One Step Closer to August

I'm happy to say goodbye to July. Every day that goes by means it's a little closer to summer's end and I can wave adios to kitten season. I didn't post yesterday because it was another really grim day.

Kim from the shelter told me that she didn't want to do rescue any longer. The management at the shelter have told her that she now MUST participate in the killing of the cats as part of her job description, and she found it impossible to kill the cats and try to rescue them at the same time.

Gee. I wonder why she'd feel THAT way?

Every summer around this time, Kim and I are ready to give up the ship. It's not unusual. It feels good to say it out loud and try it on for size. But we never do it. We keep plugging away. The difference is, that this time she's vowed to not continue the pictures on the Petfinder site.

One of our volunteers went out and rescued EIGHT cats for me today. Four kittens for herself and four Himalayan's for another rescue. Admittedly, I was really relieved I didn't have to go. The volunteer told me that while she was waiting to go back into the cat area, a man came into the shelter with a white cat stating he was going to tell his wife she was adopted. When asked why he was giving up the cat, he casually told her "I don't want her anymore".

I haven't given up and will do whatever it takes to keep rescuing from this shelter. I just don't have anybody that'll watch my back any longer. I feel very alone even though that's not the case.

I can't turn my back on them:

I don't know how anybody else can either.

Guilty As Charged

Yesterday's post has inspired me to write about "guilt" today. I've spent the majority of the day fretting and worrying about Owen - probably needlessly. He looked so cute and totally innocent in the car on the drive to his new foster home. His new foster Mom was delightful and Owen seemed quite happy.

Fortunately for Owen, there was another rowdy guy that needed a new foster home so they made the trek together. I had to laugh when I met with the other foster Mom. We both looked so guilt stricken standing in that parking lot, you'd think we had killed somebody. It was nice to know that I wasn't alone.

One of my blog readers has been contacting me from time to time about her semi-feral cat with an incurable, painful disease. She finally decided it was time to say goodbye to her girl, but was riddled with guilt that she had let it go on "too long". Then she felt guilty that she was relieved that she didn't have to worry any longer about the condition of the cat.

Why do we put ourselves through all this guilt? Here's a woman that has loved a cat unconditionally whom she could never touch, and still felt guilty when it was time to humanely say goodbye.

Sometimes I get tired of all this guilt that I bring on myself. I go into the shelter and feel overwhelming guilt that I'm leaving some to die. Am I not doing enough for the cats? For my kids? For my husband?

It's a wonder some of us can even get out of bed in the morning with all the emotional crap we lug around on our shoulders.

Yet there are others that can leave pets at the shelter because they're moving, having a baby, boyfriend/girlfriend is allergic, blah, blah, blah...(or more recently) at my veterinarian's office a couple came in to put down their dog of 8 years because he had an ear infection and they didn't like the smell. (The vet took the dog home with him)

When I started this blog post, I thought it would be fun to declare some sort of "guilt-free" day tomorrow. But I'm already feeling guilty about the Dairy Queen Reese Blizzard I hoped to get tomorrow evening. Of course, I feel guilty that I haven't helped this really cute calico kitten at the shelter:

Just for tomorrow, I'm going to live without feeling guilty about the cats in the shelter. Sounds like Xanadu, eh? Who am I kidding....

Admitting Defeat

I don't like to admit defeat, but I've reached that point with one of my own foster cats. Owen has been part of our family since early May 2010. I've been working and working with Owen, but have found that he's been playing WAY too rough with my little old lady girl cats. Owen is a sweetheart. He loves everybody and everything. He's on my lap all the time.

Problem? Owen is a "Social Moron." He doesn't understand that a hiss and growl from my little old lady cats means "Stop it right there, buddy".

It's been several months with me working with him. Sadly enough, Owen thinks his name is now "Nooooooooooooo-wen".

Today, I came home to this:

Owen looked guilty. But you know how it goes - something is broken and we always assume the worst with the usual suspects.

I've been breaking up more cat fights than a Jersey Shores bouncer. Poor Owen was even the victim himself recently and I had to take him to the vets:

Tomorrow, I'm taking Owen to a new foster home where he'll no doubt have a lot more success. The couple is THRILLED that he's a rowdy guy and they're going to really enjoy him.

As for me, I feel like a failure. I know that's ridiculous thinking. I did my best with Owen and I haven't had to move a cat in many years. But this one of the most important aspects of fostering - imagine if we didn't have this information about Owen. He could end up in the wrong home again and again before we'd figure it out.

