August

Today is the first day of August, and August is a special month here at the daily dose.  I started blogging in March of 2010.  As those of you with a blog know, it can be slow-going at first.  I’ve mentioned many times that my reasons for blogging were primarily:  one - to get the stories into writing of the great animals that had been in my life, and two - to attempt to draw some advertising to the blog to help with the costs of the rescue work.  I am accomplishing number one, but number two never happened.  What happened instead was even better.  I found a world of people that I would never have connected with if it hadn’t been for the blog.  And those people - YOU - have helped us ever since.  A year or two before I started blogging, I had a wish/prayer/intention that I could be part of a group of like-minded individuals who all cared about animals as much as I do.  I had looked for something like that locally, and I do have a few connections of that sort close to home.  However, since starting the blog, that wish has been granted, the prayer answered, my intention fulfilled.

Five months into blogging, something happened that I could not have predicted to be any different from the sort of thing that happens here all the time.  We had a rescue.  This was the rescue of a kitten.  Every rescue is unique, but this should have been no more amazing than any other rescue.  Except it was.  That kitten changed everything.  And because of her, a brand new “wing” of the daily dose was born.  The kitten did not survive, but her legacy lives on.  That kitten was Wintergreen (Winnie) and she is the reason Winnie’s Wish was launched.  Since that time, we have placed FOURTEEN cats and kittens into their forever homes.

So I got to thinking about August.  Of course, I wanted to do something special to honor Winnie this month.  I will have anniversary posts commemorating Winnie’s rescue and memorializing her passing.  I want the month to be a month of celebration.  Never could I have imagined when my heart was torn from my chest over Winnie’s death that she would be the catalyst for the adoptions to come.  I never considered that this blog would be about finding homes.  It was merely a place to record stories with a hint of hope that someday a dog food brand or type of kitty litter might want to put their info in my side bar in exchange for a few dollars or some free samples.  But now there are FOURTEEN kitties living the good life in homes across America and even into Canada.  It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Since this is the month of Winnie and Winnie’s Wish, I have some wishes of my own.  As most of you know, the month of July was pretty rough around here.  (Of course, there were really good things that happened, too.)  Over this past weekend, we had a setback that was hard to take.  Jazzy is the kitten that came to us with multiple problems.  My daughters took over her care completely, and they truly brought her back from the dead.  She has had Calici and Rhinotracheitis.  She did not eat on her own when she came here and had to be force-fed for a very long time.  She was given subQ fluids because she didn’t drink.  Her mouth was so full of ulcers that her tongue turned completely black at one point.  The girls kept her alive, and we were cautiously hopeful when she started to eat on her own.  But she continued to have the upper respiratory symptoms.  We have never gotten her all the way to good health.  The vets have done everything they know to do.  Over the weekend she developed severe diarrhea and stopped eating.  I'll be trying to get her in to the vet (yet again) today.

I am going to spend this month thinking about some of the good things that have happened here.  And I am going to delineate some of the wishes I currently have.  Today, my thoughts are on  Jazzy.  I am reminding myself that this precious angel stayed at death’s door for days and days and days.  So I am grateful that she moved beyond the moment-by-moment suffering of those initial days here.  I am reminding myself of what so many of you have said in comments and emails - that no matter what finally happens, the sweethearts that come to us DO know love.  Jazzy has been held against our chests and she has pushed her face into our necks.  She has nose-kissed and purred.  She has been told how much she is loved so many times that she has probably learned the words.  This is sometimes all we can give.  We can’t give perfect health to every single one.  Sometimes it is not to be.  But we can always give love.  So I am grateful for this time we’ve had with Jazzy - so much longer than what we had with Winnie.  Jazzy has definitely known love.

And my wish for today is - that Jazzy will return to health and thrive.  She is a little gray-and-white angel.  I wish her health and long life.   Older Daughter has considered that the perfect companion for her Blossom kitty might be Jazzy.  (Younger Daughter has Magic and Stormy as her very own two kitties.)  I invite you to wish with me that Jazzy will come back from yet another assault on her tiny little system and that she will have the opportunity to be loved for a lifetime.

More wishes to come throughout this month as I move towards Winnie's celebration.  Happy August to you.  Have a great day.

Comments

[Random Felines]

Purrs to Miss Jazzy....

[Cat's Cats]

Sweet Jazzy, it is wonderful that she has known so much love from your family in her short life!!! I sincerely hope and pray that she has the strength to keep fighting!

As I read your post Jimmy (Ash)jumped up to where I am sitting to give me some nose kisses and one of his funny squeaky meows. I am so very lucky that Jimmy came to be a Winnie's wish kitty and the very first adoption! He is such an exceptional and loving boy.

[meowmeowmans]

We are so thankful that Jazzy found her way to you and your daughters, Chrystal. Indeed, she is blessed to know what it is like to be loved and cared for. We are wishing along with you, have our paws and fingers crossed, and are saying our best purrs and prayers that she will survive this and thrive as Blossom's sisfur.

[The Poupounette Gang]

Sending big, BIG purrs for Jazzy.

[Pam and the Califurrrrrnia5]

We're praying and purring for you little Jazz. Much love to you and your wonderful caretakers!

[Taz, Runt, Charles and mommy, Anna, in IL]

Sending purrayers and snuggles for Jazzy...We hope you are soon all better and ready to take on the wonderful life waiting for you.
Taz, Runt, and Charles

[Ginny & the Fur Family]

Deep heart felt prayers for sweet little Jazzy. She is indeed loved by you all and by all who sees her picture. I think pictures give prayers a focal point because they show the image of the kittie being prayed for and we can send warm healing thoughts through the air to her. My little Mandy dog is failing and each day I pray for her to just live another day with me. I pray for the same thing for your Waggles and Jazzy- one day at a time and go from there. love to all at your place and on the blog... Ginny & The Fur Family

[Junior and Orion]

We are purring and purring for little Jazzy to get well and stay well!

[Khyra]

Khrossed paws here!

August is a furry special month -

My mom was born in August and she gave herself a furry special gift in 2006: ME!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

[Amy & The House of Cats]

Chrystal, wow, it is hard to believe it has been almost a year since Winnie left - so much has changed in that time. I went back and looked at the Winnie posts (dumb idea, because now I am crying at work), and oh, that little girl changed so many lives in her short time here. She has really been busy up there at the bridge.

And oh, sweet little Jazzy, well, we are so hoping that Jazzy will get better and thrive and just do well - she has tons of love and support and good wishes coming her way - hopefully they will help her get over this bad hump she is in right now.

And of course, for us, August is (we think at least) when Trixie was born, when we got Virgil, and when we started blogging - so it is a big month for us too.

[Abby]

Chrystal
We send a pawsome ton of purrs for Jazzy and we hope hope HOPE that she can overcome this latest hurdle (c'mon Jazzy we know you can!).

I still think you have a wonderful book here in the posts you have written and it is so compelling. You are such a wonderful warm writer with uplifting and inspiring stories, even the ones that did not end as any of would have wished they are still inspiring, as Winnie is. She leaves a wonderful legacy and she will long be remembered for her very short time on this earth.

Many blessings
Love and purrs
Abby and Mom Debra

[Angel Sweet Praline and Mom Paula]

My wishes are with you and Jazzy and all of the kitties that you take in and show so much love!

Mom Paula

[Jan (Milo and Alfie's mom)]

Winnie was indeed special and led the way in reaching hearts and souls ... even beyond death. We will never forget her.
And Jazzy, we send love and PURRS and hope she can be strong enough to survive. And our love extends to all the other kits and cats too. Thank you for helping them so much.