What We Are Up To

Mommy here - We've had a roller coaster of emotions for the last six months. The loss of Parker has no words to describe the sadness of her passing on her Daddy and me. The other "kids" felt the loss as well. Little Ricky Tiki Tavi has made her loss a little less painful. He's fit so well into our little family unit. He's sunshine and happiness and laughter. Anyone who doubts that Parker sent him to us has no idea how wrong that they are.
The truth is that I have had a total of 5 stray cats show up in our yard since Parker's death. I've taken all of them in to the Vet's to have them tested and vaccinated and spayed or neutered - then straight to the shelter for adoption. Of the five, one of the was FIV + and we humanely euthanized him, which killed my heart. But the reality of living in a nation that treats animals as poorly as we do, you have to make some very difficult choices. Action Jackson was his name and it's going to take a long time for me to forgive myself for making that choice. He was a good boy, but in our little corner of O Hi O he had zero chance of being adopted and we could not have him at our little shelter. He faced a future of no home, no love and no where to go to. He now lives in my heart and his remains are next to a beautiful Hydrangia plant where he used to gratefully eat his meals from us. Little Ricky was different in that something spoke to our hearts that he was sent to us straight from Parker - he has many of her ways, right down to her meow and her mannerisms. There was no doubt that she sent him to us.
I'm lucky in a weird sort of way - being on the board of our humane society allows me to rescue the strays that find their way to my yard. Not every animal lover has that option. Don't get me wrong. my strays are fully vetted, spayed or neutered and vaccinated before they go to the shelter. The only cost to the shelter is the boarding until they get adopted. And I am happy to report that every one has found their forever homes. The county that I live in has an estimated 90,000 stray cats. My rescues are a drop in the bucket of all the kitties that have no where to turn. It's heart breaking. Our shelter is operating on the thinnest of shoestrings and we face the very real possibility of having to reduce our services or even closing our doors if things don't improve next year.
I tell you this for a few reasons. I know I do not blog as much as I did in the past. It's because I spend all of my "free time" at the shelter helping kitties (and doggies too), getting forever homes. And then there is my real job which is both important to me and something I am equally as passionate about. It leaves very little time for much else.
Parker's blog will remain and I will try to update as much as I can.
And if you can, instead of buying something that you can live without, consider donating to a shelter. The animals that live there need your help and your support. Very often, their little lives depend upon it. We work very hard to find them their forever homes. Every dollar makes a difference.
Smoochies from angel Parker Pie and hugs from her Mommy who misses her so very, very much.