Foiled by Technology!

Please forgive the delay in posting this!  I came home to find my internet turned off due to some "trojan worm" or some kind of icky sounding thing.  The provider said it was nasty and I'm just now getting back online.  Part of me was relieved that I wasn't chained to emails today, and another part of me was pacing like a lion in a cage until I was back online.  Thank God there was nothing life-urgent with the cats that I needed to respond to in the interim. 

I'm SO happy to report that "Dale" has been rescued today.  I saw the little guy while I was working with an adopter today and he looked awful.  His face was cut open in several places and swollen.  Thank heavens he was rescued.  I'm so grateful.  

I spent 3 hours at the shelter today working with one adopter and her darling 3 year old little boy.  Part of my job is to find the right match for this family, but the other part is to insure that they don't get overwhelmed.  Despite my best efforts, she became overwhelmed and it became an agonizing choice for them.  (Thus the 3 hours!) They finally decided on "Marv":

If she hadn't taken Marv home - I would've.  He was the sweetest, gooey, 8 month old dollface!!!  He literally went limp in my arms.  I didn't want to hand him over.  Hahaha :)

Thought you might a completely delightful before and after picture:

Doesn't Ernest have a pitiful little face?  Within an hour, Ernest's new picture arrived:

Hardly looks like the same boy!!!!  Doesn't he look happy in his Daddy's arms?  He hadn't met Ernest until after the adoption.  Looks like they're BOTH pretty happy, eh?  :)

I'm terrified that the internet is going to shut down again before I can push PUBLISH on the blog post.  I think I have the problem handled, but it's left me feeling uneasy. 

Tomorrow, I'm meeting a really nice sounding young lady at the shelter who is interested in adopting TWO cats!  I think I have JUST the cats..... (wahoo!)

Ernest & Dale

Last week I received an email from a fellow rescuer who asked me if there were any Maine Coon kittens at the shelter.  She has a friend looking for one, and (in typical rescuer style) was horrified to find this lady had been calling breeders.   At that time, there weren't even any look-alikes, but I kept the name in my files.

When Ernest was brought into the shelter, I thought of this lady:

Ernest was brought into the shelter as a stray.  He was SO SCARED in this picture, but settled in nicely.  He purr'd when I pet him and rubbed into my hand.  Purebred Maine Coon?  Probably not.  But he's 16 weeks of fluffy cuteness, so I called the adopter.  Tiina was lovely!  On my description and say-so, she wanted Ernest.  We met at the local Tim Horton's where she burst into tears as soon as she saw her new family member.   "How could anyone leave this kitten at a high kill shelter?"  She was incredulous. 

Maybe I've just become accustomed to the stupidity of others and it takes so much more to shock me these days.  Regardless, Ernest has a home!  :)

I've got another REALLY urgent plea.  "Dale" is not doing well in a shelter cage....well, watch the video and you'll see what I mean:


When I got to the shelter this morning, there was blood all over the cage from where he tore his feet on the bars.  His face has been broken open and was bleeding from pressing himself against the bars.  I feel as desperate and he looks to get him out of the cage.  When I picked him up, he put his paws around my neck.  I tried to lean him back into his cage and he wouldn't go.  I had to pry him off my neck. 

We both cried when I left.  I'm so worried that they're going to euthanize him tomorrow morning because he's so upset in his cage.  

I hate it when I'm doing something good like getting Ernest adopted, but leave with such a heavy heart over another cat.  Please help Dale. :(

Sheldon and A Happy Friday

David took the day off today to do some kind of male prostate roto-rooter or something like that.  I find it amusing that men feel the need to take a full day off for that sort of thing.  I'm happy to report, that I had a far more enjoyable day than my husband:


Yes, I rescued little Sheldon today!  I think the best part of this video is watching my two hooligan tabbies swiping at each other in the background.  :)

I have a wonderful volunteer driver taking Mr. Sheldon to his new home, which will no doubt turn out to be a forever home.  Thank you Jennifer!!!  Many thank you's to those who rallied to help Sheldon.  He's quite a little character. 

More good news to report:  Forever Home Cat Rescue has received it's first monetary donation!  This was really exciting for me.  I needed to establish a "pipeline" of money in order to begin rescuing and vetting cats in January.  Tomorrow, I'm going to my bank and open an account especially for the rescue.  (*insert nervous laugh here*) 

I'm starting to see some REAL changes happening at the shelter, thanks to the new manager over there.  They've changed their name from Animal Control to "Animal Services".  There's now a big sign on the shelter door entering the animal area, "We Want To Go Home!"  I started to cry when I saw it.   The changes are slow - lots of approvals need to happen first.  But they WILL happen and I'm so happy to be part of this change.

It was a good day....a really, really, good day.  Keep 'em coming! 

Blind Faith and an Urgent Plea

It feels like every day I take some kind of leap of faith towards opening my rescue within the next month and a half.  Some days are harder than others to take that leap. 

Any type of animal rescue has it's good days and bad days.  I've stayed in touch with many foster homes from the former rescue and have enjoyed their stories of their new cats saved and adjustment periods.  Sometimes the stories they tell are reminders of the not-so-great part about running a rescue.  Those are the stories that leave me in a state of anxiety.  But I keep pushing forward...

Today, I rented a postal box in my neighbourhood.  Oddly enough, the owner of the UPS store is involved with Ferret Rescue and told me there are two dog rescues that use the postal boxes.  Then she offered 3 months for free if I paid for 1 year up front.  Maybe it was a sign :)

Sooo my new address:

Forever Home Cat Rescue

115 George St.  Box #438

Oakville,  ON  L6J0A2

AN URGENT PLEA:

Kim called me yesterday and asked me for help with a TINY kitten - about 4 weeks old.  He came into the shelter alone - no Mommy:

This little guy needs to get out of there.  He's alone with nobody to love him or make sure that he's eating properly.  He must wonder what happened to his siblings and his Mommy.   If you can help him, please let me know.  I'm naming him "Sheldon". 

Hello Dolly!

Ever since I've posted a cat rescue phone number on Petfinder, I've been bombarded with phone calls from the public wanting to surrender their cats.  I've been getting 3-4 calls per day!  Most of the time, they just leave their name,  "Hi, this is Mrs. Jones - please call me at yada yada yada..."  I'm always hopeful it's somebody who wants to adopt from the shelter.  It's so deflating to hear some lame excuse about dumping a cat. 

I think what I'm going to do is start duplicating the efforts at the shelter and post some of the pictures on my Petfinder site.  Maybe the additional exposure will help.  I'll only post the cats that I know so that I can give a brief bio too.  At least my Petfinder site won't be totally bare until January! 