When he's adopted, it'll be the RIGHT home - the FIRST time.

I hope I don't cry when I drop him off tomorrow. The guilt is overwhelming tonight.

Let the Tears Fall Where They May

I met a very nice retired lady and her daughter at the shelter this morning to rescue (and adopt) "Bridget" a sweet, older Himalayan:

This little darlin' probably weighed in at 4 pounds. She looked really good and certainly captured the heart of her new Mommy.

The ONLY thing that could zap the joy out of this adoption, was watching Bridget's new family leave in tears at the ones that they couldn't help. Leave it to this eff'ing shelter to be a joy kill.

I felt a moment of bravery and walked through the cat rooms. I knelt down and bonded with a very gentle fluffy guy that was rolling around in his cage and purring. I picked him up and was petting him. I reached out for the cage card to see if I could put together the pieces to the puzzle as to why this handsome guy was at the shelter.

The card read: "Sleep only". Reason? "Too old".

Shit. Really? I bonded with this cat and he's going to die tomorrow - alone. His family dumped him in this cage instead of holding and loving him in his final moments. The City won't let me take a cat that's "Sleep Only". It's the owner's wishes and what's done is done.

I walked out with an empty cat carrier and sat in my car for a moment. I simulated LaMaze breathing exercises, desperately trying to breathe away the pain that I felt in my heart at that moment. "Breathe in....cleansing breath, out....breathe in....cleansing breath out..."

As I drove home, I tried to recapture some of the happy moments in recent times in rescue. David and I drove to Buffalo, New York on Saturday and delivered 2 kittens to a woman who drove all the way from New Jersey to adopt them. She was wonderful and burst into happy tears the moment she saw her new babies. It was a delightful moment and I couldn't help but cry with her. David thought we were crazy, but since when did men understand this sort of behaviour?

I have 3 foster home applications on my desk and am anxious to speak with these people. New foster parents mean more lives saved.

It's time for me to toughen up a bit and remember there are some things that are not in my control.

"Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something"

The Great Big World

Sometimes the buzz of the rescue really isn't a buzz at all. It's more like deep sigh in which I need to grasp from the deep recesses of my heart to remember why I rescued a particular cat.

Which is exactly what happened with Arianna:

Arianna is about 15 pounds of SWEET. She was a shelter favourite and had been in a cage (in which she was far too big) for more than a month. I loved Arianna and I kept waiting for the right foster home to come forward so that I could rescue her.

My plan was to bring Arianna to my house for the afternoon for some MAJOR lovin' until I could meet with her new foster Mom tonight. I love big cats, so I was expecting some big-time squishing and kissing from my favourite girl that I waited soooo long to rescue.

That wasn't exactly what happened:

Needless to say, Arianna is still in her carrier. She'll be ok. She's going into a wonderful foster home that will take the time she needs to get used to the "bigger world" around her.

You're welcome Arianna. :)

The Proverbial "Can of Worms"

I wasn't really sure what I was going to write about today. I'm on Day #2 of one of those wildly angry days. (typical for me in the mid-summer in rescue.) It's the reason why I didn't write yesterday. When I started writing this blog, I honestly didn't think anybody would ever read it, so it was a lot easier to say what I was really feeling without fear of being offensive.

There's been a lot of really nasty sickness at the shelter. Without proper ventilation and with the intense heat and humidity it breeds bacteria. Of course, the shelter's answer for this is to kill the cats.

On top of this, I received a link to a newspaper article from the local newspaper. A few times per year the local newspaper publishes some bullshit article about the importance of licencing, microchipping, and they throw in some statistics that they receive from some do-nothing supervisor at the shelter.

I guess that was all I needed to unleash some of the frustration that I had been feeling. The reporter received this email reply from me: (Names, location edited)

"Dear (newspaper reporter),

What a disappointing article. You only told half the story. When is the (Newspaper) going to talk about what REALLY happens at Animal Control? You quoted (shelter supervisor) in saying: "(Shelter supervisor) says in 2009 alone animal control took in 5501 cats. Out of those 3098 were euthanized and 2135 rescued or adopted..."

"Adopted"?? There are NO cat adoptions at Animal Control. Animal Control does NOT permit adoptions at their shelter. Owners bring their cats to Animal Control and must check a box that says "Sleep or Adoption". The cats are not sleeping and they are NOT adopted.

