Backwards In High Heels

Musical Interlude

Thanks Scuzz for reminding me of this song which I haven't listened to in years. Ridiculously catchy...love it.

I Won! A Spooktacular Day All In All

Eek! Oooh! Aaaah! Were the sound effects in my house this morning when I found out I won the Foyles's Summer Scream Short Story Competition which I mention being shortlisted for the other day. Just being shortlisted felt like the biggest boost but to be told I'd won today was like a hug from the universe!

Author Sarwat Chadda was the head judge for the shortlisted stories and he's comments on my story were very uplifting and encouraging.

You can read my story on here on the Foyles website, and it will be on display in their Charing Cross flagship store (about which I am uber excited and sending my friend along with her camera!). I also get a hamper of goodies. But, it is the accolade, judges' feedback and encouragement that is the big prize to me.

The genre for this story was young adult horror/fantasy. Now, I love my horror/fantasy but had never considered the YA reader before, and this has really whetted my appetite. I think horror and fantasy can cross the age barrier far easier than many other genres, especially the more 'old fashioned' horror that I enjoy such as Gothic ghost stories. I adored Mark Gatiss's Crooked Houseon BBC4 a couple of Christmas ago (please can we bring back the tradition of Christmas ghost stories?!). I love to listen to genre on radio, tune in to BBC 7 as they have a great selection of classic and new fantasy and horror. I love comedy horror to chilling horror and everything in between. Give me The Munsters followed by The Shining and I am a happy girl. And yes, I happen to think Carry On Screaming is a classic.

 

 

The Health Divide - It's In The Animal World Too

Last night's Panorama was about the number of animals being put to sleep by animal charities. I didn't watch it, I know it happens. In our local branch of a well known cat charity (these are all my views though,not theirs!) we continue, and it's an endless struggle, not to put a healthy cat down, but obviously we work closely with other charities and they do, not because they want to but because they have to. Animal welfare charities are stretched beyond compare at the moment. At anyone time (and remember we are ENTIRELY volunteer) we have maybe 16 places for cats to go. We have a waiting list of over 200 to come in. One pregnant cat comes in, and that's a pen blocked for over 2 months. The old toms (my favourites :( ) continually get pushed to the back of the queue and then just when you think it can't get worse, you get a big 'clearance' to do - say 25 animals from one property. It takes time, money and a one hell of a thick skin.

So the culling is of no shock to me and I understand why it is happening. Working closely with vets and their practices, I also know what a stress it puts on them (vets have a ridiculously high suicide rate, and it's really not surprising). And, the culprit is always the same - irresponsible people.

Elsewhere on television, The Bionic Vet has been shown following work at Noel Fitzpatrick's uber-modern vet practice. Now this I began to watch with trepidation. I was worried that his neurological and orthopaedic work may tip over into the Frankenstein experimental mode, raising serious moral and ethical issues. One reason my guard automatically goes up is having dealt with one particular vet who thought seriously injured stray cats we (as in the charity) brought in were for him to practice on with the bonus, we pay a whopping bill at the end.

Thankfully as the Bionic Vet series has gone on I am totally convinced of the practice's genuine approach to the specialist veterinary surgery they pursue, and it is not at the cost of the animals welfare (in fact, quite the opposite), and neither is their work profit driven. I put this down to Fitzpatrick's own self policing, which when you do anything at any level of animal welfare will always be the bottom line. Their work is pioneering and is for the betterment of both animal and human medicine in my opinion, and that is to be both applauded and supported. It is not, however, the norm and nor will it ever be. An ongoing concern for me, is just because something can be done does not mean that it should. Again, we come round to your own moral judgement and trust in vets to do the same.  

Would I have one of my own animals treated to such a level? Yes, if I (a) had the funding and (b) it didn't cross my own ethical/moral guideline of what is best for my pet. But I doubt I'll ever have (a) given I've taken on 'broken' cats, meaning we now have a pride of cats with various ailments, who insurances companies won't touch. Of course,  I wouldn't be without one of them!  That's Peggy to the left, at nine weeks old she had her back leg amputated after abuse and came here for foster nursing care. She is now fit, healthy and we adopted her :) It cost a lot of money, I reckon it was well spent as she is now having a full and happy life.

Charities can't provide the cutting edge treatment you see on the television or read about in the papers, I wish we could. Some days we have to balance the books and beg for donations just to keep going and food on the plates. At times it is frustrating, especially when you come into contact with members of the public who treat you like crap and expect you to wave as magic wand.

When you have scores of cat welfare cases passing through your hands and limited resources, the choices are either not there or downright horrible. Do you spend £1000 of charity money giving an old cat maybe six months, a year, or put that money towards saving 5 young cats needing £200 of treatment each?  There are times when a vet rings and gives us the news a cat will have to be put to sleep, and I cannot lie, some days the first feeling is relief as it's one less problem to thinkabout. Then you feel like shit. Then you get up the next day and do it all again....