is quite the naughtiest young dog we have ever had. A compulsive stealer- he is as swift and crafty as Fagin,s young accomplices. He is also living dangerously and yesterday he absconded with a packet of  aspirins off the sideboard. Fortunately he refrained from devouring them all and has lived to tell the tale. Things have come to such a pass that I have managed to unearth the plastic muzzle I used on another of my dobermanns who was also a compulsive rubbish eater and died of peritonitis at the early age of six. Fortunately Pip doesn’t seem to object to it too much and he is no longer able to ingest  the variety of muck he was finding outside which has had the inevitable consequence of a runny tummy. Hopefully he will stay healthier that way.

                                         There has been some consolation in the news that his sister Boogie, resident with our friends the Turners, definitely has the same destructive genes. At the latest count she had destroyed the rug in the hall, the carpet in the sitting room and several cushions - though I have lost count of the things that Pip has mangled. Today it was my husband’s Panama hat and the underside of a cane chair, yesterday he decimated one of his poetry books and brought down the curtains- again!

                                          The other decidedly boring thing has been timewasters who come to see the animals more than once as though they were buying a second hand car or something. That has happened with Paris and Mandy who both are delightful.affectionate cats and need an indoor home. A lady so enthused over them that she wept— and we haven’t heard from her again. Another lady came to see lovely Dolly the piebald children’s pony twice and was still dithering several days later at which point I was so fed up I told her she couldn’t have her anyway. Re-homing can be a very irksome.

                             Whoops! —” Ne’er cast a clout ’til May be out” as the saying goes. Winter with rain has returned and I have had to unearth my polo neck sweaters again and put a raincoat on Gretyl, the fragile little donkey. However we must be grateful for the precipitation - in certain parts of Spain I am told they are having to bring in tankers of water to help with the drought- though I really hope that we will have a proper summer this year  - unlike the last one which was soggy and non-existent!

                                                 An interesting week ahead as I shall be meeting up with my old co-star William Gaunt from the TV series “The Champions” when I go to see him playing in Chekov’s “The Cherry Orchard” at the Chichester Festival Theatre. I shall report on that re-union in the next blog—–

                                                  Good night,

                                                           All the very best,

                                                                        Alexandra Bastedo.

Copyright A.L.Bastedo.              www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk

If you enjoy reading about the animals we would appreciate a donation- however small- towards their upkeep. We are all volunteers and all the money is used exclusively for the animals. Tomorrow the farrier is doing all 25 horses - 100 hoofs- and we have the vet bill for the blue tongue vaccination as well. There is a Pay pal donation button on the website and also our P.O.. Box.

 P.S. I am told this laptop is about to expire so am having to buy a new one and get everything transferred over. I hope all goes well but if it doesn’t there may be a hiatus!

In like a Lion out like a Lamb

                                  by Alexandra Bastedo

                           www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk

                               March certainly came roaring in like a lion with 85 m.p.h. winds. We battoned down as best we could but I seriously contemplated wearing a hard riding hat to escape the falling branches. In the event a huge tree came crashing down and blocked the road outside, a branch fell on the chicken shed and the side of one of the chicken coops was ripped off its rusty hinges leaving some surprised windswept hens on the inside. Apart from that the animals survived intact so all was well.

                         On the rescue front another twelve really lovely cats have arrived from someone who has lost their home. We have already homed two- Smokey ( a pretty black long-haired spayed female) and Basil (a large white neutered gentleman with the odd black spot) to an excellent new abode in the country. Since they have never been outside it will be a whole new exciting world for them. The other ten are equally affectionate and friendly and we shall be hoping to find them caring new homes in the near future.

                               The resident cats are having to circumvent Pip the dobermann puppy who is desperate to play with them. The younger ones stay one step ahead of him and give him the odd swipe  but the oldies - there are several over 17 - are spending a lot of time on high surfaces  and particularly enjoy the time when he is asleep, as do I!

                       Actually, Pip is totally enchanting but he IS a puppy and a very intelligent puppy at that. Nellie the older dobermann has taught him all her bad habits and he has been an avid pupil. Like the cats most of our possessions are now up high. Bills have been shredded, book covers decimated, slippers and shoes have disappeared, clean laundry has been spread all over the muddy lawn, wellingtons have been punctured by his sharp teeth as he bashes them from side to side - the list is endless and keeping one step ahead of him is a full time job!