I decided to call the Charities Directorate yesterday to see if they received my application package.  I could hear the clerk *click* *click* on the computer.  "Sorry.  It's not in the system yet."  Bah!  (Be patient Beth....be patient.)

There was another cat at the shelter that really spoke to my heart.  Her name is "Dolly":

When Dolly first arrived at the shelter, the staff thought she was a VERY OLD senior.  After looking at her teeth, they realized that this sweet little muffin is only about 1 year old.  Dolly was starving.  I've seen a lot of cats who are "boney", but nothing like Dolly.  I don't know how she is still alive.  Dolly is a survivor!  She is not only alive, but purring, kneading and will headbutt your hand.  Even the Animal Control officer that found her loved her and wants to see her rescued.  She's such a gentle, sweet soul.

If you can help Dolly - please let me know right away.  The euthanasia days are now Tuesday and Thursday, so Dolly may not have much time left.

Damn.  I wish these things didn't hurt so much.

UPDATE:  DOLLY IS BEING RESCUED TODAY!!! Whoopie!!!!!!!!

Just Another Monday

I'm still feeling pretty rotten. I think I was sick this time last year. It's nothing earth shattering - just a cold, but it's certainly left me feeling less than my happy self.  So when I had an opportunity to go to the shelter this morning to rescue a black kitten, I decided to jump on it. Sometimes pretending like you're feeling well makes you feel better.  I'm happy to say "Falcor" is out of the shelter:

I ran across a cat that really tore at my heart strings. I wish I had brought a camera and took a video of this guy. His name is Teddy:

"Teddy" looks like a pretty friendly normal lookin' cat.  But I swear - I don't think his voice ever changed!  He sounds like a kitten!!!  It's the most endearing thing I've ever seen.   I kept hearing this frantic Mew that only a kitten could make but I couldn't find where the sound was coming from.  Until I walked up to Teddy's cage!  OMG...I love this guy!  He's such a sweet cat - already neutered too!  I'd probably want to name him "Wimpy"  :)

Then I met a very sweet guy named "Gill":

Gill only has half a tail!  He was literally sitting in front of his age with both paws casually hanging out of the bars.  What a character!! He looked like a prison inmate that was watching the action from his cell. 

Finally, the shelter has stopped euthanizing 3 times per week and is now on their winter Tuesday/Thursday euthanasia days.  It's a sign that things are slowing down and everybody can take a deep breath.  It's a time where some of the adults - like Teddy and Gill -  have a chance of getting out of the shelter that otherwise would've been put down. 

From now until after Christmas, I really feel the push to get as many adult cats out as I can.  I want them to have a home (even if it's temporary) for Christmas. 

A Friday Montage

Boredom set in early today.  Maybe it was the gloomy day.  Maybe it was because I was sick.  But it was pretty dull around the Turner house today.

I'm happy to announce that I've been approved through Petfinder.com and now have a VERY simple Petfinder presence.  Since there are no cats for adoption, the only phone calls I've been receiving are from people who have either found a cat or want to surrender a cat.  It doesn't take long, does it?   I've asked for new volunteer foster homes beginning in January, so hopefully we'll be able to start rescuing soon.  :)

I have a confession to make.  Anybody who is married or living with a partner might be able to relate to what I'm about to confess.

Last night at 3 a.m, our VERY old dog "Maggie" started whining to go outside.  She went back and forth - first to me....then to David.  She'd periodically give a high pitched YIP!, but we basically both ignored her.  I ignored her because I was sick and felt that David needed to get out of our warm bed and let her outside.   Somewhere at 4 a.m, in a huff I whipped back the covers, put on a robe and trudged downstairs to let Maggie outside to pee.  She came back dutifully, and I decided to use the washroom while I was up.   

To my horror, my poor old dog must've had some pretty urgent tummy troubles at 3 a.m, because there in front of the toilet was the BIGGEST pile of diarrhea I had ever seen.  She must've walked all around the washroom letting it drip.  It was awful and I felt terribly guilty for ignoring her for an hour.  But maybe not guilty enough, because I used another washroom in the house and tiptoed back to bed, leaving the mound of diarrhea in the washroom floor.

David gets up at 5 a.m. to go to work.  I knew he'd be the first to see it.  I heard him turn off the alarm clock and pull back the covers.  Something I've heard him do hundreds of times in our marriage.  He walked into our washroom and I could hear him stop.  He sighed.  He coughed.  I buried my head into the pillow to stifle a laugh.  I could hear him pull tissue after tissue out of the box of Kleenex.  The toilet must've flushed a dozen times. 

I feel guilty.  I really do.  I've been bored all day and the poor guy had to clean up a HUGE pile of poop before leaving for work at 6 a.m..  Me?  I had my nails done, took cold medicine, and read a book by the fire.  I suck.

Here's the evidence of my boredom:


Looks like I have some making up to do this weekend.  French Maid outfit might be coming out.  :)

Pink and White

Last night I felt it - the chills, a sore throat and body aches.  I immediately took some Advil and woke up feeling slightly better.  I've always felt that if I stay quiet the first day of a cold, it'll minimize the severity and length.  We'll see. 

But you're in luck!  I thought I'd share with you a few "after" pictures received of the the little white angel who was recently rescued:

When the pictures came in from the foster Mom, I think my knees went weak. You'd have to be in a horrible dark emotional place to not smile when you see his "after" pictures:

Ohhhhh....those pink feet.....

I'm feeling better all ready!

Educating the Public (A Rant)

I really miss having that little firecracker Tortie kitten in the house.  She was such a piece of joy around here!  As promised, here's the video of her when she first arrived at my house:  (Please ignore the blue towel on the rack in the background.  I think I'm the only one in the house who knows how to properly hang up a towel.  Men!)



Because my cat rescue phone line is linked with the shelter's Petfinder website, I occasionally get phone calls from the public who should be directing them to the city shelter.  Today, I answered the phone and a very professional sounding man was on the other end.  He had lost his cat and there was a cat on the shelter Petfinder site that looked like him.  We chatted a few minutes and he sounded educated and sincere - until - he told me his cat wasn't neutered because he "wouldn't want his balls chopped off, so why do this to his cat." 

It's hard to believe people still exist like this.  He sounded like such a neanderthal!  I decided to politely tell him how many kittens die in that shelter every year.   He said that he and his neighbour wanted to "breed" their two cats because they were both "good lookin' black and white cats who could have some good lookin' kittens."  I gave him the usual lecture, but I doubt that it did any good.  It hurt me to think of how many black and white kittens died in the shelter over the summer because nobody wanted them.  Maybe some were the offspring of his own cat.

