Back To The Shelter...

After a month long Sabbatical from rescuing at the "high-kill" shelter, I was back there today with an empty cat carrier in hand.  It was really nice to see the familiar faces.  My fear of staff being angry with me for going to a different shelter to rescue was nonsense - it was like they saw me yesterday.

There were very very few cats at the shelter.  In fact, I was shocked to see maybe...um...15?  (Don't quote me on that one - I didn't count!)  Anyway, my rescue mission was to pick up this cute guy:

What a sweetheart!  He was completely happy in my arms. :)

I walked into another room and came across this pathetic little thing:

This little guy licked my face like a dog and rubbed his little black lips all over my face.  He's now happily ensconced at "Casa de Turner".  :)  He's bombing around the house and rubbing up on every cat. 

This afternoon, I met with a foster Mom and our "Million $$$ man Oscar The Himalayan". (if you don't know who this guy is, you can read about him here.) We met up at the veterinary referral clinic Opthamologist.  (*sigh*) Not only did our loveable mutant little freak have entropian eyelashes and Cryptorchidism, but he also has cataracts and cysts in his eyes.  Poor little man is only 6 months old.

There's no cheap way for a rescue to get out of a veterinary specialists office cheaply - and I didn't get out cheaply this time either.  But I'm grateful to know that we can adopt out our mutant little Himmie with a few caveats to the adopter.  I don't think I can charge an adoption fee, he's going to need a home that will love the little goofball exactly the way he is.  (I know that *I* sure do!)

Thank you Dominoes Pizza.  I'm putting your number on Speed Dial tonight! 

A Friday Ramble

Wow!  Since yesterday's post, I've been receiving a TON of email from enlightened adopters and "cat-people" who have been having situations with their cat like I described yesterday.  I'm so glad I shared that and maybe it'll help you resolve some issues you've had with your pets.   

We were supposed to be snowed in today.  Stupid Environment Canada - we had some rain and I had MAJOR plans to stay in my jammies today and finish our rescue's Charity tax return.  I keep looking at it, sighing, opening Quickbooks, sighing again and putting it all back.  I can do the return - I've done a charities' return before but it's brutal and I'm not looking forward to it. 

Speaking of charities' returns, I was looking on Craigslist in the Pets section yesterday and was shocked to see that The Organization for the Rescue of Animals (ORA)  has had their Charities Licence revoked.  They've been such a huge public advocate regarding the high-kill shelter.  How on earth can they ask for donations with a charity number and not be able to provide tax receipts?  I guess only the animals suffer.

Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.  I do know that I worked like hell to get my charity status and you'd better be sure that I'm going to do whatever I can to keep it.  It was just too hard to get the damn thing.

On a happy note...in October, I wrote a dedication to a couple of special rescuers and an even more special Mom cat and her 8 kittens.  If you missed it, I encourage you to read about it Here.  I'm THRILLED to announce that the Mom "Jolie" was adopted last night!  It was an amazing ending to her very sad story.  This little cat battled ringworm, a roden ulcer and paralyzing URI.  Her new parents are thrilled to pieces with her as we've already had an email:

"Dear Beth & Kim (Note from Beth:  Kim was Jolie's foster Mom

Just wanted to reach out and send you both a great big thanks to you both for such an excellent experience adopting Jolie. The dealings with both of you was beyond great and a pleasure to do so. It would also be my pleasure to recommend Forever Home Cat Rescue to anyone interested in adopting a cat. As for Jolie, she has spent her first night here and sure is a happy little camper J She seems to already be settling in well and enjoying all the new adventuresome places in her/our home. She is eating and drinking well, playing with toys and having a ball. I have taken the day as a work from home day to keep an eye on her and make sure her first day goes well and she’s not alone."

OMG!  He stayed home from work today to be with her!  I love this couple :)

She's going to have a beautiful life.  I wish they could all be so fortunate. 

I've declared this to be a quiet weekend, but that's usually when it's going to be busy.  I think I'm ready for "busy".  (Did I just say that?)

Happy Friday all! 

The "Heat" Goes On

February has been a beautiful month for me.  Very little cat-drama, lots of adoptions and I've been coasting through feeling organized and and content.  It's been blissful having NO sick cats.  But I've had one odd situation that has come up this month....

The rescue has had FOUR cats....FOUR....that have gone into heat after supposedly having spay surgery.  I've been doing cat rescue for many years.  I feel like there's very little a vet could tell me about feline behaviour that I didn't know (silly me!).    In all my years, I've never had this happen and it's happened FOUR times....in a MONTH!

One of our cats was spayed and adopted.  The adopter contacts me and says, "I think she's in heat."  I respond confidently, "Not possible!"  These awesome adopters send me a video of the cat who is obviously in heat!  (Think porn star behaviour)  The vet who did the spay surgery is a friggin' quack - a vet we don't use any longer, so I took her to our A++ vet, who declares the cat in heat and opens her up to find that the stupid FIRST vet leaves BOTH ovaries!!!  ARGH!!!!  This poor cat had TWO spay surgeries - not one.   If you're interested in knowing which vet botched this surgery and live locally, please email me and I'll be happy to tell you.

We've had three more "spayed" cats who have gone into heat - different vets performing the spay surgeries - cats who apparently were already spayed when we rescued them!!  These cats didn't just go into heat - they were pee'ing on things too!  (double *ugh*)  Apparently, if a tiny piece of ovary drops into the abdomen during surgery, the ovary will attach itself to the abdominal wall and try to "reinvent" itself.  Mother nature at her best! 

How could I be doing this for 15+ years and have never had this happen before?  Crazy!

David and I were talking about it and wondering if the proliferation of spay/neuter clinics that have popped up have caused assembly-line-like surgeries where veterinarians are not as careful as they should be? 

Sadly, I'm very aware that this might be the reason these cats who were "already spayed" were dumped at the shelter.  Howling and peeing around the house - and the dimwits figured it was behavioural and didn't bother to go back to the vet. 

Anyhooooo....

I was back at the shelter today rescuing a sweet little girl and delivering her to her foster home.  She was already spayed.....but now I'm suspicious. ;)

To Clarify

Today was "Family Day" in the lovely province of Ontario.  David and I did the usual things couples do when there's a day off - breakfast out, lunch out, and a Starbucks coffee mid-afternoon. When he retires, I might as well just camp out at Weight Watchers.

The phones were quiet, but did have several adoption calls.  Our adoptions over the weekend were fantastic and it looks like we're ready to do another rescue again.  It's been surreal to see the shelters so empty lately.  But I always think, "The Calm Before The Storm..." 