                                              In comparison the equines have been very well behaved. The only one causing any trouble through no fault of his own is Freckles the grey pony who developed a fungus infection of his rear end. To treat him has required three people: one to hold his head, one to pick up and hold his front leg in the bent position and one to wash him down with a diluted Imaverol solution. This had to stay on for ten minutes before being washed off and was done every 3 days. Fortunately the worst is now over but it still requires 3 people to administer Sudacream soothing cream. The point of holding the front leg being that a horse cannot kick you if it is only standing on 3 legs - a very useful tip if you want to avoid getting a hoof in your face! Fortunately he has now recovered though, as one of the older ponies, we have to keep an eye on him and at the moment he is having extra feeds of Alpha A and Allen and Page’s Calm and Conditioner to keep him in good form.

                                                    Two chickens remain in my indoor hospital cage. One is a delicate Poland and the other a Welsummer with a cyst on its tail which I bathe regularly with Betadine or Hibiscrub and dust down with veterinary wound powder but as warmer weather approaches hopefully they can be returned to life outdoors. Three of the young Naraganset turkeys have also found new homes so we have avoided the stag turkey attempting to kill his son. We were very lucky to have had one male and two female turkey chicks but I couldn’t stand the suspense of finding out their genders so will try and needle prick any future eggs to stop them hatching out.

                                                     On a personal level life has been hard and it has been difficult to either find the time to or feel my spirits up to writing my 3 blogs- this monthly one, Pip the dobermann’s diary and the animal health blog. My husband Patrick has been very ill. In a way he has been a victim of his own success as he was directing two plays back to back at opposite ends of the country. “Visiting Mr. Green” starring Warren Mitchell has transferred to the Trafalgar Studios in London’s West End and has had absolutely stunning reviews in the Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail and most of the Sunday newspapers. Tim Walker from the Telegraph said that my husband is England’s greatest theatre director- which is extremely nice of him!  His play “Brief Lives” starring Roy Dotrice played to large audiences in Richmond, also had fabulous reviews and is expected in London’s West End later in the year after another mini tour. However as a result of working on 2 plays simultaneously and rehearsing in cold, damp rehearsal rooms he ended up - like Prince Philip - with a very bad chest infection and had to be hospitalised. Things are now much better but according to his doctors the convalescent period is about 2 months. This has meant my looking after him, representing him at the theatres AND doing all the animals. However I must thank all my very kind volunteers for coming to the rescue and really helping me out at a bad time. Now I am exhausted! Life is never a straight line - there are always highs and lows and you never know what is round the corner. Hopefully, fingers crossed, things are now getting better and there will be fewer troughs and more peaks over the coming months.

                                        And the weather? After roaring in with high winds March didn’t exactly go out like a lamb as there were a lot of hail stones around! However so far April is true to type with regular showers and the beginning of some welcome warmth from the sun.

                                          Take care, cherish the good moments,

                                                    All the best,

                                                        Alexandra Bastedo.

USEFUL TIP: If your equines are being driven crazy by midges certain types of louse powder can help or a solution of Johnson’s Baby Oil- about one inch in the bottom to a litre of water. It definitely deters the bugs!

                               Alexandra Is the founder of the ABC Animal Sanctuary at www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk  which needs your support to fund all the rescued animals it has taken in. They are all mentioned in “Meet the Animals” and now the weather is better we are happy to take round small groups of people to see the animals they have adopted or supported with donations.We can be contacted by email through the website.

Alexandra Bastedo is also Patron of Compassion in  World Farming, Naturewatch, WildlifeAid, and the Animal Welfare Trust. She is President of Cat and Rabbit Rescue, Sidlesham, and Paws Animal Rescue, Findon and Vice President of Brent Lodge Bird Hospital, Chichester.

Alexandra is also the author of the amusing “Beware Dobermanns, Donkeys and Ducks” and has written the veterinary approved “THe Healthy Dog ” and “The Healthy Cat ” Books.  We have a limited number of these books signed by the author available in our website shop.

 

February 14th - TRUE LOVE

 www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk 

I have now been rescuing animals for twenty six years and when you work with animals every day as closely as I do you become aware of their relationships: their loves, their hates and their passions, in a way that is quite different from the norm. Looking at a flock of birds, a herd of ponies or donkeys, a flock of sheep, a family of pigs, or a group of cats or dogs you have no idea of the intricacies of their relationships or the great attachments they can form for each other.

 Since I wrote the January blog I have had the privilege and misfortune to witness true love at first hand between donkeys, dogs and pigs in a heart rending manner as each has had to endure the death of his or her  partner.