 Honestly?  I'm STILL angry and I spoke with this idiot 6 hours ago.  How could somebody who otherwise sounded so educated, be so ignorant? 

As usual, I'm preachin' to the choir, but it feels good to write it out.  Hard to believe I managed to write this blog post without any profanity. 

From the Nursery

It was a VERY happy rescue day for the two kittens that I wrote about yesterday. I posted an urgent plea for them, and Lisa came forward to rescue the 4 week old white angel.

I met Lisa at a local Tim Horton's/Wendy's (where else?)this morning. Watching Lisa's face as she pulled that fluffy little white baby out of the cat carrier was too cute! Seriously...It was like watching a child open the best Christmas present ever. :) Lisa took the baby to the vet at her own expense and sent me an updated email:

"Eyes cleaned, bottle feed 10 cc kitten milk replacer and 9 cc watered down A/D via syringe and she PIGGED it down. I pottied her and she peed and peed and peed and then peed some more. Vet says she looks solid and it was ok to use the antibiotic eye ointment on her, so I did. She is now kicked back and sleeping in the bathtub on a blanket.

She is so adorable...and LOUD!" lol

I was really sweating out rescuing the Tortie baby this morning. The rescue that I had hoped would accept her into their program turned down the foster parent's request to take her. So for a few hours, I sat on pins and needles until I received an email from Emily offering to give her a 2 week quarantine period (at her expense) so that the rescue would feel more confident in her health to take her into their program. PERFECT!

The 6 week old Tortie is a pitiful looking little thing. I decided to take her to my own vet before going to Emily's house tonight. Dr. S was hesitant to say that she had been abused, but I could see it in his face - there was no other possible explanation for her condition.

Her ears are heavily scarred from *something*. I was initially afraid they were hematomas but the ears had healed and were left with scar tissue. Her tiny little head had a HUGE scar down the middle of it. Her upper lip was also scarred - we thought it might be a cleft pallet, but gratefully that wasn't the case. It also appeared that somebody had shaved her or used a marker to write on her, but it was really hard to tell.

Basically, Dr. S dewormed her and said she was as healthy as could be!

I've spent a good portion of the afternoon kissing on her and playing with her. I named her "Pansy". She's like a little Wolverine - biting, growling, running, playing, climbing up my leg. I took a video of her today, but Youtube is obviously having some technical difficulties today. I'll try to post it later if it becomes available.

I'm crossing my fingers that these babies stay healthy.  There are quite a few people with their hearts out on a limb for these two - including my own. 

....And the Cradle Will Fall...

I received two urgent pleas from Kim at the shelter this afternoon.  I hate getting pictures like this, because I want to throw caution to the wind, jump in my car and run to the shelter.  Her email as follows:

"She has obviously been not treated well. She has little hematoma's on her ears (from either someone constantly flicking her ears or trauma to her head) and a possible cleft palate (part of her top lips is missing). She is about 5 weeks old and eating well. SUPER affectionate and all purrs!"

Then she sends me another picture of this sweet white angel that came in a few hours ago.  She's only 4 weeks old. 

I want to kiss her little pink nose and say, "Where is your Mommy?"  Kim said she's eating well, and "sucking the wet food".  :(  

Poor little lamb. 

UPDATE at 6:45 pm Monday:  WHITE KITTEN HAS PLACEMENT AND IS BEING RESCUED TOMORROW!  WE STILL NEED PLACEMENT FOR THE TORTIE BABY!

After all the hard work yesterday, the cycle of cats coming in and out of the shelter never seems to end.  I'd gladly give up my volunteer job if it means that I'm not needed any longer due to a lack of cats that need help. 

If anybody knows anyone that can help either one, please let me know.  They need to get out of the shelter tomorrow. (Tuesday) 

I wasn't planning on blogging today, but how can I turn away?  I keep telling myself, "If only Forever Home Cat Rescue were ready to go...."   Ugh.  Petfinder contacted me today and my veterinary reference letter has been faxed.  All I need is my Charitable status and I'm good to go.

I'm going to lose sleep over these two babies tonight....I just know it. 

Very Lucky Seven

Any time that I can get one cat out of the shelter, I consider it a "good rescue day".  But when I can rescue SEVEN in one day, I call that a "GREAT rescue day". 

I had the privilege of meeting two families at the shelter today each who wanted to adopt a cat. 

Family #1 was a really wonderful couple who agonized over which cat to adopt.  They ended up with one of the most grateful cats I've ever seen:

My jaw hit the ground when the husband said, "I love black cats."  I think I stammered.  :)  I called Kyle and his wife later tonight and they said that our newly rescued handsome black boy LOVED their Standard Poodle and was "sacked out" on their bed purring and kneading.  (I think I'm still smiling)

Family #2 was a really special single lady that adopted two cats from me last year.  She decided she really wanted another Tortie girl and fell madly in love with "Sherra" who had been abandoned and quickly became a shelter favourite:

Imagine my surprise when she went to "Mya"s cage:

Mya has been at the shelter since early July.  She is insanely sweet and had only recently felt depressed.  The adopter really wanted to see if Sherra and Mya would like each other, so we took them into the dog holding area (no dogs were there) to see what would happen.  At first I scoffed..."A Tabbico and a Tortie in the same room?? Pshaww!!"  But the girls were instant friends.  They even walked side by side around the room together for comfort. 

She took them BOTH home.  :) 

The rest of the day was a blurr!  I'm happy to report that my favourite little boy Batman has been rescued thanks to some creative foster parents.  One foster Mom told me that she could foster Batman, but couldn't give him a 2 week quarantine period from her cats.  Another foster Mom wrote me and said that she couldn't foster him, but could give Batman a 2 week quarantine period.  I put them in contact with each other and....Yahooooo....Batman was rescued!  Thank you, Renee, Cindy and Matt for putting this together!

THEN.....I was able to rescue my favourite tabby boy "Chase":

I was so excited when Kelly called me and said, "Beth, I can foster Chase!"  Kelly really put her heart on the line, since she recently adopted her own foster cat.  Taking in another foster wasn't an easy decision for Kelly and I'm so appreciative.  Kelly's going to find out what having a "tabby love fest" is all about!

"Logan" is another love sponge who had been at the shelter far too long:

I brought him to my house this afternoon and left him in my washroom until his new foster Mom was available.  I inadvertently forgot to tell David that Logan was in there.  I could hear David in the washroom saying in a rather high voice,  "Hey buddy....do I know you?  Then there was silence.  Then I heard him shout (sounding a little more desperate), "Beth!!!!  Do I know this guy in here????"  (Have I said how much I love my husband?)  My friend Michelle has never fostered a tabby boy before, so she has a VERY special tabby Logan love fest in store for her!