I've had several people recently ask me to post Lost Dog information on my blog, or "Needs Help" on my blog.  One of the reasons I don't do it, is that this isn't the best forum for it.  This isn't a blog about our rescue either.  But it's supposed to be a blog about my life in cat rescue.  It's the same reason I don't put advertisements there too.  (Over the years I've been offered click-thru payment advertising to earn money.) I do talk alot about Forever Home Cat Rescue and have even begged for donations, but that's because the rescue IS a major part of my life.  I hope this makes sense.

I thought about writing a blog for our rescue's website, but I don't think anybody is really that interested so I didn't do it.  :)

Rescues from the high-kill shelter have been HUGE thanks to several wonderful people who have really worked their a$$es off to make it happen.  The rescues aren't mine, but I'm definitely watching it all unfold.  It's so nice to feel like you're really doing something and watching the shelter empty out as you take 7 or 8 cats.  I love this time of year!  Then comes summer and you take out 3 cats and there are 7 people in the waiting area waiting in line to dump their cats, and 50 cats total come in during the day.  Anybody who has read this blog over the years knows I've experienced it over and over and it's very painful.  

I can't imagine after all the negative publicity that this shelter has received over the past year why they haven't moved forward with the first steps towards opening for adoptions.  Maybe they have and I don't know?  You'd think the city would ask,  "Um...we have a shelter that just kills the animals and doesn't allow for adoptions?"  You'd think they would be embarrassed that they have such a redneck situation going on.

Ugh.  I'm burned out on trying to answer that question, and as a rescue, I'm tired of being their only solution to this problem.  Forgive the negativity....just venting a bit. 

Part 4 of The Family Day experience commences in 5 minutes:  Dog Walking.  Although walking a 14 year old dog is more like "Dog Shuffling".  For tonight, I'm OK with that.

"Lucas"

After much deliberation, we decided to rename my recent foster to "Lucas".  Honestly, I'm not sure what fits this guy, but I don't think "Sherman Part 2" would get him adopted any faster.

Lucas has certainly made himself at home.  He has a new BFF in "Sherman":

It's almost like Lucas walked into our home and Sherman was waiting to say, "Hey new guy!  Let me show you all the sh*t they let you do and nobody yells at you!"  *sigh*  Lucas definitely has Sherman-like terrorist qualities.

Lucas was a great help to me today while I did the rescue's bookkeeping:

  While I was eating my lunch at my desk today, I took a phone call and turned my back to my desk to get something out of the filing cabinet....

Obviously, Lucas was trying to help me with my lunch portion size:

I don't think this guy has slept.  Every time I look at him, he's playing, galloping, leaping, prancing, swatting, or jumping.  He's pulled the tablecloth down off my dining room table, and has eaten the dog food.   There's a "Busy Ball" in the house that I swear is constantly in motion:  "Gallop...gallop...gallop...riiiiing....riiiiing.....gallop...gallop...riiing...riiiiing..."  This guy is *EVERYWHERE*.  

He also licks my ear and purrs the moment I pick him up.  His front paws "knead" with joy that he's being touched and loved. He has the biggest feet I've ever seen, which makes him extra clumsy and endearing.

Can you tell I'm really loving this one already? I wonder if David has figured out there's a new tabby in the house?

The Introduction

I was back at the shelter this afternoon.  My house was just a little too quiet after my last foster was adopted and there was a 5 month tabby boy with my name on him.  I think I'm going to name him "Pete", but am wondering if that name is going to stick.

Pete had been at the shelter since before Christmas.  I did something I never do, but when I brought him home I opened the carrier and let him out.  No introductions.  Nothing.  Everybody else seems to do it without a bunch of drama, so I decided to give it a try. 

Pete's been under my bed since his arrival, but heard me sing the "dinner song"  (don't ask.) and came right out.  Ahhh.....food motivated!

I've mentioned this in prior posts, but I must say once again how VERY stressful it is to introduce a new cat to the others.  Good Lord, my stomach is in knots.  I really empathize with adopters who are bringing a new cat home permanently and have to go through the introduction process.  There are moments where I think "What the hell am I doing?? Everything was peaceful until I brought so-and-so home."

But I press on and give comfort to others in the same boat.

We had a prior adopter call today.  She adopted a cat from us months ago and sadly the poor little darling was diagnosed with FIP.  FIP is fatal and the cat wasn't doing well.  I offered my heartfelt condolences and we talked quite some time.  It wasn't until we were about to hang up the phone that the adopter told me that she felt that I should pay for her cat's euthanasia. 

This is the part about rescue I have the hardest time with - dealing with this kind of thing.  It's a tough one, because she was grieving and a very nice lady.  Tough one, because there's no way I feel obligated to pay for a euthanasia on a cat that was adopted months ago. 

But I press on...

The house is quiet as "Pete" (or whatever we're calling this little dude) muddles through the house and figures out where his place belongs in the hierarchy. 

Funny....because I feel the same way most of the time. :)

Hearts and Kisses

Happy Valentine's Day!

 I grabbed this picture from the kind folks at Annex Cat Rescue - pretty cute, eh?   Of course, it's a tabby and I'm in love :)

Today was a busy day!  I had a meeting at an Animal Services location and drove to a different shelter to do a rescue.  My intent was to pick up a very cute orange and white guy for a new foster Mom.  It's funny how things don't always work out the way we think they should.

The new foster Mom is a lively 86 year old lady that really wanted to foster an orange and white cat from the shelter.  She was quite specific. :)  I felt awful when I got to the shelter and found the orange and white guy I intended to rescue was very very nippy. 

The staff directed me to a fat 4 year old grey girl who had been at the shelter since October.  She was depressed and VERY loving.  Her chubby little body had dandruff from stress and dry skin.  She needed love and lots of it. 

She was PERFECT for this senior lady!!

As I drove a very distressed "Tabitha" to her new foster Mom, I prayed silently she wouldn't poop, pee or barf in her carrier.... When we arrived, "Tabitha"  confidently trotted around the apartment and obediently flopped at her foster Mom's feet for belly rubs.  My heart was full and happy.  But would she like the chubby grey girl?

 I carefully thanked her for saving Tabitha as she gently pat the cat's chubby belly.  She looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, "I think we saved each other".

I think so too. :)

Happy Valentines' Day

Shhhh....Quiet Monday

I woke up this morning with a leap!  Mondays are notoriously busy for me and the rescue - especially after a large weekend adoption event!  I jumped into the the shower as any working gal would and ran downstairs to my office.

"Strange.  The phones are quiet."

