As a Pet Refuge
volunteer, one of my “jobs” was cleaning the cat infirmary. I
really enjoyed it because I was able to get to know the cats’ individual
personalities; spending one-on-one time with them as I cleaned their
cages. Actually, I think I spent more time petting the cats than I
did cleaning!
Everyone who works in the infirmary tries to
make the cats as comfortable as possible, but needless to say, it’s not
the greatest place to hang out for them. As you can imagine, some of the
cats are quite cranky in the infirmary. I would be, too, if
someone ten times my size whom I didn’t know was making me take a pill
(or worse yet!).
One day a new cat, Honeybun, came into the
infirmary with multiple issues; she had some sort of skin allergy that
caused her buff fur to look rumpled and flaky. As if that wasn’t enough
for this poor girl to deal with, she also had some sort of benign cyst
under her chin that caused her tongue to stick out a little bit. While
our wonderful veterinarian treated Honeybun, she remained in the
infirmary for several weeks.
True to her name, Honeybun was just as sweet
as you could ever imagine and quickly became my favorite kitty.
Never cranky or upset, yet she wasn’t incredibly outgoing and demanding
of attention as many of the cats could be. But, when I approached her
cage, she became a giant love bug. She adored being talked to and held.
She’d look up at me with that cute little tip of her pink tongue
sticking out, and just purr and purr.
One day another volunteer mentioned how
“ugly” Honeybun was; I immediately grabbed Honeybun, put my hands over
her ears and told her not to listen to the mean lady, that she was a
beautiful girl! That “mean lady,” by the way, got quite a chuckle
out of it – and made sure she paid extra attention to Honeybun
afterwards.
Once Honeybun was well enough, she was moved
into the small cat room. I’d stop by and visit with her whenever I was
at the shelter. She almost always was curled up in a comfy bed, tucked
away somewhere quiet. She’d never seek out my attention, but once she
was approached, she became that sweet girl that loved to be talked to
and held.
The last time I saw Honeybun was Friday evening, December 30th. I was at the shelter helping with some cat paperwork; we finished late, but I still had to stop in to say hello to Honeybun. She was fast asleep in front of the big window. I didn’t want to wake her, so I gently stroked her head and said hello. Her eyes opened a little and she went back to sleep. The next day, I learned she had died in her sleep. I’m so incredibly grateful that I got to see her that night and I will never forget her. Rest in peace dear, sweet girl, you will be greatly missed.
~Memorial coming soon~
Ella with her best buddy Kenny
Ella was 5 years old and spent most of her adult life at the shelter. She had been fostered as a kitten, but was never adopted and when her foster had to move out of the area, she was brought to the shelter. Ella was a beautiful black cat. She loved other cats but was very shy and cautious towards people. She was diagnosed last fall with kidney failure and also had liver disease. Two of her siblings also passed away at a young age, so we believe her medical issues were genetic. She recently had lost more weight and seemed to be having problems eating. On Monday evening I was able to get her into a cage without a fight and administer fluids and pain meds. I knew she wasn't feeling well because she didn't even put up a fight or try to escape from the cage when I gave her extra loving. When Stephanie brought her to Kryders Tuesday morning, it was decided that the most humane thing to do was to allow her to peacefully pass over the rainbow bridge. Ella allowed Stephanie to hold her and give her extra kisses. Even though Ella wasn't receptive of the human touch in her time at Pet Refuge, I am grateful that she accepted being loved in the end. It has always bothered me when a Pet Refuge animal passes away without having found their forever home. In Ella's case, although I am sad that she wasn't in a traditional home, I know that she was happy at the shelter. She loved the other cats and even if she didn't always reciprocate our love for her, I know that she was well loved and cared for by our volunteers. Pet Refuge has one more angel watching over us today.
~Memorial coming soon~
I met Bubbs (aka Bubba) a few days after he was put into the president’s office at Pet Refuge. I was immediately drawn to him. He looked like a prize fighter with a cauliflower ear and a bit of a messed up face. It was obvious that his life before Pet Refuge had been a rough one. He was in the office, away from the other cats, because he had feline leukemia.
When we met, I leaned over to really look at him and he slapped me, hard. I scolded him and he leaned over and planted a kiss right on the cheek where he had slapped me. We bonded then, I think. I worked one day a week in the PR office and always made time to visit with Bubbs. I was working with the microchips, also, so I spent another 2 or 3 days in Bubb’s office and he was a great help as a paperweight on the papers I was working on. I grew to really love that tough boy and would have brought him home with me if I hadn’t already had 3 cats.