 The first to go, most unexpectedly, was Ponto my gorgeous seven year old brown Doberman. He had started to limp on New Year’s Eve, was ex-rayed on January 8^th and was give 3 weeks to live with an inoperable cancer of the leg. He was gone in two weeks leaving us absolutely devastated. However any hope of our recovering from our grief was totally annihilated by the enduring misery of Nellie his companion, a six year old black Doberman. She whined all the time, lay in the foetal position in their bed and refused to go with me on any walks at all, standing in the entrance and then retiring back to her bed. They had been inseparable for all of her 6 years doing everything together and to get her out of her mourning seemed like an impossible task.

However, I remembered that another brown Doberman of ours, Little Dorrit had been so upset at the loss of her mother Daisy that she had started to self-mutilate and in desperation we had decided to introduce a young puppy to see if that could distract her from her misery. It worked very well and they were soon inseparable, curling up together - and Dorrit was soon on the road to recovery.

With Nellie in such a black hole of despair I rang Chris Omar of Doberman Rescue and she informed me of a litter of brown Dobermans that needed homes from Carmarthen. I immediately reached for the phone and was thrilled to find that they still had one brown male remaining and that he had a lot of the same relatives as my own Dobermans. All of mine have been so sweet natured and so good with people and other animals that I was not wanting to introduce a lunatic into our midst that would ruin the lives of all the other animals and indeed ours.

Pip – as we have called him – arrived on Tuesday February 5^th.  He is, of course, as delicious as most puppies are, totally mischievious and playful but with such soulful eyes that you forgive him any peccadillo instantly. Which is not to say that our grief over Ponto has disappeared- it hasn’t and remains just beneath the surface but the space has been filled and such is the pleasant mayhem caused by the puppy’s arrival in our midst that both Nellie and I are both distracted from our misery and he has brought some joy back into our house.

I had worried that getting another brown male Doberman would remind us the whole time of Ponto but the primary concern was that Nellie should accept the newcomer. It was therefore important to get a dog that looked as much like him as possible. Certainly Nellie realises and appreciates the resemblance but in personality there is already a big difference. Where Ponto was laid back and very biddable this little boy at eleven weeks is already opening doors, peeing on command, sitting for his food and after some initial warning snarls he has Nellie wrapped around his tiny paw and her little tail (he has a long one as docking is now banned)  is wagging non stop. 

The night after Ponto’s death was traumatic as in spite of four veterinary visits our lovely donkey Dandy died of an intestinal blockage (possibly cancer) at the age of about thirty. One is never sure of the exact age with rescues but she had been with us since 1984 and was 5 when she arrived. According to the donkey sanctuary 27 is the average age for an English donkey but as most of my others had lived until 37 her death was premature. She had already survived the demise of her favourite donkey friend Pepsi as often a donkey will die within 2 months of its soul-mate passing away. Although I will always remember that the day after Pepsi died and after Dandy had seen her body she gave me an almighty kick as if the whole thing had been my fault. A thing she had never done before or since. On this occasion Dandy’s death was witnessed by Phoebe, Chocolate, Starsky and Hutch and the latter let out the most distressing, blood-curdling bray that went on and on as though his heart would break. Even the neighbours remarked on the ungodly noise the morning after. 

Fortunately though the group still have each other so although a little muted hopefully all will survive a while longer. A couple of days later I brought  Hansel and Gretel down to the barn and tried to introduce them to the other four  in an attempt to get them to join the group but since Starsky and Hutch seemed intent on killing Hansel and vice versa the pair were returned to the safety of their elderly Shetland pals in the top field where they have their own shelter. In my experience jack donkeys - even castrated ones - will not willingly accept others of the same sex when there are jennies around. 

As if all that misfortune were not enough Acorn, my elderly boy pig who had been ill two months ago started to decline once again and this time there was no saving him. It reminded me once again of the saying: “A pig doesn’t get ill it dies” and it certainly seems to be true. His sow, Hazel, was most concerned and refused to leave him except to eat. Finally he died rather peacefully last Monday afternoon and I found Hazel lying across him sobbing her heart out with tears running down her face. She then lay down beside his inert body and refused to allow us anywhere near him. For a couple of days in that same prostrate position she accepted the odd couple of biscuits, but she still refused to move, then stopped eating altogether and died five days after him of a broken heart. 

