So today is #givingtuesday. Hashtag. Giving. Tuesday.
Case in point:
Lola came to me in May 2008 via The Treehouse, a no-kill, cage-less animal shelter here in Chicago. At the time, her eyes were bad and a respiratory infection made it difficult for her to breath. When she walked into my lap and started purring, her nose started dripping and I could feel a painful raspiness in her lungs. The Treehouse had saved her from another Chicago winter outside, and they were treating her as best they could, but the stress of the environment wasn’t helping. Given her health, and her “anger management issues” with other cats, almost any other shelter would have put Lola down without a second thought. The Treehouse gave her a shot.
How do I say thank you for this gift?
Winter is the time when animal shelters and rescue center’s are needed the most, and there are hundreds of them who need assistance. I’ll bet there is one in your community. I’ll bet there are hundreds of organizations who could benefit from your generosity.
Lindsey
That is so sad! I’m glad she got another chance with you. We have a stray cat who looks almost exactly like Lola living on our porch. The shelters here are too full to accept him so we feed him and pet him and wait for a space to open up. Thankfully our winter has only had a few days in the teens and today was even in the 60s!
PEACHES
Lindsey, that is awesome you are looking out for him — he is lucky you are there to help! Have you considered making him a kitty condo? You can DIY one for under $20 – all you need is a plastic tub, some insulation and some straw (Straw sounds odd but it retains heat and repels moisture/pests). Nights can be cold — it’s great that you can look out for another creature in need. http://www.humanesociety.org/news/magazines/2010/07-08/simple_shelter_design.html
Ashley Wilton
!!!!!!!!Shelter animals are the best!!!!!!!!!!
I nearly threw the book at my sister on Thanksgiving when she announced her and her husband were getting a puppy from a breeder instead of going to a shelter. How clueless can they be? I was so mad. I hope I talkd her into thinking about looking at a rescue organization at least. The deposit (theyd lose) on the puppy would feed my local aspca for a week. Unbelievable. You go Aunt P! Tell people what they missing! Go Tree House!
PEACHES
I hear what you are saying. My parents favored breeders, and as much as I loved those fur babies, I feel a lot of guilt about this as an adult. When I hear friends say they are buying from a breeder I feel happy knowing they will be sharing their life with a four legged family member…but I’m, also a bit heartbroken to know that’s one less empty slot. One more dog that will never get a chance to know a loving home. It hurts for me to think about it. I wish they would think about it more.
Anonymous
BLESS YOU. i adopted my cat from PAWS in chicago…well first fostered then adopted him. he has FIV and had zero chance of someone adopting him….he’s loving and wonderful and just because he doesn’t have a perfect bill of health (mind you, he’s healthy now and isn’t on medication, but there’s always risk) doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a second chance at a happy life.
#catladylife
#givetuesday
PEACHES
That’s awesome! FIV cats are so great. I wish peoplegave them a chance more often. Treehouse has a whole floor of them, and if you adopt one, all FIV medical treatment is provided pro bono for life. But they say the kitties hardly ever need it anyway. Poor things just need a loving home — like you 🙂
A Little Creation
Oh My Gosh! How could I forget my local shelter! My Girl Scout Troop is wanting to do some community service and that would be the perfect place for them to help!
My pets will always come from a local shelter. My dog Ariel was and my cat Blackjack is just as wonderful a pet as if they had come from a breeder. Ariel was such a fantastic dog that I don’t think I can ever replace her.
Shannon
I got Sorcha (my dog) from BARK in Richmond, VA. She almost died from distemper but now she is rambunctious. I got Kimmie (one of my kitties) from one of the Richmond animal shelters (and she is skittish still after all of these years, I doubt anyone else would have wanted her), Durn (the cat in the pic) was found living on the streets and we adopted him, and LB (another kitty) was from a litter of abandoned kitties that a lady found in Richmond and we adopted. My bun is from a breeder but if I get another bun I will try to adopt first. I have lots of fur babies, I don’t have any children and I love my animals as if they are people.
Kim
She is such a beautiful cat and it breaks my heart that if she had been anywhere else, she wouldn’t be with you now. Our two cats are both shelter animals and our rabbit came from an animal sanctuary. our dog didn’t come from a shelter, but was found in a garbage can, abandoned as a puppy, and bounced from home to home until we adopted him.
If people cannot do a monetary donation at this time, many local shelters often need labor. Call them up and ask if you can head up for a few hours one day to volunteer your time. A new hobby just might be found.
PEACHES
Kim, that is a great point. Time = money…there are many ways to give!
Kate
Sincerely touched by your story of Lola. She is beautiful.
BitsofMoxy
We recently had a cat adopt our office (we are a tiny family business) after much negotiation with our landlord “Tom the cat” is now happily sleeping in “his” office chair. He was a shelter cat that was adopted and then abandoned (micro chip) due to a boyfriend not liking his (Tpm’s style) We adore Tom, he makes dealing with cranky customers so much easier. And since Tom head butts everything with loud purring, I am pretty sure he likes us too.
PEACHES
What a cool office!
DayDreams
I, too, am fortunate enough to have been adopted by shelter animals. My favorite breed is rescue. Through the years our lives have been greatly enriched by the dogs and cats (& even pigs!) that came from shelters and rescue groups. Another way to help is to suggest to any group that you belong to (civic groups, book clubs etc.) that you bring gifts for your local shelter instead of exchanging gifts for the holidays. It’s WAY more fun to shop in the pet store.
PEACHES
Another great idea!
EG1972
Thank you for the lovely post Aunt Peaches. Lola is lucky to have you. I feel I must mention, as someone who has volunteered at a small-town-without-a-lot-of-resources shelter for 10+ years, animals are rarely put down without a second thought.
PEACHES
You are right — forgive me if I insinuated otherwise. I know from my own experience as a volunteer (albeit limited), that animals that present a physical danger to volunteers (or themselves) are usually put down immediately. Knowing Lola, and having seen two separate veterinarians refuse to treat her because of her behavior, I cannot imagine how she would have survived a night in such an environment. I am thankful the Treehouse gave her a chance. 🙂
LauraEC
I have tears in my eyes after reading this…partly because Lola looks just like our old cat Charlie and he was a rescue cat but also because Lola is so beautiful and know from your posts how loved she it. We have an excellent cat shelter locally who have a wish list on Amazon so hopefully everyone is aware of how they can help their local kitties out.