Delta 2

Delta 2

"Pet me - but don't mess up my fur!"

Oh boy. This one's a primadonna! Delta likes her bed to be fluffed up - don't ask her to lie on the flat kind of cat rug. She's fond of attention. Unless she's in "one of her moods". And if something doesn't meet her standards - she is good with an evil eye.

Strangely, Delta came from an animal shelter in Pahrump, Nevada, that had fallen apart, and where the animals were being neglected. You'd think she might have low expectations because of that! But instead, when she was rescued, she looked at everyone like, "Ah, there you. It's about time. Have you contacted my lawyer? The service here has been just awful. I'm planning to sue."

Delta is healthy, young adult, and gets along fine with other animals - sometimes. Depending on which one and whether she's in the mood!

She would really like the dignity of a home.

What a cutie!

We Are Their Heroes

We Are Their Heroes
by Jim Willis

If you worry that you have not made a difference, you have,
for only those who do not worry about it have not.
If you feel overwhelmed, if the weight of problems is too heavy to bear,
remember it is a shared burden
and the strength of numbers can accomplish much.

If you think society and government are blind,
it only serves to remind that we need to change
one mind at a time, one law after another.
We effect change by cooperation, not by isolation.

If you consider that we cannot save them all,
and what difference does one make?,
you ought to know the joy of the one who is saved.
Mourn those we cannot save, it is a eulogy to their being.
Do not let their loss be in vain.

Be kind to yourself, remember your needs
and those of your family and friends of every species.
If you give everything, what will you have left for yourself,
or for them?
Strive to be happy and healthy. You are needed.
Achieving balance in life is a lifelong struggle.
We who help those who do not have all that they need
should be among the most grateful for what we have.

Be proud of your accomplishments, not your opinions.
The quality of your efforts is more important than the quantity.
Forgive your own deficiencies - sometimes your caring is sufficient.
Everyone can do something, it is up to you to do the thing you can.
A kind word and a gentle touch can change a life.

If anger wells up within you, because people are the problem,
remember your humanity and that people are also the solution.
Concentrate on specific needs, pay attention to the individual -
they make up the whole.
See beyond the unlovable, the unattractive,
the impure and the wounded -
see that their spirit is as deserving as the rest. Help them heal.
Their eyes are windows to their soul
and the mirror of your sincerity.

All species, all beings, share this Earth in a chain of life.
Care more about what makes us alike than what separates us.
Policies, rules and regulations are not infallible.
Apply them judiciously, interpret them wisely.
No decision based purely on money is ever the right one.

Listen to your heart. Sometimes we have to do that which
we are most afraid of.
Be true to yourself and your beliefs.
Family may abandon you,
friends may disappoint you, strangers will ridicule you.
People shun what they do not understand.
Help them to understand - kindly, softly, gently.

Those who do not respect all life are to be pitied.
Often the wrongdoer is as in need of help as his victims.
Forgive, then teach by example.
Educate yourself or you cannot hope to teach others.
No action based in hatred is ever right
and anger drowns out wisdom.

Yours may be a voice crying in the wilderness,
make it a voice to be respected.
Listen more than you talk, be courteous and reliable.
Learn to ask for help. Never waiver from the truth.
Know that it takes a lot of strength to cry
And with every defeat, we learn.

All Creation celebrates that which is in its own best interest.
The Children are our hope - nurture them.
Nature is our legacy - protect it.
The Animals are our brethren - learn from them.

Your rewards will not be material, but they will be meaningful,
and the courage of your convictions can survive anything.
We are small boats cast adrift on a cruel sea,
but someday the tide will turn toward a safe harbor.
No matter how dark the storm clouds,
or deep the pain of heartbreak - never forget:
We are their heroes.

R.I.P. Tails

We lost Tails today. I'm quite a bit heartbroken...

Tails has been at the sanctuary for several years now, 3 I think, and he is the brother to the recently adopted "TJ". Though they weren't particularly bonded to one another specifically, they both enjoyed the company of other cats - which, towards the end of their time together, did include one another.

Our handsome gray cat had the opportunity to be adopted. Due to Tails's medical history ("He had heart disease at some point, but he was also hyperthyroid. He was treated successfully for his hyperthyroidism, and that treatment may also have reversed his heart disease.") we decided to have Tails examined by a vet before he was adopted. It was at this time we found out that Tails was in congestive heart failure and had fluids on his lungs. Needless to say, Tails was not adopted* in order to keep his stress down, keep him comfortable and start a requment of medicines to give Tails the best shot possible.

Tails hung in there for a couple months, lucky boy, and was able to see his brother TJ adopted out quite recently and welcome a new cat into his room - Geri. He did have to have more fluid taken off his lungs and went through several types of medicine (different kinds and varieties of those -liquid, pills, injectible-). He was also able to eat whatever he wanted, a real treat to a boy who has for some time now been in our "fat cat" room on a diet. :)

Yesterday, Tails was really seeming down and he had been. His appetite had been down, he wasn't talking like he usually did and his breathing seemed to have reached a substantial state of effort. The decision was made to let him go and he was surrounded by some of the people that really loved him. Oreo hung around when he normally scurries off and he stretched for some good scratches right up until the end, pushing Ginny's hand when she took a break. Jon joked about what an absolute terror he used to be - wild! I am lucky enough to just remember him as the chatty gray boy always ready to eat and chat in Adoption Room 2.

I am upset. Not only did we lose him, but I really feel like he got ripped off - when we found out, he was about to be adopted, his brother was finally back into the same room with him and then all this...


R.I.P. Tails

*On a positive note, the family that had intended to adopt him did adopt another wonderful cat from us.