Last, but certainly not least, I received an email this morning from Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue who asked me to pick up "Conner" for her:

This picture doesn't do Conner justice!  He's so sweet and handsome!  I'm guessing he'll be adopted quickly.  His eyes looked at me with such appreciation. 

I realize this isn't a beautifully written blog post tonight, but I'm hoping you can read by the fluff to count 1, 2, 3,4,5,6, SEVEN cats rescued today.  I really can't think of a better way to spend a beautiful Sunday:  Rescuing cats, and meeting the people that made it possible for me to rescue them.   Thank you all so very, very much for making me smile today.  :)

Friday Videos!

I was out of bed this morning while it was still dark today.  (I know....no sympathy from most of you!)  So much to do and so little time to do it!

Debbie from Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue was over the moon happy over the donations that came in to help Spritzer!  (Me too!)  It's a huge thing when smaller rescues take cats like Spritzer who need dental work.  As some of you know, dental work isn't inexpensive and your donations allowed Spritzer to be rescued:


As I type this, Spritzer is now in a loving foster home and his dental surgery has been scheduled for early next week.  Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Y'all are going to be surprised that I did not come home with that adorable tabby kitten.  I held and kissed him, but knew that bringing another cat into my home for a possible extended period of time wasn't a good idea for my guys.  It killed me to leave him there, but I'll do my best to get him out. 

I walked into another cat room at the shelter to hear horrible desperate crying from a young cat.  I know the sound.  It usually means it's a cat that isn't doing well in a cage environment and it's a plea for help.  I walked up and down the aisle and quickly found the little guy who was so upset:


Be still my heart!  These kind desperate guys KILL me!  He's about 5 months old and adorable!  If I rescued him I'd name him "Batman".  He's not doing well in that cage, so I'm praying somebody comes forward to help him. 

"Nobody can do everything....but everybody can do something..."  I need to keep telling myself that.

Predictability

Today was one of those "git 'er done" sort of days.  I suppose everybody has those days and I'm grateful I'm not one of the 9-5 working set that can only manage errands on the weekends. 

With great trepidation , I mailed the package to become a registered charity.  I marched deliberately to the postal box, but by the time I arrived I ended up with shaking hands and almost turned back to go home with my package in hand.  I dropped it in with a "what will be, will be" attitude and walked home - my stomach churning.  There's a fairly good chance that I'll be turned down.  Canadian Charities Directorate perfers to give charitable status to those who are currently in business.  I'm hopeful that my years in rescue and serving on boards - here in Canada and California - will account for something. 

I'm happy to report that shortly after I blogged about "Spritzer" yesterday, I received a happy email from Debbie at Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue saying that she'll be happy to rescue my orange and white fluffy boy!  The dental work is going to be expensive, so I really appreciate any donations to go directly to Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue - Click Here to Donate.  Forgotten Ones isn't a huge rescue, but they're very reputable and do great work!  Debbie rescues quite a few cats from this shelter, so I'm always happy to help her. 

Tomorrow, I'm rescuing Spritzer from the shelter and getting a much needed "root job".  Why is it that I just know it'll be a good day when my hair looks good? 

I can only hope that I can walk away from a certain brown tabby kitten at the shelter tomorrow...

I shouldn't be so predictable, but I am.  Does this guy have "Beth" written all over him? 

Last night, I had a lovely couple come over and meet my foster guy "Doodle".  They left without him because they want to think things over and were worried about their cat Priscilla would think about Doodle...yada...yada...yada...

Of course, my first thought was when they called,  "Oh boy...if Doodle gets adopted I can rescue Chase..."  

I have no shame. 

3 Ladies and An Urgent Plea

I woke up this morning to find that my blog had disappeared and a dozen emails from friends alerting me.  Three years worth of work went *poof* thanks to a hacker.  Fortunately, Blogger knew that there was unusual activity and temporarily shut it down.  Obviously, it's back up and running!  Whew!! 

I met a wonderful lady named Tracey yesterday, along with her two daughters.  They wanted to adopt a calico to add to their Calico family of 3.  She's a dog groomer by trade and lives very close to me.  Like so many people who come to the shelter for the first time, they were overwhelmed by the number of cats.  Unfortunately, the cages were already marked for euthanasia this morning which added to the anguish of choosing a cat. 

The family knew immediately that the would take "Bella":

She curled into their arms like a little calico blob and they laughed out loud as she immediately went limp like a ragdoll in relief.  Bella has a home! 

The surprise of the day was when this family fell in love with a 1 year old rowdy orange and white guy.  I couldn't find his picture of the shelter Petfinder site, but he was a riot!  He licked their faces like a dog and there was NO WAY he was going back into that cage.  He had a home too!

I was excited to hear that they wanted to foster!  Unfortunately, since my rescue isn't ready yet, I referred them to another rescue.  Whomever they foster with will be fortunate - they're awesome!


AN URGENT PLEA!

As I mentioned, the cages were already marked for euthanasia.  It's always horrifying, because the cats have no idea this will be there last night alive.  I held and kissed some of them before sadly putting them back.  Maybe for some, it's the only time they experienced somebody loving them.  Very painful for me.  I stopped when I came across a big, sweet, fluffy orange and white boy named "Spritzer".  His cage was marked for euthanasia.  I held him and he purr'd and purr'd.  The vet tech told me that he needs some dental work and he's about 6-7 years old.  She didn't think anybody would want to rescue him because of the cost of dental.  (I can certainly understand why she'd feel that way!)

They took him off the euthanasia list this morning as a favour to me.  They have given me until THIS Friday to find placement for Spritzer.  He's absolutely adorable and purrs the moment you pick him up.  He will need to have two teeth removed.  He's already been neutered and I kissed his little fluffy face until his fur was stuck in my lipstick. 

I'm hopeful that somebody can come forward to save Spritzer's life.  He will die Friday morning before the shelter opens.  So he really only has today and Thursday. 

Spritzer wants to live and he wants to be loved.  Don't we all?

Reaching Out

I was really happy to wake up this morning and find that the weekend's protest at the shelter was successful.   I guess it's hard to gauge what is successful in terms of a protest, but some hardworking, animal loving people showed up on a busy SPCA weekend and let folks know that what's happening at Animal Control is not acceptable:  See Article Here 

When I read the article, I was disappointed that the local newspaper out there once again gave a lukewarm representation of what really happens in that shelter.  When is The Spectator going to grow some balls and take a stand?  Where are words like "outrageous" or "city embarrassment"? 

