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Walkway Wednesday

So here I am with a holiday shopping blitz post.  Today, I’m doing one of two Walkway Wednesdays - posts dedicated to fundraising for the rescue work we do here.  Before I get started, however, I want to share a special donation with you.  As I’m sure most of you know, Deb of Taylor CatSSSSS and her family lost one of their Five - Seaborne.  If you haven’t read the story, you can visit Deb’s blog - Taylor CatSSSSS (always in my sidebar).  I spoke with Deb on Sunday night, and I have been checking on her via email.  It’s been very difficult for her.  Well, yesterday, a wonderful thing happened.  TK & Squashies (always in my sidebar) made a donation to our rescue work in memory of Seaborne.  Those funds are SO NEEDED, but it was extra special because it was in memory of Seaborne.  Here is what TK & Squashies said about the donation.

We would likes to makes this donashun in memory of Seaborne Ruskin Taylor, of the Taylor catsssss. Love, TK and Squashies


Thank you TK & Squashies.  Deb and Family - you’re in our thoughts.


 You know about our Winnie’s Wish Walkway.  The first fundraiser was a success with a total of 31 bricks sold when all was said and done.  Those 31 bricks brought in needed funds and filled about one-third of our Walkway.  I said at the time of the first order that I would do another run before the holidays.  It would be absolutely amazing to get another third of the Walkway completed during this run.  But I will be thrilled with ANY size order, as long as it ends up being big enough to place with the engraver.  As I said when I launched this second brick fundraiser (on November 14), the holidays provide a special opportunity to give a gift that also makes a difference.  I am hoping that some of you might wish to give a brick to someone in memory of a special pet of theirs.  Or a gift to yourself to honor, acknowledge, or memorialize your own special somebody.  Or maybe you are just willing to purchase a brick here at the holidays because of what it will mean to us - to me, my family, and the homeless crew that temporarily call our place home.  Whatever your reasons might be, you can know to the depths of your being that your brick purchase will be appreciated beyond measure.

You can read the whole Walkway Fundraiser post by clicking here or on the brick picture near the top of my sidebar.  That is also where you will find instructions on how to order.  (It’s simple.)  Here is a portion of what is in that post.

Holiday brick, anyone?  Many people, in an attempt to stay with the Spirit of Christmas and the Winter holidays, enjoy being able to give a gift that also does some real good somewhere.  We all love to give gifts to our friends and family at this time of year, but some of us are a little weary of the holiday hype and price tag.  It’s nice to be able to give a gift and contribute to a cause all at the same time.  I hope that some of you might want to give a Winnie’s Wish brick to an animal-loving friend or family member this giving season.  If so, let me know when you email me your order.  I will make a note that your brick is a gift.  Then when I get the bricks, and take pictures of them, I will send you an email with the brick pic attached.  You can print it off to include in a card, or attach it to a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays email.

Of course, I will also do the stories behind the bricks again for anyone who wants to send me that information.  I will do those stories in January.  (If your brick is a gift, you can also draw the recipient’s attention to the story when it is posted.)

Whether you’re getting a brick for a cherished animal of your own, or for a friend or family member’s pet, remember this.  The Walkway is a very permanent way to get a special pet (still in the fur or out of the fur) memorialized.  The Walkway is already SO special.  You’ve witnessed through the stories just how treasured those animals are.  But there is something else that I don’t want you to lose sight of.  Once I pay Polar Engraving and Paypal takes their cut, every penny of donation money helps me keep this rescue going.  Because the cathouse doubled in size, we now have more than twice the kitties to care for.  The costs are big.  Your brick order helps SO MUCH.

I have a farewell post to do tomorrow.  Always sad, but I cannot leave deaths unreported.  Posting about  losses on this blog offers a tribute to those who have moved on.  I will get through tomorrow’s post, and offer you a happier post on Friday.

We had our first snow yesterday.  I promised pictures.  If you like snow (or at least like to look at it), hopefully these pictures will spike your Holiday Spirit.  Enjoy.