Whilst sad I could not feel sorry for them as they both had had such a wonderful time, roaming freely and rootling around and the vet had said she had never ever seen such old pigs.  They had had a much better life than 99.99999 per cent of the other pigs in this world. But I have to say both myself and my volunteers all agreed that we had never seen anything so sad as Hazel’s love for Acorn and her inconsolable grief for her mate which ultimately led her to fade away beside him. 

What a sad Valentine’s Day, but in some respects it isn’t. There is nothing quite so glorious as true love between animals or indeed humans. And unfortunately that is life - all good things, ultimately, must end. I will always remember someone saying to me “Know when you are happy and not just in retrospect”. I think that is something these rescued animals here in the sanctuary do know and certainly whenever they are re-homed they are NEVER separated from their true loves. As witnessed at close quarters animals have very real emotions and in separating lovers humans have the power to ruin their lives.

                 Happy Valentine’s Day!                        

Alexandra Bastedo         

Alexandra Bastedo is the founder of the ABC Animal Sanctuarywww.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk Patron of Compassion in World Farming, Naturewatch, Wildlifeaid and the Animal Welfare Trust and President of Cat and Rabbit Rescue and Vice President of Brent Lodge Bird Hospital, Chichester and Paws Animal Sanctuary at Findon. If you would like to contribute towards our next expense - anti-midge coats for Charlie and some of the other tormented Shetlands who get bitten to pieces from spring to autumn we have a Paypal donation button and PO Box address on our website. 

We are looking for homes for two castrated billy goats and six nanny goats - they can go in fours - before the end of February, please contact us if you can help. 

Copyright Alexandra Bastedo.

January SOS

           www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk

             The first of January I was wondering what on earth I would write about- everything had been so calm and then all hell broke loose. Not least was the weather which has seen an inordinate amount of torrential rain- more like monsoon weather and which has brought more problems and more work with the animals, and is still going on.

              Firstly my husband became unwell. then I started having dizzy spells from an inner ear infection and then Ponto my gorgeous sweet-natured doberman started limping. On top of that Giles Lane my girlfriend Sarina’s son was taken hostage by the Japanese whaling ship while working for the Sea Shepherd marine protection organisation and at the beginning of the week I was informed about 4 miniShetlands that had lost their pasture and were due to be put down on the Friday.

                               The good news is that the Australians went to the rescue and Giles and his friend Benjamin Potts were released and that I collected the 4 Shetlands yesterday- Thursday- 24 hours before the deadline was up. My friend Jim Marskell offered to collect me in his horse box and go on to Rudgewick to pick up the little ponies who were absolutely gorgeous and loaded very easily. We then delivered them to my friend Ginny Clarke who until last August was one of my main volunteer animal assistants at the ABC Sanctuary. Fortunately she has been made the manageress of the Lockwood Donkey Sanctuary (which I was once patron of) and was in a position to take them in at short notice. They are now happily ensconced in a lovely open stable with a little paddock. I would have loved to have had them here but 3 were still stallions and with 4 mini Shetland mares here amongst our 12 gelded boys there would have been a lot of hanky  panky which we could well do without. Also I am desperate for more stables - at the moment we just have enough for all the equines we have already and- as aforementioned the weather has been diabolical so the four little boys needed to go somewhere with shelter. Many thanks to the people who have helped through the website with the rescue operation. When they have settled 3 of the 4 will still have to be castrated and then, hopefully they will go and live with a mother and her 2 daughters who have already said they would like them and will thoroughly spoil them.

                                 Back to the beginning- my husband is now better and my dizziness has gone although there was so much to do I had to ignore it anyway, but my darling dog was xrayed by my friend Paul ,the veterinary radiologist at Alphapet Vets, Kingley Vale and he gave me the disastrous news that my limping dog had inoperable cancer in his leg and has between 3 weeks and 3 months to live. Aged only 7 he is so much part of the family it is very difficult to come to terms with and I fear for my other dobermann Nellie from whom he is inseparable. A previous dobermann of mine Little Dorrit grieved so badly for her mother when she died that she started to self-mutilate. I tried ignatia ,the homeopathic remedy for grief, but nothing really helped until Ponto arrived.  When in turn Dorrit died we introduced Little Nell to help with Ponto’s grief. This time I do not know what I will do- my dogs cannot chase the other animals at the sanctuary- so the right one is hard to find. There is such a need for greyhounds to be found homes we may take on one of those but initially it would have to wear a muzzle so it wouldn’t eat the numerous cats,ducks etc.!