I guess if I wanted something different to happen, I should've gotten my butt out to the shelter with a sign.  Because while these people were marching and being hassled by SPCA employees, I was probably reading a book by the fire. 

I'm still moving forward with my own rescue.  I'm halfway done filling out the forms to become a registered charity.  I feel it's the most responsible thing to do first.  Many starter rescues don't do this first - they do it as an afterthought, and this rescue will really need donations fairly quickly when we're fully up and running.  Hopefully, this will confirm the legitimacy of what I'm trying to accomplish by being registered as a charity. 

In the meantime, I've been fiddling with a website which has me frustrated and swearing.  Even the "Anybody can build a website" stuff has me pulling my hair and pushing the delete button more often than not.  Every morning I wake up and try to do SOMETHING with it, but I'm finding that it's more than I want to do, and it might be time to ask for help.  I should probably just hand the job over to somebody who wants to do it and move on to doing something more productive that I actually KNOW how to do!

I'm meeting a lovely sounding mother/daughter team at the shelter tomorrow.  They want to rescue a calico.  They already have 3 rescued calicos at home - one is 19 years old.  They sound so nice and - who knows, they could end up being my first foster family some day...or have a spare million dollars to donate, right? :)

I'll wrap up this blog post with a moment of cuteness from two of my own cats "Thomas" and "Willy".  Thomas used to walk around each day to each cat in the house and dip his head with hopes that SOMEBODY would lick the top of his head.  Thomas has finally found his head-licking buddy in Willy.  Every day, I find them spooning on my bed and the top of Thomas' head is always wet.  They both have "drunk eyes" and look completely sated. 

 I feel a little sleepy just looking at them on that white fluffy blanket. 

 Happy Monday! 

Looking Into the Sunbeam

I ran out the door to the shelter this morning without my camera!  Crap!  I really wanted to take a video of my favourite girl "Lema" being rescued.  I wish I could describe it properly....it was like...she *knew* and she was waiting for me!   Lema was sitting in front of her cage and I started to sing my silly little rescue song as I walked up to her. She meow'd SO happily and stood up as I approached. I grabbed her up and kissed her over and over. Lema is such a smooshy love muffin.

I dropped off 4 other adorable kittens for another rescue and took Lema into the city to her foster Mom.  She chattered at me as I drove and I found myself singing to the song on the radio, "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry.  I'm such a doofus, because I changed the lyrics to "I kissed a kitty and I liiiiked it....the taste of her furry little liiiips..."  Lema meow'd in appreciation.  I'm surprised I didn't have an accident. 

Not sure why I felt so emotional over this little butterball tabby.  I've rescued so many over the years, and every once in a while I feel extra emotional about one.  If the truth were really known, I wish I could've kept her forever.   Watching her little face stretch towards the sun peeking through the clouds made me choke up.  I'm betting she'll be flopped in front of a sunbeam in no time at all. 

Even though I promised myself that I wouldn't - I ended up walking through several of the cat rooms today at the shelter.  The cats had already been fed and wicked-witch-of-the-west employee was stomping around the rooms with her headscarf on her head and usual bad attitude.  I wonder why some people get a job at Animal Control if they really don't like animals?  Or at one time in their life they did like animals, but the job just brought them down and they lost perspective.   I would really like to ask that question, but I'm afraid it would come out as, "Why do you always act like such a bitch?" I guess in any workplace there's always ONE nasty person that everybody tolerates.  But what bothers me is that she cares for such innocent creatures who are prisoners to her nastiness.  *ugh*

Things really do seem to be looking up at the shelter.  There are more than just rumours stirring about adoptions and ALL cats will be vaccinated as they enter the shelter.  They're even changing cleaning protocol in the anticipation of providing adoptions!  I'm hopeful that some of the rescues who left this shelter due to illness, etc, will come back now that things are improving.  As I get more information, I'll provide it here.   I'm hesitant to say too much.

Halloween at my house is quiet. The house we bought almost two Halloween's ago is on a busy street and I think parents are hesitant to let the kids trick-or-treat.  Admittedly, it's a relief not worrying about a cat flying out the door everytime it opens to give out candy.  Happy Halloween to all!!!

 

What's With All The Second Guessing?

Zeus the Persian went to his forever home today.  At least I'm hopeful it was his forever home.  It was one of these adoptions where I wasn't 100% sure I did the right thing.  Zeus had belonged to a senior citizen and I placed him in a home with a younger child in the family.  I've already contacted the family and they said he was settling in and all was OK. 

I wish I didn't worry so much, but I feel very responsible.  I don't have the same resources that I once had, and I don't want to place a cat "from the frying pan, into the fire."  I verified that they have a neuter appointment for him on Tuesday next week, so that's pretty much all I could do.  Worry...worry...worry...

Over the past few weeks, I've been working pretty hard at getting my latest favourite girl "Lema" out of the shelter:

Anybody who reads this blog with any kind of regularity knows how much I LOVE fat little bowling ball cats.  Lema has been spayed and declawed.  She's THE SWEETEST lovebug!   A rescue has come forward for her and I'm over the moon that I get to go pick her up tomorrow!!!  They're going to be so surprised at how sweet she is.  I sat on the floor at the shelter and she climbed into my lap like she knew me forever.  I almost brought her home that day.  It was horrible putting that big girl back into such a tiny cage.  I've been kicking myself for days for not bringing her home. 

On my Facebook profile today, I put:  "Getting married, having a baby, moving, job transfers, etc. are NOT REASONS for abandoning your pet, they are EXCUSES. Pets are a LIFETIME commitment the same as children are a LIFETIME commitment. We don't get rid of children for these kinds of excuses... we adjust our lives. Our pets deserve the same level of devotion." 

 I wish they'd put that in the Animal Control front office.   One of these days, I'll stop preaching to the choir and actually say it to somebody that NEEDS to hear it.   Do you think anybody will turn around and take their pet home? 

Staying In the Loop

I'm happy to announce that the 4 week old kitten from yesterday's blog post has been picked up from the shelter and is safe, loved and happy in a foster home.  Many *hugs* and thanks you's to Lisa and Gary who drove out to the shelter this morning to pick up the little girl.  Lisa already sounds smitten with her, so we'll see how quickly she is to part with her at 8 weeks.  (*LOL*) 

Thanks to a new manager at the shelter, I've heard a rumour that the "no public adoptions" policy is being reviewed and perhaps eliminated.  You heard right:  They are going to work towards opening the shelter for adoptions!!!   I'll believe it when I see it....but it's the first time I've heard that there are PLANS in the work.  Normally, I'd make a bigger hoopla about such news, but I don't want to be disappointed.