Have a great day.

ANOTHER Special Request

This won’t be a difficult request to sell.  You remember that I put out a special request for someone to adopt Sparkles (January 2011) when she was having a very difficult time fitting in at the cathouse.  As a result, she was adopted.  I also put out a special request for a home for Daphne, our FIV-positive kitty.  She did not get a home, but we have a plan in place for her.  Then, not long ago, I put out a cry for help again.  Tulip is unkind to the other cats in the cathouse.  She probably needs to be an only cat, but might actually fit into a home with other cats if the right human is in charge.  And there’s poor Cashmere.  She has taken to living on top of the cat cage in Winnie’s Room.  She’s a darling personality who needs a patient human.  I believe she will actually blossom into a wonderful pet. [See Winnie’s Wish SPECIAL REQUEST]

Getting Sparkles into a home by way of Special Request was so fulfilling.  It gave me hope that if I put out that same kind of request for Tulip and Cashmere, we might find homes for these girls (or at least for one of them).  That hasn’t happened (yet), but I remain hopeful.  Sparkles, Cashmere, and Tulip are kitties with special personality needs.  The girl being highlighted today does NOT have a personality issue.  This sweetheart will NOT require a patient human.  She gets along with people and with other cats.  Her issue is physical. 

A few weeks ago, we discovered that Luna was vomiting.  A vet check found none of the probable causes - no illness, no internal parasites.  Apparently, our Miss Luna has a sensitive stomach.  I moved her into a cage in my kennel office to watch her and to try a “sensitive stomach” cat food.  The vomiting went away.  Of course, in a two-room house full of cats, there is no way to feed a special diet to any one particular cat.  So over the weekend I tried to slowly introduce our regular food back into Luna’s diet so that she could move back to the cathouse.  The vomiting returned. 

So . . . .    here’s how this goes.  The only way to keep Luna out of regular cat food is to house her in a cage.  As you’ve heard me say over and over, that’s no life for a cat.  It’s one of the wonderful things about our cathouse.  The kitties can move around, climb on the cat furniture, play with the toys, interact with other kitties.  They can even go out on one of their small outdoor decks.  A caged life here is no better than a caged life in a shelter somewhere.  It is horrifying to think that Luna would have to live in a cage simply because she can’t tolerate the regular store brands of cat food.  While on Science Diet Sensitive Stomach dry, she has done beautifully.  Here’s a cat who needs a home where she can be kept on the diet she needs.   There are NO other issues.  She’s a wonderful cat - a talker, a people-lover, an easy-going beauty who won’t be a challenge in any way except for feeding.  And that’s not much of a challenge in any environment that doesn’t include feeding sixteen cats all together. 

Luna is an easy cat.  She will make a wonderful addition to someone’s family.  PLEASE contact me if you are interested in giving Luna a home.  It is crushing to me for a cat to live in a cage.  But when the problem is as simple as diet, it becomes even more heartbreaking.  This is an easy fix.  She simply needs a home where she can be kept on a certain diet.  Is there anyone out there who would be willing to give this great girl a home?

My email address is c3k@lazernetwireless.net

I’m going to hold some hope, especially at this time of year, that there is a Good Samaritan out there deciding to offer a home to Luna. (Or to Tulip.  Or to Cashmere.)   

 

By the way, we are getting our first snow of the Season right now as I type this.  I am one of those people who LOVES snow.   The flakes are huge and it is covering everything in Holiday White.  I'll share some pictures tomorrow for Walkway Wednesday.   Until then, here is a sneak peek at the Season's opening show.

Holiday Sales Pitch

Black Friday.  Small Business Saturday.  Cyber Monday.  

Walkway Wednesday?