"10:30 am.  No emails and one phone call about a neuter appointment."

I found myself with the luxury of time and met with a foster Mom at a vet clinic who was taking newly rescued Spencer to be neutered.  It was a happy/sad moment for me.  Happy because it was discovered that Spencer was already neutered!  But sad because he had obviously been abandoned outside.  There was no microchip and lots of lost ads had been put up for months for this guy.  The poor little man.  I wish he could tell me about what happened.  He's a very gentle, sweet guy. 

The day continued to be very quiet.  The rescue's bookkeeping was caught up and laundry folded.  I definitely can *do lazy*, but Monday feels like it should be busy.

But I think I was the only one that felt that way:

Sherman's idea of the perfect Monday.

The Great White knows how to "do Monday".

The adoption event this weekend was a huge success! Friday, EVERY SINGLE CAT was adopted by noon! The rest of the weekend wasn't quite as successful due to some pretty nasty weather. But our volunteers STILL went out in the afternoon and set up the adoption event in one of the Petsmart stores despite the awful conditions. (I love to brag about our volunteers)

I probably should never say that it "wasn't successful". Any time we can talk with people and get the word out about animals who need homes it's a good day.

So that's my Monday. There's no doubt in my mind that things will be crazy again at JUST the moment that I need some peace. So I'll try to enjoy it while I can today. Live in the moment, right?

What Goes Down....Comes Back Up?

A crappy day yesterday seems like distant memory when I'm able to spend 6 hours at a Petsmart Store and completely adopt out EVERY cat we had there today!  It was just me and one other volunteer and we definitely rocked the adoption event!  Honestly?  I don't know if we have enough cats booked to come in tomorrow to make it worth blazing through the snow and ice tomorrow. 

Many thank you's to Shelley who set up the event today by herself and really made all this happen.

We also had one of our special needs cats adopted through one of our foster homes.  We did a mini-fundraiser for Jared back in NOvember who ended up having very expensive knee surgery. Poor Jared would have to be forever on pain medications.  That didn't seem to deter an incredible adopter from giving Jared a fabulous Forever Home! Because Jared was mega-special needs, I waived the adoption fee in lieu of a donation. The adopter paid the adoption fee anyway! :) Bonus!

I also heard about a friendly cat that was obviously dumped in a neighbourhood.  Because the temperature was supposed to drop to -25 tonight, I really felt compelled to meet this guy with hope of rescuing him.  I couldn't leave Petsmart, so one of our volunteers went out to assess him for me:

Although nobody could be sure, but it's possible he's already been neutered.  Anyway, our red head is now safe and warm.  He won't have to worry about freezing tonight.  I wish they could all be so fortunate. 

I'll be thinking of the cats that are cold and have no place to go tonight.  But I'll also be thinking of the soon-to-be-rescued cats that now have a chance thanks to so many adoptions today. 
 
I think I can sleep well tonight. 

   

Tired...Tired

As usual, "What goes up...must come down".  It's been a rough few days.  It's not that adoptions have been bad, or we've had problems with foster parents or cats.  In fact, adoptions have been great and as usual, our volunteers are awesome!

I think these big adoption events make me really rattled.  There's always huge expectations and and I'm spread too thin.  I have problems saying 'no' to the Petsmart stores so now I'm supposed to be in two places at once.  When will I learn that I can't make everybody happy? :)

We have a couple of really cute kittens on our site right now and it's like a feeding frenzy at Sea World.  I've had more than 20 phone calls on them today.  People are getting pissed and I'm tired of answering the phones.  The sad part?  In a few short months there will be more than enough kittens and many will die in the shelters. 

I'm keeping this blog post short tonight.  I'm tired....pizza is coming and I had pizza last night.  I wonder if they'll kick me out of Weight Watchers? :)

"Cow" is our latest rescue.  Does anybody else think he's homely?  He's the world's sweetest little boy, but just a tiny bit "ooogly".  :)

Tuesday Updates

It's always such a treat to take a little romantic-shopping trip with David.  I'm so appreciative to have volunteers who look out for the rescue while I'm nurturing my relationship. (Thank you, Susan!)   I believe rescuers end up getting so caught up in rescue and the animals that they forget about their significant others who need some love too. 

I had a VERY interesting thing happen yesterday.  I decided to get a facial at the hotel where we were staying.  I was relaxed and listening to some wonderful music as the young woman massaged my temples.  She stopped suddenly and said that she is very intuitive and sees "pictures".  I lazily opened my eyes.  I'm not much of a talker while I'm spending money on a facial so wasn't thrilled she was interrupting my Jon Hamm fantasy.  She said that the picture she intuitively received about me was unusual and was hoping if she shared it with me I could give her some insight.  She said: "I see a heart in a steel cage with bars.  Does this mean anything to you?"  I think I sat straight up on the table.  Strange how she could "see" that about me. 

We were back at the shelter today and rescued a couple of sweethearts.  The shelter kindly had both cats spayed and neutered for us and they were lovingly placed into our foster care this afternoon.  Both cats had been at the shelter since early September.  There's no doubt in my mind that rescue was urgent for these guys. 

I just received a text message from a foster parent who took one of these cats this afternoon.  Apparently, he fell asleep on the roommate's lap.  My first thought?  "It must be wonderful to have a lap to sleep on after all this time in a cage!"

There's a large adoption event going on at all North American Petsmart stores this weekend.  We're busy preparing our cats and kittens with hope they'll be adopted this weekend.  I feel like I'm still recuperating from a crazy January and now I'm back to a crazy weekend.  I guess it's all good when it involves adoptions. 

Sadly, we had two kittens pass away after they were adopted last week.  Sure, it happens.  Sure it happens in every rescue, shelter, SPCA - everywhere despite our best efforts to take all the right precautions.  But consoling crying adopters is agonizing.  One of the kittens passed away after being chosen by a 7 year old little girl for her birthday.  The kitten died on this little girl's birthday.  My was heart broken into a bunch of little pieces.  Nobody did anything wrong.  It was just one of those awful things that I consider part of my job and part of rescue. 

Adoptions are great, rescues are good, and my relationship has been nurtured.  I'm feeling a momentary sense of peace and know this is just the calm before the storm of kitten season in the next few months.  I really enjoy this time of year for our foster homes who have been patient for their adult cat adoptions. 

Tonight?  It's all good and I'm going to wallow in it...at least for tonight. :) 

The Box

David and I went to Costco today.   Despite the fact we have hundreds of dollars of cat toys around the house, the preference was obvious:

It started with "Parker" and "Thomas Turner"

Sherman found it to be a delightful Saturday evening snack.