I've been keeping myself busy and am so happy when people email or call me with questions about a cat, etc.  It really makes me feel as if I'm still in the loop of things. 

I had a good time hanging out with Bella and Mr. Billings yesterday afternoon.  They each held vigil in separate washrooms.  Bella wasn't thrilled with my cats and caught me off guard with some serious snarling.  God, I hate how that sounds!  I'm sitting on the toilet combing my hair and Bella LUNGES at the door where one of the tabby's had an inquisitive paw.  I think I screamed out loud, but I may have blocked out the entire ordeal. 

Somehow, I managed to spend $400.00 at Winners (USA friends:  "TJ Maxx" or "Ross") and am being taken out to dinner too.  Sounds like David is happy with the extra time I've had lately and his newly stocked drawer full of clean underwear.  No more "back of the drawer undies" for MY husband! 

In the meantime, I'm following up with a potential adopter for a very frightened little Persian named "Zeus".  His Mom died and they've already euthanized his brother.  He sure needs a home:

Fingers are crossed for Zeus....

Reclaiming My Life Again

It was a beautiful rescue day today!  One of my favourite foster Mom's came forward and offered to foster Bella.  Imagine my excitement to go to the shelter today to rescue this sweet girl who was dumped there with such negligence.

To add to the excitement, I received a phone call from another rescue who asked me to rescue Mr. Billings for them too:

Mr. Billings was really quite depressed and had given up all hope of rescue.  He stopped lifting his head when people would come by.  What a victory to bring this guy out of the cage today!

Bella's rescue wouldn't be complete without a "rescue video" featuring my shrill voice:


Bella and Mr. Billings are currently in two of my washrooms enjoying some moving around time.  :) 

AN URGENT PLEA:  The following is an urgent plea on a 4 week old black kitten that just arrived.  She's being syringe fed and isn't in the general cat population.  She's an angel!  You'll be able to tell that I'm already in love....


Please let me know right away if you can help this darling kitten. 

I feel like I'm slowly getting my life back again.....thank you for the love and encouragement. :)

Singing the Rescue Song

Despite all the empty cages after the Monday euthanasia day, it felt *right* to be at the shelter. I was asked by another rescue to rescue a cat to insure the right fit for a foster home. I've always said that playing "cat matchmaker" was something that I do the best.  There's a lot of things that I don't do well, but I take pride in my ability to match the right cat with the right person.  I'm hoping that today was no exception.

I ended up rescuing "Ozzy" who had been at the shelter for 2+ grueling months:

Ozzy had already been neutered, and the shelter vaccinated him for me and he was good to go! This guy was SOOOO happy to be out of the cage. He pranced around the cat room at the shelter! He rubbed. He purr'd. He meow'd. He gave love bites. He was overjoyed!! I got to sing my "rescue song" to him so that made us both pretty darn happy.

Of course, a rescue wouldn't be a rescue without the token poop as we pulled into the vet's parking lot. *sigh*

I had a lovely visit with Bella while I was there. As soon as I saw her, I knew it was her. She was rolling around, rubbing and purring. Clipped to her cage was her health record that the family left, along with a package of Temptation Treats. Did that alleviate their guilt to leave some eff'ing Temptation Treats for her?

 Isn't she precious?  She's a beautiful cat - a little overweight, but who cares?  I had taken a video of her, but it seems YouTube isn't cooperating.  I'll post it later if YouTube gets it's act together. 

I'm hopeful I can get Bella out of the shelter in the next few days and will let you know.  I'm looking forward to singing a rescue song - just for her. :)

"Company's Coming"

When you work at an Animal Control shelter, I'd assume you'd get to the point where "I've heard everything."  But when I received an incredulous email from Kim who works at Animal Control, I knew that this cat's story deserved to be told.

Actually?  There really isn't a story.  "Bella" was surrendered to the shelter by her owners because...

"She's scared when people come over to visit."

Yeah.  That's the reason that was given by Bella's loyal family.   So this beautiful, (did I mention that she's sweeeeeet?) spayed, declawed, girl will die (unless she's rescued) because she doesn't like it when company comes over.

I hope somebody can help her.  Because Bella is an owner surrender, the shelter doesn't have to keep her alive for the usual 3 days.  They can kill her at any time. 

"I hope you enjoy your company, you ignorant *&!#@"

My Feet Feel Cold

Imagine my surprise to find 6 messages on my rescue phone line for people interested in cats at the shelter!  (The phone number on the Petfinder shelter site is mine rescue line that rings in my home office)  It wasn't until I listened to all the messages that I realized they were all for the Himalayan and Siamese who are currently there.  Don't get me wrong - they ALL need help.  But it was a bit of a let down since these cats usually don't have a hard time getting out of the shelter this time of year.

There was one call from a woman who is interested in a declawed male cat.  I was thrilled.  She sounded very nice and lives alone.  Her boyfriend comes in from Buffalo a few times per month with his own 13 year old cat.  I must've spent 2 hours with her today on the phone talking about the cats, the shelter, etc.  She called me back a few minutes ago and left a message:  "My boyfriend is worried that a shelter cat would be bringing in a disease that might harm his cat." 

WHATEVER!  She wanted to rescue somebody from THAT shelter.  Now her part-time boyfriend is calling the shots.  I hope she comes to her senses soon. 

I get periodic emails from foster homes (from the former rescue I was with) that tell me about their sick foster cats, etc.  Some of it sounds pretty nasty and the vet bills sound high.  Without knowing of my resignation, they email me and have asked for cats to go to the vets or be moved to another foster home. 

I sit at my desk and think, "Holy crap.  Am I ready to get back into this with my own rescue?"  

When you have your own rescue, you become an island.  You have some support, but mostly the buck stops with the one in charge.  It's a frightening prospect - one that I've done before, and it's not an easy path to take. 

I'm going to keep moving forward, but might need some slippers to keep these cold feet of mine warm. 

ALMOST Wordless Wednesday

If you aren't singing this song compulsively by the end of the video, you need to turn up the volume:

Baby Steps

Every day I've been trying to do some work towards Forever Home Cat Rescue.  It isn't an easy task to start a rescue and I'm still not really sure where this is heading.  Regardless, it feels great to be doing something during the day.  David tells me that I'm starting to micro-manage everybody in the house now that I'm not as busy as I used to be.  I think he was being polite. :) 

The Sunday adoption at the shelter fell through.  While they were waiting, the woman ended up going next door to the SPCA and adopting two kittens - complete with $400.00 adoption fee - and taking them home.  My friend-in-rescue was so upset because she had recommended her.  Upset enough, that she took home little Kiara:

Imagine my delight receiving an email that Kiara had been taken home!  This little polydactyl girl had been languishing at the shelter since August. 