Try going to Animal Control and ask to see their cats for adoption. It doesn't exist. They kill them or reunite them with their owners. That's it. They let me in to rescue cats when I have available foster space to help them.

(The shelter) signed a non-compete agreement with the SPCA, in turn SPCA is suppose to take cats from Animal Control. It rarely happens. SPCA hasn't taken any cats from Animal Control in months and months.

I rescue from this shelter 3-4 days per week. When is the (Newspaper) going to start telling the public what really happens? Quit playing it safe and reporting the same crap twice a year about these two shelters. You are only reporting PART of the story.

People think they're leaving their cats there to be adopted - but they are often euthanized the next day. I've been rescuing out of this shelter for years and am tired of the public being misinformed as to what happens. I'm sick of hearing (the shelter supervisor) quoting the same statistics over and over again like he cares."

I never write this kind of thing and actually send the email. I keep my head down and rescue cats. But I pushed the send button and it felt good.

After I pushed the send button, I was told by a friend in rescue that the new SPCA Board President is the same veterinarian that gets PAID to kill the cats every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Funny, since he's been President, SPCA hasn't rescued anybody. Might come out of the Prez's pocketbook, I guess.

It's going to take some courage to push "Publish" on this blog post...but here goes.....

"Mable"

People are always surprised to see purebred cats in the shelter. Why would anyone think that a purebred cat is less likely to be dumped than any other cat, I don't know. But it's still shocking that someone would spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a cat and dump him or her at the shelter.

So that brings me to my story about "Mable". Mable is a silver Persian who was abandoned at the shelter. She was already spayed, declawed and about 3 years old. I love her. I don't usually go gaga over Persians, but she had SWEET written all over her smooshy face.

I rescued Mable today without really having a plan for her. I just couldn't let her die. I just couldn't. You'll be able to hear how enamoured I am with her in this video. (Prepare to fall in love with the black and white kitten towards the end of this video)



I'm not sure why I took my camera into the vets today, but decided to take a quick video of the cats milling about the office. It must feel SOOOOOO good to stretch your legs after being cooped up in a tiny cage for so long.


The funny part about this video, is that the veterinary assistant fell in love with Mable the Persian too, and took her home tonight to see if she'll get along with her cats. Fingers crossed that Mable found her forever home right away!!

Summer in the Cat Den

I decided when I had my cat den built last year, that I'd let it go "au natural", so the cats could frolick in the high grass.

Yes, they're loving it.

When they're happy, I'm happy.

Enjoy the pictures...!!

A Complicating Monday

I've had one of those days where I felt like I was salmon swimming upstream. You know the kind of day - the one where there's traffic where you didn't expect it, no toilet paper in the holder after you've sat down, and bad hair despite your best efforts. It wasn't a bad day - it was just exasperating.

I went to the shelter to specifically rescue Toby. His foster Mom asked for him for a variety of reasons:

So it shouldn't surprise me that shortly after I left the shelter to receive a phone call from Kim:

Kim: Beth!! We gave you the wrong cat! That wasn't Toby!

Me: (Stunned silence)

Kim: You rescued DONOVAN, so go ahead and bring him back (big pause)...if you want.

Me: You want me to bring him back to death row after I sang my rescue song to him and he's happy and safe now?

Kim: I don't want you to bring him back, but I know you didn't plan on rescuing him.

Needless to say, I didn't bring back Donovan. How could I?

But Toby is still at the shelter. I called the foster Mom and (God bless her) she said she'd take both cats if Toby got along with other cats. Fingers crossed that Toby is OK with other cats.

I also rescued a very handsome HUGE orange and white guy named "Luke":

Of course, Luke didn't fit properly in the cat carrier that I brought. So I had to borrow one from the shelter.

Again, it wasn't a bad day. It was just like walking uphill in the hot sun - a little sticky - but I was still moving and grateful to have legs.

Fabulous Friday!

It's funny what a difference one day NOT going into the shelter can make in my overall attitude. I knew that by the time I went in this afternoon, the euthanasias were over and no cages were marked for the next day. Maybe I'm on to something to help me cope with going in this summer.

I rescued a very happy boy named "Gus" this afternoon:

The foster parents had JUST adopted out their two foster kittens when I contacted them about another. (No sense in getting too comfy without foster cats, eh?) Gus is in The Land of Dirty Underwear this afternoon and waiting for transport to his foster home. Thank heaven for volunteer drivers!