Barbie was going for a tactical take over and Sherman was not impressed.



But nobody messes with "The Great White"

Saturday night at The Turner's.  Yahoo :)

Have Fun. Rescue Some Cats.

I was listening to a radio programme the other day where the discussion involved volunteering.  The lead person indicated that it's imperative that If you volunteer, you get something in return out of it.

I thought about that for a while and wondered what MY "return" was.  I work 40+ hours per week for free, for animals that rip my furniture, snag my clothes and barf on my carpets.  I've had adopters swear at me, and one (former) foster parent steal adoption money from the rescue.   I've had kittens die in my hands and loving volunteers cry on my shoulder.  What the hell is MY "return"?

My personal rescue motto is:  "Have fun.  Rescue some cats". 

If I'm not having fun in some way, I wouldn't do this.  Anybody who reads this blog knows that there are MANY MANY dark days and "fun" seems very distant.    Some days I get hurt so badly I feel like throwing in the towel.  I still don't know what keeps me going during those darker days.   We have one wonderful foster Mom that has been fostering with me for years who ended up with her last 4 foster cats getting VERY sick...now she's got Ringworm in her house.   Where's the fun for her?  Argh. 

"Have Fun.  Rescue some cats" seems almost too simplistic of a mantra.  But I repeat it often and strange as it sounds, it seems to help keep me centered when I'm discouraged or sad.  Maybe because it brings me back to basics.  "Having Fun and Rescuing Some Cats" was the reason I started this rescue.  I wanted to bring nice, loving people together with cats who need homes.   Very few things make me happier than watching a wonderful, loving person adopt a once discarded, abandoned cat who otherwise had no hope.  

I've noticed that my blog posts this week have been void of any real drama.  But I never know what the next week has in store for me.  But for now....I'm going to "Have fun and Rescue Some Cats."

Yeah.  That's right. :)

Peace

I was back at the new shelter today with 2 excited foster parents.  Between us, we rescued seven more cats - for a total of 14 cats over the past 24 hours.  The shelter staff were so excited and it was wonderful to be treated like *a somebody*.  I managed to grab a couple of pictures of the new rescues:

I left one cat at the shelter as the city offered to spay her for me.  (Yes, you read that correctly)  I'll pick her up on Monday. 

So I'm sitting here listening to a little bit of old Burt Bacharach with a fresh haircut and feeling a nice sense of peace for a change.  I know that this kind of peace is short-lived, but I'm going to savour every moment of it.   

New Kid On the Block

Today I rescued 7 cats from a shelter that I had never been to before.   It was a strange experience to be at a shelter where I didn't know the staff or the routines.  But  like any shelter, the cats needed homes and the staff were thrilled to see a rescue come in to help. 

At the shelter where I usually rescue, I could almost count the minutes until a newly rescued cat got sick.  I know where the washroom is, and what staff member was helpful and who wasn't. 

This shelter allowed me to come in and rescue after calling people in the industry and finding out that our rescue is reputable and I'm not a hoarder.   I was impressed that they cared enough about their cats to find out where they were going and what I was doing with them. 

It's still too new to say that I can continue to rescue there, but so far it feels like a decent partnership where there isn't a bunch of political bullshit that is preventing me from actually rescuing cats. 

Sadly, there seems to be more than enough cats everywhere for everybody to rescue.  Believe me, I'd be happy to be out of a volunteer job.  "Sorry Beth, but there are no cats for you to rescue today.  Come back next week." 

Tonight, there are 7 more cats that are out of a cage and into a loving foster home.  I'm going back tomorrow to rescue a few more cuties that need us.  

This time?   I'm going to find out where the bathroom is. 

96

My little "Barbie" was adopted last night.  She's still with me until her Forever family is back from Florida:

It's very hard for me to keep a foster cat after they've been adopted.  I don't want her to get any more settled in to our routine.  I agonize a little longer because my beloved foster cat is leaving soon.   

Barbie's adoption made  January's Adoption #96!!  I'm still astounded that we've adopted out almost 100 cats in a month.  Never have I seen such teamwork from a rescue before!  To give you an idea, I'm usually pretty excited when 50 cats are adopted in one month....but NINETY-SIX?? 

With all the bad stuff I often report, it's nice to have a little brag-fest.  :) 

A Rescue and a Rant

I was at the shelter later than usual this morning.  There seemed to be an overabundance of "things to do before I leave the house" tasks. 

The shelter was incredibly empty.  I should've counted, but there must've been...maybe 20 cats there.  I rescued a very sweet Tortoiseshell female with her 3 two week old nursing kittens.  Apparently, she had accidently suffocated one of the kittens right before I had arrived.  It was nice to rescue a Mom and kittens, something that seems so easily organized when there's no "kitten season desperation factor" involved. 

The SPCA (who shares a building with Animal Control) next door had already been into the shelter yesterday and "stickered" the young cats and kittens. (meaning that nobody else can take them)  Apparently, they still get cherry pick the cats and kittens before rescues.  I must say that although I'm happy when ANY cat is rescued out of Animal Control, I'm completely baffled that AC would allow the SPCA priority over rescues when these people only show up for cats once or twice A YEAR when things get slow over there. 

But the rescues - like mine - are there year around through the good, bad and ugly - Distemper, URI, etc.  We're without money, scrambling and working FOR FREE.  I would love to be able to go into the shelter and know a cute little litter of highly adoptable healthy orange kittens could be offered to a rescue (ANY rescue) BEFORE the paid staff of the SPCA who only show up during the good times.

So this summer when the SPCA takes a litter of highly adoptable kittens from their distraught nursing Mom and leaves the Mom to die, who do you think will be there to help her?  RIGHT - the cat rescues!!! 

I'm a lot more ticked about this than I'm writing here.  I'll end the rant...but I fume about this every year. 

On a happier note, I have a lovely family coming over to meet my foster kitten "Barbie".  I'll miss her.  :)

A Multi-Cultural World

I had to meet with a family today who wanted to give us her 5 kittens.  She was very nice, and apparently the cat got out before she could be spayed.  I don't believe in taking kittens from the public unless there's a plan in place for the Mom.  I've known one rescue in particular that takes kittens from some guy over and over again, but never offers to help him with the Mom cat.  That sounds very wrong to me. 

The kittens were dropped off at the vet clinic where I received a call a few moments later - the vet wanted to adopt one of the kittens!   Grrrrrrrrreat!   That's one adopted, 10 million to go!  :)

 I was talking with another foster Mom today about how difficult it is to screen adopters when I have trouble understanding their English.  Toronto area is a mega-multicultural area with so many different people from so many different walks of life.  Some accents are harder for me to understand than others.  Over the phone, there are some folks who don't sound like they're speaking English at all.  They want to adopt soooo badly, and they sound very frustrated as we both try to muddle through an adoption screening process. 