It wasn't such a bad day after all.  Certainly not for Kiara!  :)  I'm not at all upset about the kittens being adopted from next door at the SPCA.  They needed a home too.

I want to ask Kim, "Is anybody rescuing from the shelter right now?"  But I already know the answer, and my heart hurts. 

No rescues.  No public adoptions.  No chance for survival.  They're all sitting there waiting for their turn to die.  I can hardly stand it.   

But I haven't given up. 

A Drawer Sounds About Right

Ever since I resigned, I've been receiving some REALLY cute pictures of cats that I've either rescued or fostered.  I wish people knew how much this warms the soul for any foster parent to receive pictures like this:

I almost wish I could crawl in that drawer with him.  Sunday didn't turn out like I had planned.  I'll talk more about it tomorrow when I'm in a better frame of mind.  It's been a roller coaster of emotions today, and I'm ready to get off the ride. 

"Move over little orange dude, I'm coming in...!"

On The Job

I've had a lot of fun reading all the names y'all think would be great for a cat rescue.  It's sad that the "market" is so saturated with rescues that it's not so easy to find a good name, that I don't have to spell, has available name and web presence AND (most importantly) represents what I want to do!  That being said, I've decided *IF* I were going to start my own rescue, I would call it:

Forever Home Cat Rescue

I think that will be the ticket :)  For now, that's the name I will use to do adoptions at the shelter.  I think it speaks volumes.
 
Kim sent me a list of the cats that are MOST urgent at the shelter.  Although ALL the cats are eventually killed, these are the cats that have lived in a tiny microwave-sized cage for a long time.  It horrifies me that after all they've been through, they could end up dead:

Mya- been here since July 26
Edison- been here since Aug 3
Mr. Billings-been here since Aug 11
Lema-been here since Aug 14
Siblings- been here since Aug 25
Kiara- been here since Aug 25
MaryKate & Ashley- been here since Aug 28
Ozzie- been here since Aug 30
Wylie- Sept 10
Brayton- Sept 11
Nadia- Sept 12
Rodney - been here since Sept 13
Randy - been here since Sept 13
Sherra - been here since Sept 27

All of the cats listed are healthy, vaccinated, dewormed, flea treated and desperate to be loved.  They are shelter favourites and very adoptable.
Please use the link to the right of this page that says, "Cats that Need to be Rescued Urgently", to see their pictures. 

Forever Home Cat Rescue is on the job and is meeting a prospective ADOPTER on Sunday!!! 

Happy days are here again!  :)  

Keeping Me Lifted

Some days I feel like somebody is holding me up under my arms and keeping me going. The emails that have come in since my last blog post have made me laugh and they've made me cry with joy. It's given me reason to think about rescue in a way that I hadn't considered for a long time. I've had a "all things are possible" attitude today, thanks to those comments and emails.

Remember "Prissy" the little waif who was scheduled for euthanasia at the shelter?

Prissy is now "Ilona" and more than 4 pounds of sweetness!  Her foster Mom has decided to give her a forever home:

I never get tired of pictures like this. :)   It just doesn't get any better than this! 

I can't believe the number of emails I received from people asking me what the "ugly cat bed" I bought looked like.   For your amusement:

This is Phoebe.  Every multi-cat home has a Diva, and Phoebe is our resident dilute calico diva.  She sat in that ugly cat bed taking swipes at anybody who tried to oust her.  Hard to believe that this cat bed was originally $52.99.  I paid $25.00, which was STILL $20.00 too much!   I give it 48 hours before somebody pee's in it. 

Thank you for keeping me lifted in your thoughts and emails.  You have no idea how much it means to me. 

"It's a Start, right?"

I'm back to doing something that I really enjoy doing.  I'm working with the high volume shelter doing adoptions (that aren't really supposed to happen) through their Petfinder website.  There's no adoption fee to adopt a cat from this shelter, but I still need to insure that the cats are going to a good home.  Sometimes death at the shelter is a better choice than going home with some idiot who won't take care of you. 

I had stopped doing these kind of "courtesy adoptions" when I was a board member at the former rescue.  I was too busy and exhausted from being on the phone all the time.  Adding to my time on the phone seemed unreasonable and ridiculously stressful.  (Ask my mother, who I never called because I was so tired of being on the phone!) 

When a cat is adopted through this shelter (that doesn't permit public adoptions), I have to sign the cat out under a rescue's name.  Looks like I have to think up a rescue name!  :)  I probably should take some better pictures of the more urgent cats and see if I can promote them.   I should also go out to the shelter and reacquaint myself with the cats again. 

It's a start, right?

I stopped looking at the high volume shelter's website for quite some time.  It hurt too much, and I was angry at the politics going on over there.  Maybe now I have more time and the "huevos" (balls) to deal with such nonsense.  After what I've been through recently, I feel like anything is possible. 

Here's some urgent guys that have caught my attention, that I understand are VERY VERY sweet:

The vet tech at the shelter emailed me about "Mr. Billings" (above).  She said he's SOOOO sweet and adorable.   She often gets stuck with marking the cats for euthanasia.  She hasn't been able to mark Mr. Billings and he's been at the shelter since July.  :(   All three of the cats above have already been neutered and can be vaccinated, dewormed and flea treated. 

No adoption fee, and promises of a feline love fest!  But I guess I'm preaching to the choir.  :)
 

Contemplating

It's been a whirlwind week as I've been working through my new life.   Meals are better, my house is cleaner, and my mother is thrilled that I've been calling her more often.  It felt odd that there were no cat-related emergency calls over the Canadian Thanksgiving. 

I've received more than 100 emails from friends about my resignation from the rescue.  They all shared the same sadness that I have for the cats that I cannot help at this point.

David surprised me the other night when he said that I should start my own rescue.  My own rescue takes money that I really don't have right now.  It would be great if every cat I rescued came with a tag that said, "I'm certifiably healthy and won't cost the rescue any money."  But we all know things don't work that way.  It would be great if I could start with some padding.  Years ago when I was President of another rescue, I would spend about $2000.00 per month of my own money just to keep up the rescue's veterinary bills.  I don't want to be in that position again. 

David thinks it would probably be cheaper in the long run to have my own rescue rather than spending $$$ at the stores like I have this week with all the extra time on my hands.  C'mon....it wasn't THAT bad!