Would you all hate me if I played off of these Season shopping phenomena to draw attention to our holiday brick fundraiser?    I’ve only received ONE order for a brick even though this second installment of our fundraiser has been running for two full weeks.  With Thanksgiving and the launching of the Christmas shopping season, I’m not terribly worried yet.  In fact, I’ve heard by email from several folks that they are in for a brick this time around.  However, I also know that the Holiday Season causes some type of temporal dimension slip.  As it goes, it’s entirely possible that you will wake up in a few days and it will be inexplicably less than one week ‘til Christmas.  Time speeds up because we all have so much to do.  So I’m going to do a plug today for our second brick fundraiser in the hopes that I will grab you guys before the holiday season pulls you into that vortex.  Walkway Wednesday is my attempt to join the various shopping movements.  :-)   There are TWO Wednesdays left in the Winnie’s Wish Walkway holiday fundraiser.   This Wednesday (November 30) and the next Wednesday (December 7).  The very last day that I can take an order will be Friday December 9.  So I’m hoping that by doing two "Walkway Wednesdays" between now and then, a bunch of orders will come in and we’ll have the money to launch into the new year.  Of course, I only picked Wednesdays because of the alliteration.  Do please feel free to order a brick on ANY day between RIGHT NOW and DECEMBER 9.

I know I don’t need to say all of this again, but I feel better when I do.  PLEASE know that the funds raised through the brick sales help us SO much.  After I pay the brick engraving company, and Paypal takes their cut, the rest of the money (close to $30 per brick) goes entirely for the costs of the rescue work here.  Food, kitty litter, spays & neuters, vet care, vaccinations, travel/transport costs.  With SO many rescued animals in our care, the costs are huge.  I just feel better knowing that you know what your wonderful contributions are going towards.

Ready to order a brick?  Just click on the brick picture near the top of my sidebar to get started.  If that’s where you’re headed now, THANK YOU. 

I hope you had wonderful Thanksgivings.  I know my Canadian friends had already celebrated Thanksgiving.  And now we ALL find ourselves standing at the front edge of the holiday season.  I look forward to spending this season with you wonderful dog and cat lovers.  Take a lot of deep breaths.  Be good to yourselves.  Be good to others.  Relax.  And when the hustle and bustle starts to get you down, look around at the beauty.  The lights, the glitter (I love glitter), the pine trees (or palm trees depending on where you are), the shiny bows, the beautiful cards, the snow (if you get it), the music, the smiles, and the fur, fur, fur.  Here we go.

Blossom is getting us ready for the Christmas Season with this picture of her very white (snowy) self posing next to my Christmas cactus in full bloom.   

   

Happy Thanksgiving

Wanted to post a very Thanksgiving-ish picture today.



Hold on.  There’s something missing . . .

OK.  There we go.  Can’t have a picture on this blog without some fur.

Have a wonderful holiday!

I Am Thankful For . . . Forever Homes

I could hardly wait for Thanksgiving week to do this post.  Monday, I said it had been an unbelievable year of Loss.  But it’s also been a year of adoptions.  As you have all heard me say over and over, it’s the greatest joy that comes out of this work.  Rescuing is deeply satisfying because when that starving, weak, on-its-own little animal is suddenly in your arms, there is a feeling of relief that is indescribable.  Nursing them back to health, on the other hand, is more emotionally demanding.  You never know if you will keep this little one alive or not, what physical or psychological conditions might exist, whether or not you’ve pulled them into your care in time.  When they live and begin to thrive, there is a new joy.  Watching them come out of physical illness or injury or psychological trauma is a blessing.  All of this is necessary, and it is what rescue work is all about.  But then what?  Ultimately, the only thing that matters in the end is if these little rescued creatures are adopted into their very own homes.  Real families.   That’s the final goal.

I’m going to stretch back to just before last Thanksgiving because our first adoption to come through this blog (the first Winnie’s Wish adoption), occurred just before the holiday.  November 1st, 2010, Ash went to Cat in Canada.  Ironically, the last adoption we had (less than three weeks ago) was Bagheera . . . . to Cat in Canada.  I’d say that nicely rounds out the year, wouldn’t you? 