                          The weather has been so dire that it has made a whole lot of extra work: There are equine raincoats to be washed regularly in gentle soap and cold water so they stay rain-proofed and every morning apart from the usual routine I am having to fill endless hay nets so the animals can stay sheltered and to shovel the manure into corners for the volunteer helpers so they don’t get kicked by a pony or donkey thinking another equine is coming to steal their hay! In fact I can often be heard saying”Hey it’s me” just to let them know I am human and not about to pinch anything! On top of that the chickens have to be locked up away from the elements so they don’t get blown  out of the 12 foot high enclosure and let out every morning.So my normal 2 hour morning and evening routines are more like 3 hours at the moment. Thank goodness for all my lovely volunteers who put in an extra 3 or 4 hours each every day- I couldn’t cope without them.

                                       Other problems revolve round the selfishness of the horses at mealtimes. Marty and Shabba, the big horses share a stable but the latter won’t let Marty in so long as there is food around. So Marty is fed under the awning until Shabba lets him in but I long to get him a separate stable. The donkeys fortunately are a lot more considerate to each other and you will often find Starsky, Hutch ,Phoebe , Chocolate and Dandy sharing one haynet if the others are empty. However after settling in the 4 new Shetlands with my friend Ginny I had to call out Tim, the vet from McMahon’s  as Dandy was off her food- and normally she is the greediest so something was definitely wrong. It was what I suspected - she is 25 and her teeth are beginning to cause problems.  Tim examined her and said there were definitely some dental problems and set to work. Though she put up such a fight that she had to be sedated so he said she definitely wasn’t that ill! Today she is tucking in to her food so that seems to have been the problem,

                                On the cat front the little black kitten has been homed with a lovely family and is deliriously happy, leaping about and having lots of cuddles. We still have to lock up the cute deaf cat, Paris whenever delivery vans arrive as he is oblivious to any noise whatsoever and Simba our lovely Devon Rex-moggie cross has just had major dental work too with several extractions. He is feeling his years and has decided to change to the top cattery where the other golden oldies are- they are all the same age-17 .

                                            In the poultry world the young turkeys are literally finding their wings and are becoming more and more difficult to put in at night as half the time they roost in the trees. 2 years ago I had a young turkey die of hypothermia  so I cannot risk leaving them out in this weather. I would like to put in the guines fowl too who are looking a little worse for wear but it is IMPOSSIBLE to catch them! My missed vocation -I wanted to be a vet- I am keeping 2 sick hens in the utility room in a dog cage and this evening after softening the crusty scab on the back of one of them with hot water I  managed to dig out very gently a septic cyst that was smelling putrid and covered the hole with fucithalmic ointment from the vet. The operation was a success.

                                    One week has already gone and Ponto is noticeably worse although he still enjoys his 3 legged walks a lot so we are going out several times a day. Tonight though as he has started to whine at night in his bed he has gone on to a serious pain-killer I obtained from Andy at Arun Vets who are guiding me through the pain relief for him. However too much will space him out totally so one has to tread carefully. How sad it all is- in all other respects he seems so very well.

                                     I think my pigs are suffering from acorn-itis a specific gluttony peculiar to them so we have locked the gate to their favourite food until they lose some weight and eat their own food again. At the moment they are so fat they can hardly waddle so action had to be taken but they are not pleased and stand outside it- when they are not sheltering from the rain- making angry grunts and squealing noises.

                                   That is all for the moment though I will be putting up another SOS about some chickens shortly as soon as I get the details.

                                    In the meantime thank goodness Giles Lane is free and the 4 tiny Shetlands are fine and dandy!

                                      I have a wonderful new alarm clock that knows the time -7.30-and wakes me up and also tells me the weather conditions. It is a little white cat called Jaspar: if he is icy it is freezing, if he is warm it is a nice day and if he is soaking it is raining outside. There aren’t many alarm clocks that can do that!

                                   Goodnight,

                                               All the best for this new year,

                                                     Alexandra Bastedo.

TIPS:

There is a cat litter called Kat-Kor that is particularly good if you need to get a urinary sample from your cat- normally an almost impossible feat.

One of my helpers has discovered a novel way to fill hay nets. She puts it in a dustbin like a plastic liner with the edge over the rim and it fills very easily in a fraction of the time. So simple and yet over all these years I have never thought of it! 