Needless to say, I'm feeling much better and much, much happier about my decision to leave the rescue.  Part of me feels guilty about the "happy part", because of the cats at the shelter, but I truly feel as if I have been neglecting myself for far too long.  I didn't realize it until I woke up 5 days in a row feeling like a million bucks. 

Yes, I have moments where I'm chomping at the bit to dig back in, but today wasn't one of them.  Today, I went grocery shopping and spent $25.00 on a REALLY ugly fluffy cat bed at the pet store...

 ...I couldn't help but think that the $25.00 spent would be a vaccination for a cat in need...

Soaking in Some Love

I'm not sure why it always seems to work out that David is out of town and there's some sort of personal crisis going on.  He's in Philadelphia for some geeky World Championship Bridge Tournament.  I should be more supportive, but I found myself being irritated and hanging up on him too quickly as he was saying the sweet "good bye-I-Love-you's".  I feel badly, so now I sit and wait for the 8 pm break call back to apologize.  If you're married or in a relationship, you know the drill.

Certainly I haven't been lacking in love and support from my friends.  Waking up this morning to an inbox full of emotional encouragement  was incredible.  I felt uplifted - like some invisible force was holding me up under my arms.  I've been reading the blog comments and emails several times.  If somebody took the time to write me, I want to fully allow their kind words to penetrate my heart.  I have allowed myself to feel like such a loser, so you have no idea how much all this means to me right now. 

I've had some rescue opportunities come my way.  I don't think I'm interested in joining another rescue organization at this point.  I really don't want to be mistreated again.  Of course, I sit here and think about the cats in the shelters and wonder how soon I can pull myself together so that I can rescue them. 

Gah! 

The Unwind

Nothing in my 20 years of business and rescue prepared me for last Sunday's Executive meeting.  I'm a self-professed "tough cookie".  I've been through high kill shelters and have held my own beloved pets as they passed over.  I hurt, but I bounce. 

Spending the better part of a beautiful Sunday with women who shared the same passion sounded like the right place to be.  I spent $20.00 in gasoline and drove 1 hour to the meeting place, after dropping off a cat at a local Petsmart store.  With my plate of veggies and dip in my lap I listened dutifully as we went through the agenda. 

One woman who serves on the board, is basically the board piriah.  Nobody likes her, and some offer the periodic eyeball roll, and sympathetic email post-meeting.  They put up with her because she serves the job within the rescue that nobody wants to do. 

She blindsided me that beautiful Sunday afternoon, by bringing up an offensive email that I sent 2 weeks ago.  Rather than telling me that she was offended at the time the email was sent, she build up 2 weeks worth of hostility and verbally attacked me at the meeting.  Please know, that we usually anticipate this person to do something completely socially stupid at these meetings.  It's expected.  What I didn't expect is that while this woman was berating me on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, I watched in horror as my peers said nothing as they watched this drama unfold.  They were practically whistling at the ceiling. 

I felt humiliated.  I couldn't speak as I choked back the tears.  Eventually, I excused myself to go cry in the washroom.  Honestly, nothing I said in that email warranted that sort of behaviour.   Surely when I went back to the meeting, somebody would say *something* to reassure me.  No.  They had gone onto the next topic.

I work 40-60 hours per week for this rescue for free.  I'm at my computer at 7:30 am, and am still working at 10 pm - 7 days per week.   I'm the only one that was available during the day.  My gasoline bill was $800.00 per month.  I waited for two days for somebody to explain to me what happened.  

Nobody called.  It was silent.  My heart and soul hurt like never before. 

I made a terrible mistake.  I thought that these women were my friends - I felt used and humiliated.  I mistook a business relationship for friendship.  Silly me. 

After careful consideration and lots of tears, I sent in my resignation on Tuesday.  I didn't expect that  pushing the "Send" button would give me a feeling of freedom that I hadn't felt in a long time. 

Finally today, I received the token email  from the board's 19 year old board member, who obviously drew the short straw: 
"The remaining executive would like to thank you for your commitment to (the rescue).
We respect your request to resign and hope that your future endeavors in cat rescue work will prove fruitful for you."

"Fruitful"?  Really? 

I woke up this morning to an unfamiliar feeling of relief.  I didn't check my email until 10 a.m, and I went to a bookstore and read one of my new books by the fire this afternoon.  It was heavenly.  I put my hair in hot rollers and cleaned out my cosmetic drawer. 

As I unwind my deep roots within this rescue, I am comforted by the lesson that I learned.  At almost 50 years old, I didn't think there was that much life could still teach me. 

But life has a different plan for me.  You'll see... :)

The Blog Title

I've been thinking this afternoon about the title of this blog being "House of the Discarded".  I know that many people think that this represents the shelters from which I rescue. 

But that isn't the case.

"House of the Discarded" is my house.  It's a house full of cats and a dog that nobody wanted and at one time were tossed out like garbage.  The title represents everything about my life, my home, those that I love, and love me back.  The title represents some my darkest moments in which I've publically shared them. 

Maybe that's why I relate to the cats in the shelter.  Maybe that's why you can relate to me.  We've all felt vulnerable, and discarded at some point in our lives.

Like the cats, dog and people I live with, I'm grateful for every day.

"Before"

"After"

Thank you for taking the journey with me. 

A Saturday Morning Update

I don't usually wait this long between posts, but it's been a few days that have left me scratching my head and wondering what the heck is going on!  I spent one night in the Emergency Room with my son and another evening in the Emergency Room with my husband.  Both are totally fine now, thankyouverymuch.  But I'm exhausted! 

The day after the all-nighter with my son, I tried to compose an intelligent email and realized after pushing the send button that I what I responded with was totally lame.  I put on my robe and went back to bed.  Sometimes it's best just to keep your mouth shut. 

I'm happy to report that ALL of sad black cats from the rural shelter from my September 27th post have been rescued!   Of course, we're sitting here wondering where they're going to go, but at least they're safe.  The vet that neutered them said both cats drank 3 bowls of water immediately and ate 4 bowls of food.  It's a sad state that they don't properly feed the cats in their care. 

Foster parents Nicole and Shelley have rescued some little souls from the high volume shelter yesterday:

It was nice to see these guys sitting on a towel with a little toy in their cage.  I need a "kitten fix" too. 

Today?  I'm playing "Shuffle the cats".  We've had (far too many) emergency situations with several of our foster homes which have added to cats needing to be moved.  We're keeping our heads above water, but what we really need are a bunch of adoptions along with some new foster homes. 

Wow.  "Emergency situations".  "Need Adoptions".  "Need Foster Homes". 

Where have I heard that before?