I will never be able to thank these people enough for adopting Winnie’s Wish kitties.  Sometimes, we’ve had to go to extreme lengths to get these babies into their new homes.  But these special people were willing to go the extra mile (LOTS of extra miles).  Driving.  Flying.  Transports.  Airline tickets.  Theses are the kitties that are living the good life - RIGHT NOW.

Before I get started with the pictures, I’d like to mention something that I only just found out about yesterday.  When I sent off emails to everyone who has adopted, I heard back from all but one mom.  Then yesterday, I got an email from Rita who adopted our Prince Charming and Moonie.  I sadly discovered that Rita has re-homed PC and Moonie. They no longer live with her, and they no longer live together.  She made a decision in the summer to reduce back to one cat.    She assures me that each of them is in a very good home now.  Our mission is to get kitties into good homes.  However, we are so careful about where we place these kitties who have had such tough starts in life, that we ask that any Winnie’s Wish kitty be returned to us rather than be re-homed.  (That is now part of our written contract.)  It sounds like PC and Moonie are doing well, and Rita still keeps track of them.  I have asked her to let the families know that we would like to have Moonie or PC back if they decide in the future not to keep them.  My hope is that they each have an amazing home. 

Here they are, when they were still with us.


Moonie, last December.

                                                        Prince Charming, last December.

And now here are the pictures of the Winnie’s Wish kitties in their forever homes.

Jimmy, with Cat in Canada (Ash in the sidebar).  Her blog is Cat’s Cats.

                                                                                     Jimmy.

Lady Audrey, with Kat in Tennessee (Sparkles in the sidebar).  Her blog is Kat & The Teenage Mutant Ninja Kitty Horde.

Audrey with an adopted brother.

                                                                          Audrey and Family.

Trixie, with Amy in Illinois (Tuxie in the sidebar).  Her blog is Amy & The House of Cats.

Trixie with a family member.

                                                                  (Look at that poly paw.)

Leo, with Andrea in Ohio.  Her blog is Celestial Kitties.

Leo.

Hazel, Boris, and Olaf, with my sister and brother-in-law in Illinois (Alice, Handsome, and Possum in the sidebar).

                                                                    Olaf, Hazel, and Boris.

Gabriel, with Karen (and Brad) in Canada.  Karen’s blog is The Monkeys.

Gabriel.

Dearest and Max, with Goldie in Georgia.

Dearest and Max.

Jasper and Soapy, with Lana in California.

Jasper and Soapy.

                                                                        Soapy and Jasper.


With another family member.

Elfin, with Deb in Pennsylvania.

                                                                                            Elfin.

Kip, with Cat in Canada (Bagheera in my sidebar).  Her blog is . . . .   Cat’s Cats.

                                                                                             Kip.


   I Am SO Thankful For - THESE FAMILIES.

I Am Thankful For . . . A TWO-Room Cathouse and a Walkway

Here is (most of) what I wrote just after Thanksgiving last year.

There is a something brewing around here (and it’s not the coffee).  As many of you know, we have a cathouse that became overcrowded this year [2010].  We launched Winnie’s Wish - an adoption campaign - to try to get some kitties placed into wonderful homes.  There has been only one adoption, so that cathouse is still overcrowded.  Then along came a feral mom and her SIX kittens.  They absolutely could not be left to fend for themselves and massively reproduce, so we managed to trap, capture, and corral the seven felines.  Mom was spayed and released and is being looked after by a woman in the area.  We hoped there was at least a possibility that the kittens could be tamed.  We’ve been working with them ever since, and things are coming along nicely. [Those kittens were Tuxie/Trixie, Leo, Mitts, Cashmere, Glitter, and Spritz.] I’m going to have to have more space to care for the current group plus the additional six until homes become available.

I had a conversation with my husband about building a second cathouse.  We sent word to my dad who always runs the figures for us. I ran the idea past a couple of my friends who said there was no doubt about the need.  So here I am - announcing to you that we are going to shoot for building a second cathouse after the holidays.  I don’t know where the money will come from at this point, but I am going to creep out on a limb here and say that we are just going to head in that direction and see what happens.  Now that I am blogging, I have met so many amazing, compassionate, encouraging, supportive, generous people.  I know that all of you will wish with me for this shelter for cats to materialize.