Beware an all-in -one dog food that is easily available. A pet shop in Bognor who believe in correct feeding for pets pointed out that the extremely small print said it was not to be fed to farm animals. Why? What can’t a farm animal be fed that my dog can? Please always look at the small, tiny print on the packets and you will be surprised what you find. What makes me really cross is that the best dog and cat foods are only obtainable through the vets. I would like to be able to buy them more reasonably at my local pet stores.

We now have a donation button on our animal website at www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk and are very appreciative of any tiny contribution you can spare in order to help us continue with our work. There are so many things we still need for the animals not to mention the regular expenses. We are all volunteers so all the money goes to the animals. If you would like to visit the sanctuary in the spring when the weather is better and the hours are longer we will be happy to take around small groups. You can contact us through the website.

SHOWBIZ:

My husband’s show “Visiting Mr. Green” with Warren Mitchell by popular demand is doing its second theatre tour and opens next week in Plymouth.

He is also directing Roy Dotrice in “Brief Lives” which he also wrote and which  won many awards when they last did it.It will be opening shortly in Colchester and then going on to Brighton. Richmond and Windsor.

Next Sunday  I shall be in Poole with Ed Stewart hosting the big Mantovani Concert. I am really looking forward to it. I had forgotten how many beautiful songs he composed. He was a huge star in his time- the sixties.

Alexandra Bastedo is also a patron of Compassion in World Farming, the Animal Welfare Trust and Wildlife Aid, Leatherhead. She is President of Cat and Rabbit Rescue, and Vice President of Brent Lodge Bird Hospital. Sheis also patron of Paws Animal Sanctuary Findon. She is also a former RSPCA Branch President but resigned from that in order to devote herself more fully to the rescued animals at the ever  increasing ABC Animal Sanctuary.

Copyright Alexandra Bastedo.

SOS No 2

Please please help. The Englishman Giles Lane  and the Australian Benjamin Potts have been taken captive/hostage by a Japanese harpoon whaling ship, the Yushin Maru. They were on board the conservationist ship the Steve Irwin part of the Sea Shepherd marine protection organisation which, along with the Green Peace ship, was trying to dissuade them from catching 1000 fin and minke whales in what are designated Australian Antarctic waters . Giles is the son of my best friend Sarina Lane so I know him well. He has always cared a great deal about the environment and about the preservation of the world’s flora and fauna and has always worked as a conservationist. It is imperative that he is released immediately. I f you care about the plight of the magnificent whales and our planet generally please voice your disapproval by e mailing your Japanese Embassy as soon as possible. In England the Japanese Embassy is at: info@jpembassy.org,uk  

                              Thank you so much,

                                          Alexandra Bastedo

SOS January2008

HELP! 4 mini Shetlands about 30 ins in height and averaging 10 years each need rescuing urgently. We can afford the wormers, the dental and the farrier for their feet, but we are totally full here so I need to re-home them.The main stumbling block is that in order for people to want them 3 need to be castrated at a minimum cost from our vet of £200 each ie £ 600 in all which I just cannot afford. The owners are threatening to put them down by the end of the week. The ABC animal sanctuary www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk  has a Paypal button for donations if you could possibly just donate £1 we should soon have enough to cover this vets’ bill and to save the Shetlands lives. We will do all the work at the sanctuary but please, please help.

                      All the best, Alexandra.(founder of the ABC animal sanctuary)

Monthly blog to follow shortly.     

DECEMBER DELIBERATIONS

                            www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk

                                   It is hard to believe that Christmas is nearly upon us. Xmas cards are arriving on the mat and I still haven’t had the time to write one. The trouble is that the animal routines and extra problems never stop so,  although welcome,  Christmas really does get in the way. However, although a lot of my volunteers obviously have their own families to cater for a few stalwarts thank goodness have offered to come and help on Christmas and Boxing Day.

                    This month unfortunately has seen quite a few problems. Eddie the recently castrated Shetland has had problems with his back left hoof . The frog part is having to be bathed and disinfected daily with either Purple Spray or Pevidine and Jack the other little bay Shetland has been treated for a high temperature. Of course I realise that while one calls these toy  miniature creatures Shetlands they really bear no resemblance to the real thing which is large and robust and strong.  The true Shetlands are able to withstand poor pasture and inclement weather but these little creatures are really having to be wrapped in cotton wool. If we want them to be well they have to have raincoats in the rain and are now brought into their stables every night. Their diet though has to be minimal with just hay and a handful of Happyhoof as a treat apart from the grass.  All the equines have raincoats for the rain but we use the thicker coats only in extremely icy conditions as there is an added problem that the ponies can over heat if you get it wrong. In fact last winter Shabba, one of the larger horses came out in heat bumps under his coat so at present with the weather at zero this week he is wearing a raincoat with just a small amount of padding. The vet who came to see Jack said equines could cope with minus 10 to plus 25 degrees so equally one must be careful not to cosset too much with thick coats.  The donkeys with their shaggy coats do well in crisp weather but hate the rain and head straight for their stable in the large barn. Only Phoebe and Dandy, the two older donkeys, ever have rain coats and Gretel the more recent arrival who came in such bad condition is also getting extra attention and being rugged up in cold or wet weather.