I couldn't help but snap a picture of Gus nestled in the unmade bed in my son's room. He looks happy enough. :)

Don't laugh, but I also rescued a little tabby guy named "Danny":The staff had just moved him (with a bank of cages) into a cat room full of really sick cats when I arrived. It would only be a matter of days before he would get sick and die. I really shouldn't have another foster kitten, but I couldn't let him die. I just couldn't.

He has the same name as my ex-husband (puke) so I'll have to come up with something more endearing for him. But how cute is this kitten???

I'm sort of hoping he'll blend in and David won't know he's a new one.

Besides, I don't think he'll really mind:

Special note to my darling husband: "Happy Anniversary, sweetheart...thank you for your love, your support, and for making my life so beautiful every day."

Something Normal

I went to bed last night needing a day off from driving out to the shelter. But when there are cats to be rescued and a place for them to go, I usually just suck it up and go. I was somewhat relieved when the plans fell through to do the rescue today. I really needed a day to do some normal things around the house. Unfortunately, "normal" often feels boring after 3 days in a row of rescue. Silly moi.

It's been a year since I had my outdoor cat enclosure built - aka The Cat Den It was really and truly the best money I have ever spent on my cats and has improved my (and their) lives enormously.

I was appalled to find that a chipmunk must've made a hole and came up through the cat den. I can only imagine what that poor little guy must've thought when he saw a bunch of cats and no escape. I found Wilbur standing vigil in front of the hole today:

That poor chipmunk must've poked his head up and said "Holy Sh&t!"

In the spirit of doing something "normal" today, I went to my favourite Home Sense store and bought a new comforter for my bed. Anybody who has cats knows that you can never buy a comforter that you REALLY want. It's always about what shows the least amount of cat hair, etc.

There's a new comforter on the bed (with minimal cat hair and cat barf stains), my nails are done, my legs are shaved and dinner is cooking.

"Normal" isn't looking too bad right now. :)

Renewed Strength

Today was a better day. I was happy to read that I wasn't alone in my anger about what was happening in the shelter yesterday. It was comforting to hear others in the same situation all over the world. My blog was never meant to be peaches and cream all the time. It has always been a way for me to vent so I could continue doing what I'm doing.

As usual, I really put my soul out there for the world to see yesterday.

Going into the shelter after 52 cats and kittens were euthanized was surreal. So many empty cages and one dimwit employee who was happy that there were 52 less cage to clean. (Don't get me started!)

I rescued FIVE adult cats today! It was my plan to take a little video of each one, but Dimwit employee was banging around cleaning cages and I wasn't comfortable doing my little rescue song in front of her. :)


I was only able to get Bonnie's video, but ended up taking a great video of what it looks like when they're all about to be loaded up in my car. I love this part with their little noses sniffing the air:



Many hugs and thank you's to all the people responsible for my renewed strength today.

Needing an Ugly Cry

I think I've started this post more than a dozen times today. I'm trying really hard to stay positive and have appreciated the wonderful support.

I woke up to an email from a friend in rescue whose foster kitten died in her arms last night. She was up all night with the poor little angel. This isn't the first kind of email I've received like this from a foster parent. It's never easy - in fact, it's horrible, but death is part of rescuing sometimes. Certainly during kitten season - it seems more common. I really hurt for her. She had "Tinka" for more than 4 weeks when she died.

When I went to the shelter this morning for a small rescue, I left the house with a heavy heart. I tried to avoid sad songs on the radio and sang out loud to the rock station. I was probably too fragile to be at the shelter the day before they euthanize the cats. I should've known that. But when I arrived, I was greeted with, "Beth, you don't want to go back in the cat rooms. The cages are already marked (for euthanasia) and it's not a pretty sight."

Well, shit. I had cats to rescue. I had to go back there.

I was devastated. It wasn't just the feral cats that would die tomorrow. There were cats rubbing on their cage bars, purring as they saw me. Mom cats snuggled with their babies. Paws coming out of the cages. I had never seen so many marked for euthanasia.

I found myself taking some of the condemned cats out of their cages. I held them for a moment. Kissed them. Stroked their face and rubbed under their chin. Many of them had never been loved. Sadly, I put each one back in their marked cage and I grieved for each one. I silently apologized to them and cursed the world.

I left with two kittens: (Only "Diego" had a picture)

Yeah, I don't feel positive today. I woke up to a woman devastated because she so desperately tried to save a kitten's life, and ended the day with dozens and dozens of adorable cats and kittens who will die tomorrow for the reason that nobody wants them and there are not enough homes.

To Diane: This post is for you. I spoke with you last night and you told me you didn't see why it was wrong for your cat to have 2...3...litters of kittens because you found them all "good homes". You were so unhappy with me for what I had to say. Do you get it NOW?

I need a good cry - a really good ugly cry. Then I'll get up tomorrow and do it all again.

Is It October Yet?

I was so happy to wake up to some cooler weather today. The shelter didn't seem so steamy and the cats seemed a bit less pathetic. Even though it was a "euthanasia day" today, the shelter was still quite full. I hate to think what it looked like yesterday at close. Poor little angels.

Rescued today:

Thelma!

Simon!

Sophie!

Ginger!

I felt a little blue this morning going to the shelter. Sometimes it just works out that way for me in the summer. My friend Kathleen told me this afternoon, "Beth, if you look at the big picture you'll go crazy....keep it small." I knew just what she meant.

Seeing all those cats in the shelter today, not counting the ones that died this morning, and not counting the ones that arrived today...and tomorrow....DID drive me crazy.

I hate this time of year. Is it October yet?

Cleaning Up

The less glamorous part of rescue is what I call the "clean up". I wish every time I rescued cats all I had to do was rescue, deliver and bask in the glory. I've spent the past 48 hours in the car a total of 6 hours delivering cats and meeting with volunteer drivers so that they can deliver cats. Between the heat and the enormous amounts of traffic, it's left me feeling icky and tired.

Yesterday, after a VERY long day of cat-related stuff I was pulled over by a police officer about the age of my son. The kid still had acne on his face, bless his heart. I was feeling all warm and fuzzy about him, (because my son is studying to be a police officer) when he started yelling at me about speeding. My mind was fuzzy, but I heard things like... a roadside suspension....50 kms over the speed limit...what's the matter with you...blah blah blah..

In my younger days, a smile would've wiped away his hostility, but I went with what I knew - menopause and exhaustion. I found myself telling him that the heat was making me want to puke...I had hot flashes...my car smelled like cat poop...I'm sorry, but I just want to go HOME....blah blah blah.

He tipped his hat and said, "Drive safely" and left. Maybe the old gal hasn't lost her touch, eh?

I received a wonderful update on "Skippy" a very cute orange guy that was adopted directly from the shelter:

"Hi Beth,

A few weeks ago my mother and I met you at the shelter to adopt "Skippy" who is now Gus. I just wanted to update you and let you know he is doing great. He has settled in, gained weight, and been health cleared by the vet. He is really a wonderful boy and I am so grateful to you for the work that you do that brought him into our lives. I initially wanted to adopt a cat to give my puppy a friend and I have attached a couple of pictures to show you how wonderful that worked out (for Gus and Annie)!!

Thank you Beth!"

This picture was attached:

Thank you for making this old gal cry. :) I can't think of a better way to begin my weekend than with a picture like this one. It's all worth it, isn't it. :)

Happy Friday all!

Two Friends Doing *Something*

This isn't a story about 4 brothers who had no hope at all being rescued today. It's a story about 2 friends - one who used to rescue with our organization and recently moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. The other, away for the summer many hours away from the shelter and her home. Justine and Shannon saw my plea for the four brothers", and decided to do *something*.

Like many of us, we have a tendency to say, "I'm going on holidays", "I have too many foster cats already..." "I don't want to foster right now..."

But not Justine and Shannon.

They sat on email yesterday - thousands of miles apart and figured out a way to rescue the 4 boys that were so callously abandoned at the shelter AND turned away by a staff member who was fed up with cleaning their cages.

They worked out a beautiful plan, contacted me and my boys were rescued today:



I was so overwhelmed by this rescue. I had really given up hope for these cats and mentally said goodbye to each of them. I felt sick for most of the day and was afraid to leave my phone or email. I hate being "The Governor".

I also rescued two others while I was there:

Handsome Titan!

This kitten's name is "David" (my husband's name) I couldn't leave HIM behind!! :)

"Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something..."

No truer words were ever spoken. Thank you to everyone who sent advice, positive thoughts, and did *something*.

Yesterday's Rescue - (Better Late Than Never)

I haven't started to breathe again since I posted an emergency plea for the brothers. So I'm taking a deep breath now and wanted to share about the rescue I made yesterday:

The shelter was horribly hot yesterday. It wasn't fit for humans to work there, and it was most certainly oven-like in metal cages for the cats. Some were panting with their little noses through the bars of the cages. I couldn't help but wonder who would finish their water early through the night and be thirsty. Why do I torture myself so much?

Rescued yesterday:

This hunk-a-burnin' love - "Elvis"

"Snooze" was anything but his name - I've never heard such a baby crying in his carrier all the way to his foster home! He's now hanging out with Elvis!

How cute are these little love muffins? They spent the afternoon with me.

I brought this beauty to the vet to be spayed - turns out she was already pregnant.

I hate it when they look so sad! But she's safe now!

The next little girl is "Tana". She had been at the shelter in a microwave oven size cage since the beginning of April. She was only still alive because someone thought she was so special. Like many people, I passed up Tana a million times at the shelter:

But yesterday, I saw her panting in her cage with the look that made me realize she had given up hope. So I started singing my little silly rescue song..."Today's your rescue day, Tana!" She knew. I brought her home with me for the afternoon until her foster Mom could take her in the evening. I turned up the Central Air Conditioning in the house to "Brrrr" and opened a can of Fancy Feast Grilled Tuna:

She was Queen of My House for the afternoon. I'm glad she went to a different foster home. I fell in love with that little black sweet thing. :)

With each picture I posted, I started feeling better. I haven't given up on the brothers. It's 5:30 pm and the shelter doesn't close until 7 pm.

Dinner is going to be late tonight.

Too Angry to Come Up With a Good Title

This is an angry post. I should be fist pumping with excitement over the seven cats that I rescued today. Instead, I walked into the shelter this morning to find that a nameless dimwit employee at the shelter went to management to complain about 2 pairs of brothers (4 cats) that hadn't been rescued yet and she asked that they be killed the next time the vet arrives on Wednesday.

In other words....she didn't want to clean their cages any longer and felt that they had been at the shelter "long enough".

These cats aren't hurting anybody. They're in the dog area so that they can remain together.

Unless they can be rescued, they will remain together in death.

They don't have names, but they do need to be rescued in pairs.

"Brothers A"

"Brothers B"

All except the first cat pictured have been neutered. I wouldn't ask for help except they are all so sweet and loving. They're bigger cats and all are adults - probably under 5 years old.

I've never put out an urgent plea like this before. After spending two months in that shelter to end up dead because some cat hater employee said so, infuriates me.

I took SEVEN cats today to help buy them some time, but unfortunately it didn't help. You do NOT have to take 4 cats, but they must be rescued in pairs. Please spread the word:

Sometime before Wednesday morning at 7 am, they will either be rescued together, or they will die together.

Looking For a Reason to Rescue

I feel like I'm still in "Canada Day" mode. I took a nap outside in the shade today and it was heavenly. My "Land of the Dirty Underwear" son turns 22 years old today. I still think he's the same little guy that wore nothing but Ninja Turtle underwear and cowboy boots until he was about 4 years old. He had the day off from work and school today and I found him asleep with my foster kitten "Parker". I couldn't help but think he'd make a great animal-loving-husband for some lucky girl that appreciates his love of cats and the fact that he can't find a laundry hamper.

I've been getting some urgent emails from Kim at the shelter. They are euthanizing so many cats right now. I feel grateful that I didn't have to go in yesterday to see them before they died. It would've hurt too much.

Fortunately, I have two emails in my Inbox from foster Moms willing to help several cats, so that's a point of excitement for me. I'm going to wait until Monday to do the rescue to organize things first. Plus, I'm due for some marital bonding and less rescuing this weekend. :)

There are two cats that I feel pretty desperate to rescue right now:

Tana is a sweet little black love muffin. She's been at the shelter in that frickin' microwave oven they call a "cage" for 3 months. She's probably already spayed. I love her. I have to help her before it's too late.

Titan! Oh my gosh. Just look at those tom cat cheeks! I want to get him out of there so badly. He's such a nice boy. :)

It won't be easy to go into the shelter on Monday. It never is this time of year. If you can help the cats, please let me know.

I could use a little bit more hope.