Adios 2013 - Don't Let the Door Hit You On Your Way Out.....

December 31st.  I guess this is where I'm supposed to remember 2013 and post a bunch of stuff about the past year.  I love statistics.  In fact, I minored in Quantitative Analysis in University many decades ago.  I used to keep stats on lots of things and post them here.  Honestly? It's really just a bunch of numbers that says people STILL aren't getting their pets fixed and over burdened shelters are still killing the ones that nobody wants.

We had a beautifully successful year for the rescue.  As I type this, we are just a few adoptions short of 600 adoptions for 2013.  SIX HUNDRED souls now have homes that are Forever when they had no hope at all.
Just that stat alone is enough to keep me going for 2014.

I acknowledge that I'm often very critical of other rescues.  Maybe it's my own insecurities showing, but mainly it's because I'm terrified of making the same mistakes.  One "rescue" recently publicly threatened to euthanize a bunch of cats in her care unless another rescues helped her.  She didn't have any room for these cats.. Ironically, this woman is an advocate for CHANGE at the high-kill shelter, where they euthanize cats for time and space!   I think the most shocking part of this was that people were rallying to help this woman!  They were sending her money, etc.   Yes, this woman continues to run a local rescue despite (what I believe to be) extorting money from people on Facebook.

Have I been doing it wrong all this time?   I've always felt that being fiscally responsible is the ONLY  way that people will rally to help me and our rescue.  Who wants to give a "rescue" $20.00 for them to squander it away?  I watched in horror as the Facebook people were offering hundred's of $$'s to this woman who said she was going to kill her rescued cats in her care and it was going to "kill her to do so".  Did they realize they might be giving her hundred's of $$'s to kill the cats she promised to help?

I've banged my head against the wall a number of times over this and still can't figure it out.  

Regardless, I'm a happy and grateful rescuer that is blessed to have some of the best volunteers around.  We have a drama-free rescue with people who all like each other and support one another.  Even if we don't always agree,  or have moments of frustration, we are assured that we're all doing the very best we can for the cats.

I'll be happy to say goodbye to 2013 and welcome a new year with new hope and energy.

Yes....energy.  Emphasis on energy...please.




 

June Cleaver With Cats

Am I the only one that is relieved when Christmas is over?  I found myself mildly sick the week before Christmas and only when it became "Christmas Crunch Time" did I recognize how really crappy I  felt.  By that time, I was expected to be June Cleaver with things baking, presents wrapped and the house smelling like gingerbread.   I had a low-grade fever and was feeling resentful with a pasted smile on my face.  

No wonder I'm so relieved when Christmas is over!!

Today was the first somewhat normal rescue day.  We went to the low-kill shelter and rescued 7 or 8 cats.   I think we only rescued 2 older kittens and the rest were really sweet adult cats.  It felt good to be there and rescuing with the least amount of stress.  I didn't really feel like we were leaving behind anyone to die and the staff was happy to see us.

I have two sick kittens in my "kitten room".  Colourful snot and various sounds of snorting and sneezing permeate the walls.  I've been so busy that I haven't been able to spend  as much time with these two cuties as I would've liked, so now when I go into the room they look at me like, "HOLY SHIT!  RUN!  She's going to put stuff in our eyes and squirt gunk down our throats!!! ARGH!!!!"   Poor guys -- I need to lay down with them and read a book or something.

Every year on Boxing Day (December 26th), we meet with David's extended family for some holiday catching up.  They're really a lovely family and I really enjoy them.  But every time we're together the very first question that is asked is, "So Beth.  How many cats do you have now?"  It's like out of a commercial or something - forks drop to the plates, the the usual murmurs of conversations subside. "How many, Beth?"  Seriously - no matter what number I would say, they all exclaim "WHOA!!!!!"   Sometimes I feel like the family freak show that they talk about after we leave.  As we walk down the driveway, I can almost hear them say, "David should've stayed married to Gaylle...they only had 1 dog then!"  Blah blah blah.

Ooo.  My insecurities are showing!  What would June Cleaver say?






 

Hoarding, Divorce, Bad Hair and Sweatpants

("F" Word Alert in this post)

Never was I happier to hear a friend's voice than when my partner in rescue (and friend!) called me on Thursday morning to let me know she was back from her 8 day holiday in Cuba.  When her number showed up on my caller ID, I had a sudden moment of absolute relief.  It was the kind of relief I felt when I was 22 years old and brought home my first newborn daughter from the hospital and my Mom took over and gave her her first bath.  Thank God.

Thursday was insane!  I rescued 10 cats from the low-kill city pound and 1 cat that I had  pledged to rescue form the high-kill shelter.  I made 3 vet visits, delivered cats to two different foster parents and put other kittens into a Petsmart Adoption Centre.  I left that morning at 9 am, and arrived home at 4 pm.  

So...yeah.  I was relieved to hear from Shelley.   Don't get me wrong - we had AWESOME volunteers helping me while she was away.  In fact, things were great - I didn't have to worry about Petsmart at all! Things were smooth running and I was grateful.

There's something so sad about rescuing 10 cats from the low-kill city pound and only rescuing 1 cat from the high kill shelter.  We've been doing a BUNCH of rescuing from the high kill shelter lately and the rescue's bank balance is certainly feeling the pinch.  I really have to juggle and insure that we're making sound financial decisions all the time.

I had a moment of insanity when I read a post on Facebook that some Wannabe Armchair Rescuer said:  "It's not really a rescue unless you take any cat that needs help.  Otherwise, it's just a business."  

"Call me a fucking business, you pinhead."

How on earth can I take EVERY CAT THAT NEEDS HELP?  Does this moron know how many millions of cats there are that need help? Does he know how many calls I get on the average day for cats  needing help?    Would I like to help every cat?  I sure would!  But I'd end up a hoarder, divorced, with bad hair and wearing sweat pants.  You know I'm right.  You've seen those people.  

(*insert deep breath here*)

 

  

I Wanted To...

I think there were cobwebs on the login page of this blog.  It's been almost two months since I've stopped writing and disappeared.  Those who read this blog and know me personally, know that I've been OK and trying to sort some things out.

There's no doubt that I lost my mojo for writing here.  After 5 years of writing, I felt like so many of my posts sounded angry, jaded and genuinely pissed off.  I was certain that people were reading my blog thinking, "What a little whiner!" or  "Same shit, different day. "  I had spent some time rereading my older posts when I was still so excited about rescuing and would leave the shelter with 20+ cats in my car!  It was joyful and I used to look forward to writing about my daily events after I put dinner in the oven and waited for David to come home.  I used to write about funny things and laugh at my own inadequacies.

So how do I begin writing again?  What do I  say that could possibility hold my interest and yours too?  I've always written for myself.

I wanted to... write the day our beloved cat "Pella" unexpectedly died.  I was so angry that day.  She came to me after being thrown out of a car window in a box with her litter of kittens.  I had so much to say about her. She was the best cat we ever had.  Everybody loved that chubby "Bowling ball"  black cat.

I wanted to... write when we started fostering an ancient pug named "Doug".  He has brought so much joy into our home.  I wanted to tell you that he snores and farts.

I wanted to... let you all know how much I  appreciated the amazing outpouring of love and care after I wrote about my son leaving an abusive relationship.  Read about it here.   I wanted you to know that he's living in our spare room and very depressed.  We're trying to get him some help, but he's stubborn.  I wanted you to know that HIS CATS haven't left his side.  They love him.

I wanted to....tell you that  we took on another Petsmart store beginning in January!  It looks like we'll be able to rescue more cats.

I wanted to....tell you that I played with two severely handicapped 8 week old kittens, then had to authorize their euthanasia.  I had to separate the less handicapped baby from his severely handicapped brothers before they were lovingly put to sleep.  The remaining sibling cried for his brothers.  It was a day that I  needed to talk and share.

There has been so much to share and so much I've wanted to write about.  But I've felt frozen and incapable of saying anything that was meaningful to anybody.  How long do people write in blogs?  I've had a lot of emails from people asking me to write again.

I've missed you too.