                           As far as the cats go though it has been a fairly disastrous time. Tatiana proved to have advanced cancer in her leg and the vet said there was little hope of recovery from the operation so advised euthanasia. She was such a sweet gentle cat and will be much missed. Interestingly her blind sister is being much more friendly to humans perhaps because she no longer has Tatiana for company. Poppet the gorgeous grey and white 2 year old who was recently re-homed with Arthur has died.  Inconceivably for such a young cat her kidneys packed up and she died of renal failure. The vet said that it was a genetic fault and that no matter what anyone did it was going to happen. However, personally and according to some veterinary friends of mine, I do believe that some of the commercial pet foods have a lot to answer for. The tiny, tiny, print makes it difficult to decipher the phosphorus, sodium (salt) and sugar (often as caramel) not to mention the additives and totally unnecessary colourants which all contribute to kidney failure, diabetes, thyroid problems, cystitis and obesity not to mention bad teeth at a young age. So please always look at the small print which is not what you are led to believe from what is advertised in big letters on the front of the tin or pouch. There are very few sugarless commercial foods around. Denes has a turkey and lamb, a chicken and turkey and a kitten food which are sugar free but otherwise it seems the best like Walthams Sensitive Diet or Hills ID are only obtainable through the vet. There are begining to be some better organic ones on the market but even they need to be checked for the sugar, phosphorus and salt content. So often people will say to me “Our cat will only eat this one brand” Of course- they get addicted to the sugar content like humans with a sweet tooth so to get them off their addiction you have to mix in the new healthy food slowly. Is it more expensive? No, in the case of Denes the meat is so solid I would only give a quarter of a tin - a mouse sized portion- twice a day with just a small amount- say 10- biscuits. Although you need to check the small print on the sacks of biscuits too- one superior vet said to me “Are cats and dogs meant to eat cereal Nuggets?” - the answer is no. In the wild they would catch small animals or birds and the small amount of grain they would consume would be in the stomach of their prey. The good news is that the young Chinchilla cat called Camilla is doing very well in her new home and being thoroughly spoilt and Paris the young deaf cat is adapting well to his new surroundings here. He adores being touched but as vocal communication is impossible that is the only way he knows he is loved.

                    My other bete noire is vaccinations. American vets say that they are only necessary every 3 years as the antibodies stay in their system all that time. Also as proved by my little black kitten that we recently rescued vaccinations can be dangerous if not sometimes fatal. She was ill for 2 days afterwards with a temperature of 40 degrees with streaming eyes. The second vaccination is usually worse so she won’t be having it. There is a book called “The Darling Buds of May” about all the ghastly side-effects including death that can happen from vaccinating so think twice before you over-vaccinate your pet.

                    Twelve new chickens have arrived with a cockerel and while the former settled in nicely the latter caused pandemonium. One of the 2 Poland cockerels was twice found hanging upside down by the spur on his leg on the dividing fence. Jim next door came to help me cut it back so it couldn’t happen again but we realised he had been trying to get at the new Silkie cockerel. On the side of the other fence our other cockerel has been baiting him through the wire but hopefully  they will settle down soon  and poultry life will return to normal.

                         The Worthing Christmas Fair at the Assembly Rooms proved to be a big success. However it was a dreadful day with rain lashing down so getting Jill and Jack Merrylegs, (the latter has now recovered from his fever) ready and trying to look good myself as I was asked to open the Fair with the Mayor was quite a challenge. However all went well, the horsebox was easily parked in a reserved space and the two mini-Shetlands were a huge success. My wonderful helpers had set up 2 stalls to help raise funds and- along with the ponies who were the main attraction and behaved terribly well munching on hay and posing with children for photos all day long-  raised enough to cover the latest hay bill.  Unfortunately the 25 equines at the sanctuary consume rather a lot. I am sure the weather kept many people away but thanks to Eleanor Hope and her team who organised it and my volunteers who worked so hard we had a thoroughly nice day and have been asked back next year! Interestingly Worthing Cat Rescue were bemoaning the increase in disease in young cats and had also come to the conclusion that it was highly likely that a lot of the commercial foods were contributing to the problem.