Months ago, one of my readers (Pam) who has now become a dear friend, sent me a card with a donation in it.  She said that she wanted it to go towards my dream of a cat sanctuary some day.  I have since realized that a huge cat sanctuary might be just a tad bit overzealous.  I am 50 years old, and only getting older.  The workload here is already sun-up to about 10pm every single day, no weekends or breaks.  I have my two amazing (unbelievably helpful) daughters still at home, but they will not always be here.  So rather than a gigantic sanctuary (and the million dollars I would have to win to build it), I’m going to try to fulfill an immediate need - more space for kitties at the most minimum cost possible.

So that’s our announcement.  We’re going to go for it.  The six new kittens that are currently living in two cat cages in my kennel office are the CATalyst for this second cathouse.   If we can make this happen, the future looks like this.  We will no longer be overcrowded.  We will have a place to move the six - a roomy area to live in while waiting.  We will still continuously need amazing homes.  I will still always need your help to locate awesome people who are ready to add a wonderful furry family member to their home.   If we can get this second cathouse, and some great homes, we will be in a position to help more homeless, starving, sick, scared kitties who are out there trying to survive on their own.

Here we go . . . .   
           
That was a year ago.  We have that “second cathouse” - actually a second room attached to the first cathouse, more than doubling the space we used to have.   SO MANY of you helped us reach that goal!   With the added space, we are able to help MORE cats and kittens.  Of course, that means double the costs of the past.  But now we’re working on a Walkway - the Walkway bricks are bringing in needed funds.  That Walkway is one-third complete.  Those funds were GREATLY appreciated.  And the funds that come in during our current second installment of the brick fundraiser will be just as deeply appreciated.

Now here is where we were, and WHERE WE ARE NOW.











Can you see why I might be thankful?

See you tomorrow for another little something I am thankful for.

I Am Thankful For . . . The Memories

Last year, I did five or six posts leading up to Thanksgiving that highlighted some of the things I was thankful for.  Over the weekend, I went back and re-read those posts.  Wow.  Some things have definitely changed.  Half of those posts were about furry family members that are no longer with me.  Just one year ago, I was focusing on a couple of our ancient ones and one who was NOT yet ancient.  I wrote about being thankful for Scroungy and Little Bit and Waggles.  This year, they are gone.   2011 was a tough year in terms of Loss.  But I will always have my memories.  Some of the little souls I lost this year were darlings I barely knew - fosters who were only with us a short while before moving on to the Bridge.  Some of the souls I lost this year were long-time family members, leaving behind a crushing awareness of their absence.  It has been a year of Loss and Lessons.  Certainly I have been forced to deal with the losses.  The losses engaged me in a “two-steps-forward, one-step-back” continual grieving process. Before actually going through this, I would have said that I couldn’t have kept moving forward through this much loss.  Even though it doesn’t help much at the time of a loss, I know the following is true.  Losing our ancient ones is part of the ebb and flow.  Losing tiny babies makes no sense at all, but it is real nonetheless.  Losing furry souls to illness before their time makes me rail against the natural order of things, but again - it is what it is.  Maybe someday I’ll be writing a Thanksgiving post that announces I Am Thankful For . . . Acceptance.  That’s not exactly where I find myself now.  But what I can say is that regardless of the pain that came with the loss, I wouldn’t have opted NOT to have known any single one of these souls.     It has been difficult to look back, and sometimes, weeks and months later, I still can’t entertain the memories.  But time does heal (not fast enough), and I know I will be forever grateful for the memories I have of so many amazing, colorful personalities.  So today, I am thankful for those memories.  They are still often painful, but can bring a (tearful) smile.  Those memories are a gift to me.  I can carry in my mind the snapshots and videos of the wonderful beings who are no longer “in the fur”.  I can carry in my heart the love I felt for each one and the love each one returned tenfold.

                                                                                  Tulip's kittens.

                                                              Younger Daughter's bunny - Peaches.

                                                                                         Elfius.

                                                                               Scroungy.

                                                                                     Little Bit.

                                                                                       Sweet Pea.

                                                              Younger Daughter's horse - Queen.

                                                                                       Saucer.

                                                                                          Stella.

                                                                                               Chloe.

                                                                                         Milo.

                                                                                     Oliver.

                                                                                     Waggles.

                Miranda, the one facing away.  Unfortunately, the only picture I have of her.

                                                                                      Mariela.

Tomorrow - another Thanksgiving post (with a brighter theme).

Bricks and Adoptions

I’ve decided to let Monday and Tuesday’s posts ride through the rest of this week.  The two things we need are funds to keep this operation afloat and adoptions so that we can take more needy kitties.  So if you haven’t read Monday’s post about our second brick fundraiser, please do.  And please read (or even re-read) Tuesday’s post about the Gray Girls in the cathouse, all of whom really need homes.  Of course, you can now visit us on Petfinder.  We’re known as Winnie’s Wish on that site, or you can just click on the Petfinder graphic at the top of my sidebar.  I am most desperate to get some (ALL) of our Gray Girls into their perfect homes, but there are others to choose from as well.  EVERY adoption is WONDERFUL!!

I hope you decide to pick a brick.  And I REALLY hope you decide to pick a kitty.  Either way, you sure will be doing these kitties a grand service.  Please share our need to find great homes on Facebook, Twitter, your own blog, and anywhere else you can think of.

 

I’ll be waiting and hoping . . . .    for brick orders and adoptions.  Have a great week!

Another Gray Day

I’m not talking about our November skies.  Although in my part of the country, skies are nearly always gray in November.  I wrote a post called Gray Day back in June.  My intention was to highlight our Gray Girls at the time.  Four of those girls had been here too long, and I wanted to generate some interest in adoptions.  (Those four are still here.)  I’m going to highlight our Gray Girls again today.  I have reasons.

Let me start with a story that I predict is going to have a very happy ending.  I have been in contact with someone who found us through Petfinder.  YAY!!  (Please note that I now have a link to our Petfinder page at the top of my sidebar.)  Anyway, this person and I have been in contact several times via email.  The story is much more detailed than just this, but since nothing concrete has been decided, I simply cannot report on this possibility quite yet.  I will share the good news as soon as I can.  However, because I don’t want to ruin the story by telling half of it now (before I am sure of things), I’m going to have to explain my today’s post without giving you the full details.

When this person first wrote to me, she began to ask me questions about some of the kitties on our Petfinder site.  We discussed Mitts and Glitter.  It was beginning to look like she might be interested in adopting one of these two Gray Girls.  Then when I did the post about really, really, really needing homes for Tulip and Cashmere, this person started toying with the idea of adopting Cashmere.  As of this past weekend, however, that possibility is no more.  There is actually a VERY good reason for this.  And that’s the part I believe will ultimately give us all a happy ending.  But not for today’s story.

If any one of the three - Mitts, Glitter, or Cashmere - had been chosen, my relief would have been palpable.  I worry so much about the four sisters from the polydactl group.  These three, along with their very timid sister Spritz have been here the longest of all of the kitties in the cathouse.  Well, except for the Cathouse Matriarchs - Circe and Tibby Bean.  As I’ve explained before, those two are unadoptable and I’m completely OK with it.  They are two of the most content cats I’ve ever seen.  As long as nobody tries to approach them.  Circe and Tibbs are as happy as they can be. 

                                                                    Circe and Tibby Bean

The Sisters Gray, however, are not as happy as they can be.  So here I go again, trying to convince somebody out there that they can provide the perfect home for one (or a couple) of these gals.  All four sisters have nonaggressive, sweet personalities.  Mitts and Glitter are more outgoing, but even so, they don’t push to the front of the crowd of youngsters that we currently have at the cathouse.  Those half-grown kittens race to the door and do not stop clamoring for attention the whole time a human is on board.  Mitts and Glitter long for attention.  We always make it a point to go to them, and sometimes, after the youngsters have stopped panicking, they will come over for a nuzzle.  Either of these two WONDERFUL cats would make a WONDERFUL addition to someone’s family.




Then there’s sister Cashmere.  I recently put out a cry for help (even put it on the CB) in a post called Winnie’s Wish - Special Request.  Cashmere is a slightly more timid cat than Mitts and Glitter, but still very loving and will definitely adjust in a home if given some time.  I have always wished that Cashmere might be adopted with one of her two more outgoing sisters.  But at this time, I would be happy for a home for Cashmere even if a sister did not go along.  She is not very happy in the cathouse.  We think it might be Tulip that has her intimidated.  Or it could just be all of the young cats living there now.  But Cashmere really needs a home, with patient people of her very own who will lavish her with the love and attention she deserves.

Spritz, if not given the right opportunity, may end up being a lif-er here like Circe and Tibbs.  She remains SO shy that she runs to hide first, before she even knows who is coming in.  When she does come out to see us, you can just tell how much she wants attention.  But we always have to go to her.  She is a big, beautiful polydactl cat who turns her head completely upside down in greeting.  These are my favorite pictures of Spritz. 

Then there’s Tulip.  You just can’t find a better cat - for a human.  She loves attention.  Loves a lap.  Loves toys.  Loves life.  But she does NOT love other cats.  I just know there has to be somebody out there who is just right for Tulip.  Regardless of this one flaw, she still deserves a home of her own.  (And boy, oh, boy, will the other cats be glad if she moves out!)


Finally, we have another Gray Girl who doesn’t get nearly enough attention (here on the blog OR in the cathouse).  That blend-into-the-background kitty is Halo.  She came in with the Fantastic Fifteen.  She was never out front and often got overlooked.  As that group began to thin a little, we took back Trex and Frosting, and added the Feral Four.  With all of the new kittens in the cathouse, guess what happened to Halo?  She blended into the background again.  I recently had the opportunity to really get to know Miss Halo.  You might remember that we had a run of “kitty colds” in the cathouse.  It got most of our youngsters.  The adults were spared except for one.  Halo came down with the cold.  Our sick group moved out of the cathouse while they were recovering, and Halo was one of those.  She was one of the last to “catch the cold”, so by the time I moved her into my kennel office, she was only sharing the room with a couple of others.  While working in the office, I let the cats out of their cages to investigate, climb on my desk (and paperwork), and interact with me.  I fell in love with Halo. Even though she was easily spooked, she ended up really looking forward to receiving attention from me.  What a sweet little girl.  Another one that will take some patience, but definitely not the potential lif-er I had come to think of her as.


Except for Mitts and Glitter, none of these Gray Girls is going to be super-easy.   But I know without a doubt, that there are people out there who are willing to give a home to a cat that needs a little “extra”.  A little extra patience, a little extra time, a little extra understanding.   If you are one of those people, won’t you PLEASE send me an email and let’s talk.  These Gray Girls need you.  We need a Gray Day Celebration!

Bricks, Round Two

Here’s the picture of our cathouse back in the Spring.

And here’s what it looks like now, about one-third filled in.

On August 5, I launched our first-ever Winnie’s Wish Walkway Brick Fundraiser.  I said at that time that if it was successful, I would have more Brick Fundraisers until the Walkway was completely filled with commemorative bricks.  I also said that the holidays might be a good time to launch the second Fundraiser in case someone would like to get a brick for a friend or family member as a holiday gift.  So here we go . . . .

I have replaced the original “Bricks” post with this one as far as what you will see when you click on the Brick pic in the sidebar.  Clicking on the picture of that brick (which says “Our Little Winnie . . .”) will now take you to this post.  You can still read the first post (8/5) by clicking on this line of text.  That first post explains why I chose the company that I did, etc.  But I have transferred all of the important information about ordering a brick into THIS post.

You can order a brick with text only or you can have text and a picture.  The brick with text only is $50.00 and the brick with text and picture is $55.00. 

You can go to Polar Engraving yourself and look around. The brick color I’ve chosen is Impressions #9 (beige). It shows up the best on the ground. You can browse through the clip art to see if you would like to add a picture or symbol. There are pictures of cats and pictures of dogs. There are many other pictures and symbols, too. (I used an angel on my sample brick.) To look at clip art: Go to the website and hold your cursor over MEMORIAL BRICKS in the blue bar at the top (to the right of HOME). A list will pop up and you can click on SYMBOLS & CLIPART (third to the last in the list). OR, you can go to the far right and click on the sixth choice in that column (it has a picture of a butterfly). Scroll down to browse through your choices. Some of the categories are Animals, Nature, Religious Symbols, and Miscellaneous. If you want a wider selection of dogs or cats to choose from, notice the link to additional pictures at the top of that page. Just above where the “Animals” clipart begins, there are three http’s. The first is for more dog pictures. The next one is for more cat pictures. These are actually pictures of particular breeds, but you might find something that fits. Or - you might prefer a sunburst (under Special Activities) or a heart (under Miscellaneous), etc. 

Here are the steps you will take to order your brick. 

1.  Email me with your text (and picture if you’re choosing one).  Email address is c3k@lazernetwireless.net  Bricks can have one, two, or three lines of text.  If you are ordering a text-only brick, each line can have up to 18 characters/spaces.  (You can have up to 20, but 18 or less is recommended.)  Bricks with text and picture can have up to 15 characters/spaces per line.

2.  Make your donation.  I have a paypal donate button near the top of the sidebar.  Or, you can email me and ask for my home address if you prefer to send a check.  Donation for a text-only brick is $50.  Donation for a text-and-picture brick is $55. 

I will collect orders starting today - November 14 - through Friday, December 9.  Then I will place my order with Polar Engraving.  When the bricks arrive here, I will take pictures of them as I did with the first order.  I should receive the bricks around the middle of December. 

Holiday brick, anyone?  Many people, in an attempt to stay with the Spirit of Christmas and the Winter holidays, enjoy being able to give a gift that also does some real good somewhere.  For instance, with diabetes in my husband’s family, I always purchase at least a couple of my holiday gifts from the American Diabetes Association.  I like to give two or three trees at Christmastime, too.  A donation to the Arbor Day Foundation comes with a card announcing to the recipient that a tree is being planted in their honor.  We all love to give gifts to our friends and family at this time of year, but some of us are a little weary of the holiday hype and price tag.  It’s nice to be able to give a gift and contribute to a cause all at the same time.  I hope that some of you might want to give a Winnie’s Wish brick to an animal-loving friend or family member this giving season.  If so, let me know when you email me your order.  I will make a note that your brick is a gift.  Then when I get the bricks, and take pictures of them, I will send you an email with the brick pic attached.  You can print it off to include in a card, or attach it to a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays email. 

Of course, I will also do the stories behind the bricks again for anyone who wants to send me that information.  I will do those stories in January.  (If your brick is a gift, you can also draw the recipient’s attention to the story when it is posted.)

And now . . .  (drumroll) . . . .   The Second Installment of  the Winnie’s Wish Walkway Brick Fundraiser.   Whether you’re getting a brick for a cherished animal of your own, or for a friend or family member’s pet, remember this.  The Walkway is a very permanent way to get a special pet (still in the fur or out of the fur) memorialized.  The Walkway is already SO special.  You’ve witnessed through the stories just how treasured those animals are.  But there is something else that I don’t want you to lose sight of.  Once I pay Polar Engraving and Paypal takes their cut, every penny of donation money helps me keep this rescue going.  Because the cathouse doubled in size, we now have more than twice the kitties to care for.  The costs are big.  Food, kitty litter, vet bills, spays and neuters, travel costs for transports.   Your brick order helps SO MUCH.