Every once in a while a get a phone call from a young child asking about adopting a cat.  They sound so cute and it's always for a non-English speaking parent.  I often wonder how what I say translates into their language.  When I screen someone to adopt one of our cats, I rely on the tone of voice and the manner in which they answer the questions to determine honesty and integrity.  I can't do that when I'm speaking with a 7 year old. (hmmm....or can I?) 

Then there are those people who speak English well, but some things don't translate the same way.  For example, I will often get the question:  "How much to buy?"  We all know that rescuers prefer the word "adopt", so I try not to bristle.  Nine times out of ten, the adopter is wonderful and I'm glad that I pressed on with adoption. 

I had no intention of rambling on about this today.  But those of you who read this blog know that I often don't plan what I'm going to write and just start typing.  That's not always a good thing :)

I'm happy that it's Friday and happier to learn that we just "sold out" of cats at one of our Petsmart locations.  (Did I just say, "Sold out"?)  LOL!   Happy Friday!

"Ann-Margaret"

The rescue received a call yesterday from a woman who has had a cat in her back yard for weeks.  Honestly, I probably receive 3 or 4 of these kind of calls daily.  But what inspired us to call her back was the fact that we have a volunteer who lives a few blocks from her AND this cat was dumped in the city where we rescue from the high-kill shelter.  It was only a matter of time that she would be there anyway.

Our volunteer graciously called the woman back and went out to meet this cat.  (Thank you, Shelley!)  My faith in human nature is slowly being restored, because this cat was described as "very sweet" and she was just that - VERY sweet!  The family had made a makeshift shelter for this girl out of a cardboard box, plastic garbage bags and blankets inside.  They obviously tried very hard to make her comfortable.  Our volunteer took her home where she's proven to be fine with other cats (bonus!) and seems very very happy to be inside:

I don't know why, but I want to call her Ann-Margaret.  (Most normal people would want to name her "Smudge") Her face tells me that she has a story to tell. I wish I knew it. I have a feeling she's a very interesting girl.

We have a new one for the list:  "Stupid Reason To Get Rid of Your Cat" .  Ready?  "It's not snuggly enough and it hurts my sons feelings when he tries to snuggle with the cat and the cat won't snuggle back with him." 

I'm flabbergasted .  Gratefully, I wasn't speechless when that EXACT stupid reason came across my desk a few days ago.  Holy shit - stupid people. 
We're finally winding down to the end of a ridiculously busy month. I think our volunteers are exhausted. (I know I am) I woke up this morning feeling that I was on the otherside of the flu bug, only to get dressed, and be completely exhausted after blow drying my hair. Obviously, my body disagrees with my recovery :)

Today is my 800th post. EIGHT-HUNDRED?!!  It's hard to believe I've had enough to say to make 800 blog posts.  Amazing that we "animal people" will read posts on cat poop and be able to relate.  :)

Anyhooooo......Ann-Margaret, you're a fortunate girl and we're happy to find you a great home.  Welcome, little girl.  "Please don't be pregnant...please don't be pregnant...."

From The Sick Room

There are very few things worse than a case of the stomach flu, but yesterday allowed me to reacquaint myself with my porcelain friend.  I won't go into details, because I'm still ridiculously sick, but am glad to still be alive this morning.  :)

While I was crawling into the washroom on my hands and knees, a volunteer was at the shelter rescuing "Josie" and 3 adorable kittens:

Josie had been at the shelter since before Christmas and was quite depressed.  I'm happy to say that Josie went from the shelter to an AMAZING Forever Home:

She waited a long time.  Doesn't this picture make her look like she's lived there forever?  It was taken shortly after her rescue.  Bless her little heart.

Going back to bed with happier thoughts of the day.

Some Happy Updates!

I woke up this morning thinking today would be insanely busy, but as the morning progressed I found my calendar slowly clearing.  I love it when that happens! 

An Update on Cutie Pie. You might remember this pitiful little sweetie:

He's quickly blossomed into a wonderful, loving housecat.  In fact, it's been reported that he's quite smitten with the foster Mom's dog.  We renamed him "Wesley", but I think he'll always be a "Cutie Pie" to me.

A few weeks ago, I put out an embarrassing post-Christmas plea for donations for Oscar, the Himalayan that needed eye surgery.   I'm thrilled to report that we ended up with enough donations to JUST cover his eye surgery!  Right now, we're praying that he won't need a second surgery.  We'll know in two weeks.  His eyes look GREAT:

(Once again, I can't figure out how this picture became rotated this way.  But you'll get the idea!)

I received a really neat letter in my regular mail this morning.  I thought the art of letter writing was long gone and was thrilled to receive a lovely 4 page handwritten letter from England this afternoon!  Jackie told me how she adopted a little black cat from the shelter that had been in a cage for 6 months and nobody wanted her.  Her pictures that she sent me spoke volumes for the happy ending that Kitty received with Jackie:

Thank you, Jackie for taking the time to write me.  It meant a lot and will remain in my scrapbook with other emails and letters that have great meaning to me. 

I love it when days that I dread turn out to be days that I treasure.  Thank you all for making that possible.

Friday!

It's been a long week without David.  Talking long distance and trying to communicate the day's events are never the same as in person.  He should arrive in the next hour or two and I know one little dilute calico named "Phoebe" that is anxious to see her Daddy.  :)

I've spent the day working on our affiliated veterinarian's list.  I think of our vets the way I did about a really terrific babysitter:   (I remember when my kids were little and I had a list of great babysitters that I'd guard with my life.)  I'm very private about who I work with and what I pay. I go through our vet bills with a fine tooth comb and am never surprised to see mistakes.  Some of our vets work with quite a few rescues, and I can't afford to pay another rescue's bills!  

Our adoption lines have slowed down a little bit.  It's a nice change as the first two weeks in January were insane.  I'm grateful that I was alone this week because I was on the phone for HOURS with adoption calls.

I decided to not call the CBC back after their request to talk about the Gas Station cats.  One person made a comment on that blog post that really resonated with me.  Last time I had any major publicity I didn't end up with donations or adoptions, but dozens and dozens of people wanting to dump their cats.  I thought about going on a local programme "Animal Housecalls".  I've done it before, but never had any more adoptions or donations - just people begging for help.  In fact, after that little blip in the local newspaper, I had 6 phone calls today from people wanting help with their cats - and I don't even take cats from the public.  Argh.

I've missed going to the shelter this week.  I think I went only once.  Our time at two Petsmarts are 10 days from closing out for the month,  (Thank God) so I need to insure proper foster space for cats that haven't been adopted.  It's been an awesome month at these two new locations and a very different experience from our last PS location.  Everybody is happy and relaxed. 

I have a corner in my office where I keep our rescue's banners, posters, etc.  I found Sherman in the best spot in the house:

"Baked Sherman"

Happy Friday to all....may you find YOUR special spot near the heater too. 

Happy Stuff

As I type this blogpost, Josh is on his way to his new foster home. I'm sure he's wondering what the heck is going on his life and what happened to his former life. I'm glad we were able to skip the shelter this time and give him a chance without ever having set foot in there.

Today was a far more mellow day for me - just providing some cat taxi service for a spay surgery.  Laundry was on the docket for the afternoon.  It never ceases to bewilder me that when I put out a laundry basket on the kitchen table, I end up with a line up a mile long to partake in "The Splendor That Is the Laundry Basket"

Everytime I walked by, there was a different cat in the basket and another one waiting to get in! 

You might remember an older orange girl that I rescued back in December.  Her name was Morla. I'm pleased to announce that Morla (now "Peachy") is Forever Home! In fact, she never made it on our rescue's website because her foster Mom fell in love with her:

Our little rescue was in the news again this morning:  Gas Station Cats Need Help.  The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Centre) got wind of the article and called me this afternoon for an interview.  I'm definitely not a colony cat expert and feel extremely underqualified to comment.  But I can certainly comment on behalf of these cats and every cat that is homeless and needs help.  Let's hope the publicity gets these guys some help to be trapped, spayed, neutered and (hopefully) socialized. 

I forgot to mention that I been to the shelter yesterday and picked out a REALLY cute black cat for rescue:

The shelter staff made it possible for our handsome boy to be delivered to his foster home!  What service!  (It's such a shame that some people think that this shelter is all about "killing animals" and that nobody cares.)

Nice to have some happy things to write about today.  David is still out of town and the 10 minute long distance calls to Portugual we've been having just isn't the same as sitting by the fireplace at night and chatting about our days. 

Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

I feel like a drenched rat today.  It started with meeting a woman who had been helping a small colony of cats who were living under a dumpster.  She had promised me that they were "Very Friendly" and about "10-12 weeks old". 

Truth?  They were 5 months old and I couldn't touch them.  I drove 40 minutes to get there this morning in dead stop traffic in the rain and pea soup fog.  I hate it when people lie.  I gave her some advice on trapping and some resources, but I really couldn't help her otherwise.  These kittens were on the cusp of adulthood and if she didn't get them in to be fixed within the next week or two, she would end up with hundreds of cats very quickly.  It was all very sad.  I'll think about their little faces when the weather gets colder later this week.

I received a call from a woman a few days ago who had been helping a cat left alone in an apartment after his owner died.  When I arrived to the modest building, she warned me:  "It's pretty bad in there."  But nothing could've prepared me for the smell.  It smelled like someone very very sick had lived there.  It smelled like death.  I'm not sensitive to smells, but I gagged when I walked in:



Even though I said he needed a name, I decided to call him "Josh".  He's being neutered at the vets tomorrow and he needs a foster home.  I introduced him to the vet clinic cat named 'Bob', and he was fine with him.  (Bonus!)

I really feel like I've been stepping out of my comfort zone with regards to rescue.  That's not always a good thing for me, but it's certainly been an education.  It's left me feeling really exhausted.  I can't really remember the last time I felt well rested.  I've been staying up too late while David is away watching reruns of, Hoarders and Intervention - ALL t.v. shows that David hates to watch.  He calls Monday night "Despair Night".  LOL

Early to bed tonight - it's going to be another early morning.... 

 

A Joy-Filled Weekend!

If I'm blogging on a Sunday night, David must be out of town.  He's in Portugual on business and I've spent a Sunday doing nothing but rescue-stuff.  As much as I hate to admit it, it's been wonderful to have some weekend freedom to do what I need to do for the rescue - guilt free!

I went to the shelter today and rescued a cute fluffy tabby kitten that I named "Smuckers", along with "Millie":

I also rescued a very handsome guy named "Malcom":

I can't imagine what this guy must've been thinking when I sang my Rescue Song:



It was very quiet at the shelter today.  There weren't many cats.  While I was there a tearful family was reunited with their beloved dog.  Such a joyful reunion!  I wish they could all be loved and missed like this dog. 

I'm VERY happy to say that we had 3 BLACK cat adoptions this weekend *AND* our little Twinkle was adopted into a magnificent home!   We've been having trouble keeping our Petsmart Adoption Centres "stocked" with cats, as adoptions have been incredible!  

What a joy-filled weekend!  I'm going back to the shelter tomorrow....there's a little girl that I can't stop thinking about and she needs me us. 

Ring-a-Ding

I had hoped that this morning's snowstorm would allow me some much needed administrative time for the rescue.  But it turned out that many people stayed home from work today and on the internet. 

Seriously, I don't think the rescue's phone line stopped ringing all day!  The adoptions have been amazing and it's been very exciting around here. 

On a sad note, I heard that a woman brought a VERY pregnant cat to the SPCA (The SPCA and Animal Control share a building...I rescue from Animal Control).  Not only was her cat very pregnant, but she also had a litter of nursing kittens with her. 

Read Carefully:  The SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS took the kittens away from the very pregnant Mom, and sent the woman to Animal Control with the pregnant Mom where she will be killed if not rescued.  She's an "owner surrender", so the shelter is under no obligation to keep the Mom for 3 days. 

Honestly.  Why do they call themselves the SPCA?  (A City Pound is different.  They can't say "no". ) In all fairness, I'm not an expert on the SPCA - but they seem very poorly managed to say the least.  I hear so much bullshit, that it makes me wonder why the crazy protesters are bothering with a city pound and not asking questions of the SPCA.

I'm having a hard time concentrating on this blog post.  The phone has not stopped ringing and continues to interrupt my concentration.  This might be an Advil night :)

Happy Friday :)

A Clean Refrigerator and Me

I cleaned out my refrigerator today.  I can't tell you how good it feels to have a clean refrigerator.  Doing animal rescue doesn't usually leave time for the little things like clean refrigerators, clean baseboards or a swept front porch.  Between a clean refrigerator and a Weight Watchers meeting, I'm feeling like a wild woman. 

The update from Cutie Pie's foster Mom is all good! She said he was the perfect little guy and told a rather endearing story:

"I have two litter boxes with lids in my basement but decided to take one lid off just in case Cutie Pie isn't used to using a litterbox with a lid. I lay it on the floor. I woke up this morning and brought some food for him in the basement. When I called out his name, there was no response. I couldn't find him. I started to panic a bit until I looked over and found him curled up in a ball in the litterbox lid lying on the floor. I ALMOST STARTED CRYING! It was like he was so used to being in that little house that Andrea made."

Bless his little heart.  :)

I've been trying harder to reach out for help which isn't always easy for me to do.  I'm going to have to remember how I felt taking the time to clean my refrigerator AND go to a Weight Watchers meeting on the same day.  Asking volunteers take over some of the day-to-day tasks have definitely made my load a lot lighter.

Apparently, they've cancelled the "vet day" at the shelter tomorrow.  Looks like we have some additional time to rescue some more cats!  I *almost* went out there today after receiving a call from a friend-in-rescue who wanted a cute orange guy rescued.  I had a brief moment of relief when I saw the rainy weather and was grateful I didn't have to leave the house this afternoon.

....as the fire crackles in the fireplace, I can't help but think of the ones that are out in the cold rain tonight, or in a cold steel cage.  Maybe I should've gone to the shelter today afterall.

"Cutie Pie"

Volunteers who do "stray cat rescuing" amaze me.  When I go into the shelter, I have a captive audience.  The cats must deal with me and I'm able to fairly easily assess them for their personality, etc.  But people who rescue cats from the streets have fewer options than I do.

I received an email from a friend-in-rescue the other day.  Her house is full and she's been feeding a little guy she named "Cutie Pie" at her front porch.  CP is about 7 months old and despite her best efforts at finding his home, apparently it was just another "discarded cat".  She had built a shelter for him over the past few weeks on her front porch:

It has a warming disc in it and a flaps to keep wind out.  But with the bad weather coming in, she sent me some pictures with hope I could help him.

Let's put this on the record:  I do not like taking cats from the public.  There.  I said it.  In the 20 years that I've been doing this, I've found that the public often lies about the health and personality of the cats.  Very few people tell you that the cat pee's on the bed, etc. 

That being said, Stray Rescuers often lose sight over what "Friendly" really means.  They're so used to being hissed at, growled at and ran from.  To me, "Friendly" means I can pick up the cat, hold him and kiss him. 

So when I heard that CP was VERY friendly I was cautious. 

My rescuer friend wasn't home, but I drove into the city anyway with Temptation Treats in hand to try to lure this guy from his warm hidey spot. 

Temptation Treats were not necessary.

This guy came bolting out of his warm hiding spot and started rubbing around my ankles.  He was purring.  He was chirping at me.  I leaned down to pick him up and kissed him and fell in love.  He was adorable and exactly as my friend had described:

There's no doubt in my mind that this handsome boy with 4-white feet would've been killed on the street or was within 30 days of becoming sexually mature and making kittens, fighting and becoming just another street cat.

I really feel like I did something today by saving this guy.  Sure, rescuing from the shelter is important too.  Those cats have NO chance.  But I honestly don't think this guy had much of a chance either.  I dropped him off at our vet for a neuter and I'm hoping a foster Mom calls me back shortly about taking him.  Either that or he's coming to the House of the Discarded (my house) tonight. 

I sort of hope he comes to my house.  I really like this guy:

Mutant Ninja Himmie

First, I want to thank those of you who donated to help "Oscar the Himalayan".  His surgery is done and I'm betting he's feeling better now that his eye lashes aren't digging into his corneas:

(I tried and tried to fix that picture so it wasn't upside down, but for some reason, my photo software wasn't coooperating.)

The poor little mutant guy also had undescended testicles, so he had a spay surgery at the same time.  Thank you all so much for your help.  I did receive the vet bill today and almost fainted.  :)

I went to the shelter today and was happy to find that there were very few cats.  They euthanized one poor soul this morning because he was quite ill. 

I rescued a little tortie girl today.  Another rescue took her 2 sisters, but she was left behind. Their owner had died and the family left the three of them:

She's VERY sweet and I'm so glad I took her.  Poor little angel had been there since before Christmas.  She was kneading in the air while she looked at me.  I couldn't leave her.

My January has turned out as chaotic as I had expected.  Being in two Petsmarts at the same time wasn't the best idea I ever had, but we're managing.   David goes out of town for a week next week and quite frankly, I'm glad he's going.  It'll give me some much needed "without guilt" working time for the rescue.  I've been glued to my desk until 9 pm every evening making calls - each time feeling soooo guilty that David's being neglected.  He never complains and maybe I should be worried about that.  :)

Thank you again for all your help with our little Himalayan Wonder Boy.  The vet said he might need a second surgery, but we won't know for another 4 weeks.  Ugh. 

Oscar The Himalayan

Last week as I pulled into the shelter parking lot, I saw a woman carrying a little bundle wrapped in blankets.  I'm always on alert for that sort of thing, and I had sort of hoped it was a baby and not a cat. 

But it was a cat.

I bolted up to the woman (probably startling her) and we walked inside together.  She carefully unwrapped the "package" and I found a very small Himalayan.  He had an obvious eye infection and I carefully opened his mouth to see VERY VERY tiny white teeth.  This Himmie is a kitten!  Turns out, he's about 4 or 5 months old of a purring love machine.  He was kneading in the air and I found myself falling in love with this sweetie. 

One of the staff members at the shelter happily took him home to foster (Thanks, Tiff!), and named him "Oscar".   We figured getting his eyes fixed up would be a *snap*. 

*sigh*....no such luck.

His foster Mom took him to the vets and found that Oscar had "the worst case of Entropic eye lashes" the vet had ever seen.  Entropion is when the eye lids are turned inwards and the eyelashes rub against the cornea of the eyes.  It's painful and requires expensive surgery.  You can't just pluck out the eyelashes because they grow back.

 No wonder he was being dumped at the shelter.  The owner probably got the bad news about his eyes and couldn't afford the surgery. 

Of course, I'm taking on a special needs guy just when Christmas bills are coming in for people and asking for donations feels almost....embarrassing.  But I'm going to HAVE do it...

He's currently at our vet clinic waiting for his surgery.   Look how cute he is!!!!!!!   

Friday In The Land of the Discarded

It was another busy day in the Land of the Discarded.  I left early this morning to do another rescue at the shelter and left with "Walter" a fluffy adult brown tabby.  (His picture has been deleted off Petfinder or I would've posted it)  I quickly fell in love with a 5 month old grey kitten that I rescued too. 

I was saddened to find that they had euthanized a declawed boy named "Perry" stating that he was sick.  There were very few cats at the shelter.  Not a happy place to be after they killed so many.  Lots of empty cages being cleaned.  I hope they died peacefully and once again, I found myself apologizing for being human.

There's a senior guy at the shelter named "Herman":

Oh. my. gosh.  He's SOO sweet!  I'm sure he should've been euthanized by now, but he's obviously become a shelter favourite.  He's not THAT senior - 10 years old or so.  LOVE him! 

Maybe I had orange on the brain today, but I also loved a cutie named "Cheetoh":

I was surprised to find out he was an unneutered male cat.  He didn't have that beat-up-lookin-for-girls look.  I have a feeling he has been indoors and somebody got tired of him spraying and dumped him.  He's SWEET and doesn't know why he's there. 

My own foster guy "Lloyd" is very sick with Calici virus.  He's pitiful and I keep finding him hiding with goopy eyes and drooling.  He's been to the vet so there's not much left to do but make sure he's hydrated.  In the meantime, he looks awful.  I keep warming up Fancy Feast Grilled Tuna (aka: "Kitty Crack") to keep him interested in food. 

I'm glad it's Friday.  For me, Friday isn't much different from any other day of the week because it's a 7 day per week volunteer job.  But David's home and I've got some support with day-to-day household stuff.  I think I need something fun to do - even if it's just a movie or some shopping.  Maybe I'll leave my cell phone home for a few hours.  (or maybe not.)  :)

Happy Friday!

Mittens: An "After" Story

Over the New Year's holiday I received an email that made my heart skip a beat.  Months ago, I blogged about a cat named Mittens.

Her situation was dire.  She was a big girl and needed help immediately.  After seeing my urgent blog post, she was rescued a few days later by Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue.  I was over-the-moon happy and I figured that was the last I would hear about Mittens. 

Then I got the following email:  (posted with permission and edited for length)

"Dear Beth,
It took four months to find you.
I am sure that you remember Mittens to whom you gave another chance by posting a very touching story about her on your blog.

I am her mom.

Long story short, to show my gratitude to you in person I went to SPCA to meet you up with a bag of gifts the other day. I've been preparing that moment for weeks thinking about the
moment that I finally hug you and telling you how your writing makes my commitment for Mittens ever strengthen. I even saved your posting in my phone and revisit quite often and I
have to confess that I just can't shed my tears each time!...Mittens, now Leena is doing great, happy and content.
She is cared and loved dearly and now the gem of my life. Just let you know that you gave me a tremendous gift and that she won't be sent any where ever!

She is my family.

She fills our empty nest...
Now she's snoring beside me while I am writing to you. She's taking a nap on her favorite spot, a window seat. Her snoring even sounds lovely!

Many many thanks and our love to you.
What you are doing has a great impact on people like me. You not just save cats but hearts and souls.
Because of Leena I now see all the animals with warm heart and in more compassionate way. She enlightens our daily lives and enriches colors our routines.

With Love I hope you have a great 2012 and health and sanity to continue your good deed.

Leena's mom"

Just copying that email makes me cry!  I think I've read it a hundred times since it arrived.  Then came the pictures:

I didn't need a Christmas present this year.  This was by far THE BEST present that anybody could've ever given me.  Thank you to Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue for doing the hard part - rescuing this sweet girl for somebody else to love.

Whiny Wednesday

I think I've been burning the candle at both ends since before Christmas.  I've been waking up feeling stressed and tired and my day hasn't started yet.  Today was another pick up/drop off sort of day, but I was still gone all day! 

To those of you who work 8 hour days, you might say "Quit yer whinin',Beth".  But after the long rescue days, I also have long evenings filled with phone calls, emails, and site updates.  Since I've been typing this blog post, I've answered the phone 4 times.  Crazy stuff!  Our volunteers have been completely wonderful and going above and beyond the call of duty to help me.  I can't imagine what it would be like if I didn't have the kind of help that I have. 

One of our volunteers has pneumonia and went to the shelter for me today  (Thank you, Shelley!) to save "Peggy":

Peggy was considered "Special Needs" as she is missing her left rear foot.  I was afraid because of this disability the city would see fit to euthanize her.  She is absolutely darling and was an instant success after rescue today:

I knew this month would be crazy with going into two NEW Petsmart stores for the same month.  But I didn't bet on being sick.  I'm on my 2nd round of antibiotics and now I've got a swollen right eye - (think Popeye) and am on antibiotic drops for that.  Good Grief.  Even my haircut and colour today didn't improve my appearance.  :)

Anyhoooo....don't worry about me.  (I'm FINE, Mom!)  It's rescue business as usual.  Just moving a little slower and going to bed a little earlier.  I really love my life...really!!!

Another rescue tomorrow....

Catching Up....

It was the kind of day where I put my coat on and left the house at 10:30.  I didn't take it off until 4:30 this afternoon.  I never stopped today!  From the foster parent's home, to Petsmart, to the shelter, to the vets, to the pet store for cat food, to a doctor's appointment, to the pharmacy.  I didn't have lunch until I dropped off a cat at a foster home, and she had turkey rice soup for me - to go!  Bless her heart...it was the only food I had all day!  (Note to my family:  Dinner is going to be late and I dare you to complain about it!

Whew....(insert deep breath here)

Happy New Year to all!  Last year, on January 3rd I officially opened my rescue.  It's been a year, and we've had 495 adoptions during the course of the year.  That's a staggering number to me.  I never thought that our little rescue would find homes for almost 500 cats!  I don't know what I expected, but I don't think I expected that many!  I had sent out a "Merry Christmas" email to our foster parents the week before Christmas and announced 481 adoptions - but we ended up with 14 more adoptions before the end of the year!

Yesterday, we opened at TWO Petsmart stores.  Thank heavens for our volunteers - I couldn't come close to doing what they did yesterday!  We ended up with NINE adoptions between both stores on the first day!

Thanks for allowing me a brag-fest today.  I feel very blessed.  There are rescues who do more, and rescues who do less - it's all about the cats.  When one finds a home, I'm happy. 

We rescued a very cute guy that I'm dying to name "Mack".  His name is "Freddy" at the shelter, but I definitely think this handsome guy looks like a "Mack":
 

Happy One Year Anniversary to our little rescue, and Happy Four Year Anniversary to my blog.  I'm so proud of everything we've accomplished - the good, the bad, and everything in between.  But most importantly,  thank you for taking the Rescue Rollercoaster Ride with me...