                              This year I have not put chocolate ornaments on the Christmas tree as Kipling my last dobermann managed to get them all off it one year by dragging the tree round the room and trashing it. To compound the problem chocolate is poisonous to cats and dogs so he ended up being thoroughly sick. We also keep the younger cats well away from the fairy lights as they make fascinating playthings but could cause death by hanging or electrocution.Sadly, we no longer take a donkey to the nativity services at the local church.  Poor Henry who used to go died last year at the age of 38. Phoebe and Dandy are now too old and I dare not contemplate the chaos that would ensue if one of the two naughty donkeys Starsky and Hutch were to join a nativity play at the local church . It was bad enough one Christmas when suddenly Henry’s tail went up in the middle of the service. We all waited with baited breath while the vicar said: “I think Henry is about to make his offering!” Then slowly, slowly his tail went down again and we all heaved a sigh of relief. The same could not be said of Jack and Jill at the Assembly Rooms but they were there all day and a bucket and spade was close at hand!

                              The Compassion in World Farming Ball proved to be a great success and raised over £72,000 for the charity. The Prince of Wales was given a special award for his contribution to organic farming over the years and high standards of animal welfare. Unfortunately he could not be there but sent a filmed message to us all which was most eloquent and caring. Marks and Spencers received the main supermarket award for setting standards in farm animal welfare with Waitrose a close second. Like a dripping tap CIWF with its perseverance has made real inroads in to the humane treatment of farm animals over the last 25 years. Philip Lymbery and Joyce da Silva who are at the core of the charity are also very impressive with their passionate and compassionate speeches. They both care enormously about the cause and make CIWF a very worthwhile animal charity to support. I will also be forever grateful to them for helping me close down an appalling battery turkey farm near where we used to live.Please buy organic turkeys who have had a decent life if you can afford it. If you knew what the battery turkeys were fed you would probably think twice before you bought them anyway- their food smelt so awful that the environmental health officer at the time who came to assess the situation said he would never eat turkey again.

               If you have pets  beware chocolate, raisins, poinsettias, oleander, mistletoe and even corn on the cob- when swallowed whole it nearly killed Nellie, our dobermann, who had to have it surgically removed. An added tip for icy conditions with regard to the animals’ drinking water: where possible you can float a ball which can be easily removed or a little glycerine can be put in the water to keep the surface free from ice.I am now writing an animal health blog as well  which is an A to Z of health for easy reading on www.abcanimalhealth.wordpress.com  hopefully- time permitting- once a week.

If you need an original Christmas present you can always send one of our adopt a turkey packages- there are now 5 of them: Sage, Onion , Cranberry, Chestnut and Parsley.—-not to mention guinea fowl, hens, ducks, geese, pigs, sheep, donkeys, horses, ponies or mini Shetlands  and the 28 cats.

                                          Have a wonderful Christmas and a

                                          happy and healthy new year.

                                         All the best,

                                                   Alexandra Bastedo.

                                www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk

copyright Alexandra Bastedo

S.O.S AGAIN

Saturday night I attended the 40th anniversary of CIWF, Compassion in World Farming, and thoroughly enjoyed the evening in the company of such good people- all passionate about animal welfare- but more of that in my next main blog. The point of today’s piece is that I had asked Celia Hammond to be my guest and had presumed that she was continuing to save the cats at the Olympic site after the latest publicity saying she was. Well, I was astounded when she told me that she has been banned again. So far she has rescued around 150 cats . She goes in with her team at night and works all night trapping them as they come for the food set in the traps. They do not interfere with the demolition work at all as they are gone before the men arrive and yet she is being denied access once again. Please- wherever you are tell your local newspaper about this scandal and look up the details on Celia Hammond’s website where there is also a petition you can sign. The excellent animal charity PETA is entering the fray but Celia needs all the support she can get. We can all do our little bit  by writing to Lord Coe at the Houses of Parliament in London or indeed telephoning the press office to tell them what is going on. As of Saturday Celia Hammond was definitely not being allowed to rescue the cats at the Olympic site and without her help they must surely die. Celia is at www.celiahammond.org

Thank you for your support, Alexandra Bastedo.

www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk