Inside Torre Argentina

The vacation has been over for a fortnight and it has been so easy to slip back into the daily routine - almost TOO easy. Life still goes on here in Leeds, as life will be going on in Torre Argentina. I said I'd post some more photo's and feel bad I haven;t posted anymore sooner, so here ya go.

These shots from the 'nursery'. As you can see there are cages down the left side of the room and on the back wall. The nursery is basiclly a quaranetine area where cats recouperate following an operation and/or wait for their 2nd innoculation before either being returned to the colony that came from, or released into the grounds. Once recovered, the cats are let out of the cages to 'roam' the room and the to get them used to being here and to the other cats. if they are released into the grounds too soon they are just as likely to run up the steps and out onto the road to try and find their way home.This way we hope they will learn they are safe, there's plenty of food, and hopefully want to stay. The area is also a permanent home for some of the deaf and blund cats, who if they did go on the road would be lost/injured for sure.

This area is open to visitors and ALOT of visitors are only to happy to come in and pet/play with the cats. There is a kind of double-door air-lock osrt of enrty so you shut a door behind you before going into the room, as some of the guys REALLY want to get out!. The children especially like this room, the cats are all friendly, being ex-domestic house pets, and just lap up the company.

In terms of volunteer work, we regular check the food/water in the cages and clean the litter trays, and there are more food and litter trays along the righthand wall for the cats running about. We also play with the cats when it is quiet, especially some of the more nervous cats or the ones in cages recoupertaing - they need love and attention as much as the other guys - this is one of our volunteers right here!

This last shot is of the entrance/mani visitor area after the sanctuary has closed to visitors, just before going home. The cats flock back in once the visitors are gone and look for food, because they know the food bowls will be full and there won't be anyone wandering around aside from volunteers. It's amazing to see all the cats just come in from the ruins and pretty much ALL get on. yes, there is the odd hiss and growl, but for the main it's pretty peaceful. This is a side visitors don;t see, but as volunteers we are honoured to be a part of.

Archeological site

This is the outside of the rescue center, showing the archeological area which the cats are allowed to roam in. I have highlighted on the photo's one of the feeding areas and the actual santcuary area itself, which is based behind a wall and actually sits back UNDERNEATH the street in previously excavated caves. The ruins have 2 feeding stations one on either side of the ruins, both of which are re-plenished daily with fresh dry and wet food, as well as water. We also need to go round and pick-up the litter which lovely tourists and locals drop into the area on a regular basis, from street level.

There are also some pictures of the cats sat in the ruins themselves. They usually look for a sunny spot, unless they are particularly shy in which case a shadey area out of the way is the next best bet.

The party's over

Okay, I'm official sad... my time at Torre Argentina is now officially over!

Today has been real funny, I've kept busy, but 6pm has loomed every closer like the inevitable armagedon of the Terminator movies. You know it's coming, you know when it's coming, but try as you might you can't change it. I said good-bye to all my faves, hell they didn't know what was going on, it was just another round of petting and fussing for them. 

I was out in the ruins today, and a new volunteer came out with me. She said she hadn't been around for a while and was catching up on the changes. Man, she knew every cat out there by name. We're talking 30-40 cats that we saw. It was amazing, and they recognized her too, or at least their names. We searched for one girl, Greta Garbo, for 30 minutes, but she eventually turned up, strolling out from somewhere large as life. About 50% will come to you to be stroked, but there can be some serious jealousy if something thinks someone else is getting too much attention and some hissing and swiping ensues, but overall everyone is generally good tempered.

The last hour was the worst when we were finishing off checking litter for the day, or warming up the heating pads for some of the cats just out surgery. Sylvia, the other original organizer of the sanctuary, was there today to see me off and said she wished could clone me... "100 times". I not niave enough to think they don't say it to alot of the volunteers but she said I would be missed and hoped I could come back soon -  well, here's hoping to, but I don't expect it to be this year, but who knows what 2009 will hold...

I have to say I DID enjoy my time there and want to thank everyone who made me feel so welcome. Even the Italian-only speaking staff helped me out... gestures and a muddled English got us through :+} I have to say the enthusiasm of the student volunteers for the cats is great. Like us all, they have their faves, but they all seem genuinely pleased to be there helping the cats in general. Most are American, either at school, or studying here. Most get down there at least once or twice a week. Although it mainly seems to be the fairer sex who volunteer [what's up guys, not macho enough for you?], a new guy did show up yesterday, from New Zealand here for a month, He was here 2 years ago and said he just wanted to come back. So yesterday was like a guy-club affair. There was Keith, myself and the new recruit. Wow, you could almost smell the testosterone in the air :+}.

But I have to say, no matter where the people were from, no matter what age, or sex, they were, I can honestly say I have never seen so many people, so happy, to shovel shit all day!

Anyway, back to England tomorrow. I'll start posting photo's over the next week, as I previously said, and hopefully some more commentary and anecdotes to go with them. 

Ciao Torre Argentina!

Today is going to be bitter-sweet...

It's my last day today and I'm already alittle sad, but it is starting to feel like it's time to go home. I've made some great new friends - both human and feline - so the time has been well spent.

It was slightly cooler yesterday, overcast for the most part, not sure what Thursday will bring. Have already said goodbye to some of the staff. As they 'volunteer' there are only 2-3 people that are in every day, the others work a rota. Lia, the boss was out in the archeological ruins yesterday and at the end of the day she said "I have never seen the ruins to clean and tidy in 14 years, John, you done wonderful job" Ah, it warms to cockles of your heart to know I may have found my vocation... picking up litter :+}

Baloo is looking to be picking up and abit more perky the last couple of days. One of the volunteers, Elise, has said she will keep an eye on him, and Maria, for me and let me know how they get on. Maria is the cute black-and-white cat with the big eyes. She is the one who has recently had the tumours removed and they are waiting on the biopsy back on them. Hmm, guess the jury is out on that one until we know one way or another.

I re-registered yesterday for a new a new cat to adopt-at-a-distance, with Tomistocles going to New York in July, I've picked Braille, a little blind white and ginger cat. Very sweet, with a nice temperament. 

I heard something scary yesterday, one of the visitors was asking about kitten season and what was it like. Keith was saying it was busy and infuriating, the fact that the Vatican says 'all cats should be free to live' and doesn't promote sterilisation. He said the Pope should have been down at the sanctuary last year when they got 18 kittens in and had to remove one, or both, of the eyes, of ALL of them, after they had got infected... something that could have been treated with 20 cents worth of antibiotics! As most cat owners know young kittens tend to get eye infections, something easily treatable if caught in time. With the rescued kittens being brought in they are usually past the point of treatment.

A sobering thought to end on and now you know why I wanted to come here and why the work these guys do is so important to the Rome cat population.