I had surgery in October of 2008 and then spent 4 months in a nursing home for rehab. I didn’t see Bubbs for almost a year and I could see the change in him. He knew me and was as loving but he had lost weight and was very quiet. I couldn’t stay long but I promised him I’d be back. It was another 6 months before I saw him again. I knew he was losing his battle. I was afraid to pick him up; he was so frail but I rubbed his special spot on his neck as Nathan, his room mate, laid across Bubb’s bed as if protecting him.
When I got the call that Bubbs had crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, I cried. Bubbs was a little boy who would have made such a great companion but he had so many friends at Pet Refuge, he probably would have chosen to stay with us. I can imagine him now, running in the grass, climbing trees and playing with all of our babies who had crossed before. He is finally the cat he was born to be. Enjoy, Precious Bubbs, and know you are loved.
In Memory of Alex -
The official Pet Refuge Mascot
After many years of greeting every person that walked into the door, entertaining our office volunteers, and teaching our dogs some manners around cats, sweet Alex passed over the rainbow bridge in February 2011. He will be missed by many. Here some of the countless happy memories of Alex - who was known for his outgoing personality and his great sense of humor:
"Alex was always willing to pose for a picture even a slightly undignified one. I have often wondered if he was a bit of a ham and sometimes if he may have known that it was for a good cause."
"No lunch was safe in the office with Alex there. I recall seeing office workers eating from lunch bags tucked in a drawer or purse."
"I still remember Alex and Spenser (one of Alex’s favorite dogs) curled up under the desk giving me minimal room for my feet as I answered the phone - back in the days when it was still possible (but barely possible) for one person to deal with the calls. When I got food out I had Alex on the desk and Spenser's head in my lap. I miss them both."
"I liked the way Alex would mess with all of us by darting out the door every opportunity he had. He had no intention of going anywhere - he would just collapse on the sidewalk right outside the door. He just wanted to get us all riled-up. It worked every time!"
"And then he would go into his "house" and put another notch on the
wall. His goal was at least one a day!
In Memory of Maggie
Maggie came to our home nearly five years ago
when she began eating from our outdoor feeder for feral cats. However,
it quickly became clear that Maggie was not feral at all. Quite to the
contrary, Maggie was sweet and social and must have been spayed at some
point in her life (she had a NeuterScooter tattoo in her ear).
Unfortunately, Maggie tested positive for Feline Leukemia and was thus
unable to share a home with other cats. Instead, we placed a cat bed in
the fishing boat in the garage and created a safe haven for Maggie.
Every late afternoon, we brought her canned food and she was always
waiting for us at feeding time. We spent many hours in the summer with
Maggie on our backyard swing. At night, we closed the garage to keep
her safe and during the winter, we put a heating disc in her bed. In
January 2011, after nearly five years with us, Maggie passed away.
Maggie was a chatty and love-filled kitty and she brought a lot of joy
to our lives.
Judy and Robert Mark
In Memory of Chin
When I first met Chin, he
was a tall, leggy and somewhat awkward looking three month old kitten.
And he was full of personality! As soon as Chin entered my home, he
started making friends with the other cats. His best friend in the world
was Cowboy and it was always a joy to watch them run around and play
with each other. I have so many fond memories of Chin and Cowboy racing
up and down the stairs, chasing toys and wrestling with each other. Chin
also managed to jump from the tall cat tree onto a hanging plant and
swinging wildly, six feet above ground, Chin and the plant came crashing
down. There was never a dull moment with him. During his time with me,
Chin also became known as the only kitten that would continually chase
and harass my sweet old Akita mix Billy (who was more than 10 times his
size). After
about 3 months, Chin became suddenly ill. Through his illness, Chin
remained the sweetest most loving cat – even when he was obviously in
pain, he was just longing to be with me. I continued to hope for a
miracle, but at only 6 months of age, Chin passed over the rainbow
bridge. Even though he was never adopted, Chin always knew that he had a
home with me. Rest in peace sweet boy.
Love, Christina.
1994 to 2010
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Being a volunteer at Pet Refuge has many rewards. One huge reward is gaining the love and affection of the cats that we care for. I am the kind of person that bonds with the “misfit” cats or cats that have “issues” or are semi-social. Katie was just such a cat. When I first encountered her in the MCR she would barely let me pet her. She could be kind of snarly at times. She really didn’t like the other cats in the room and always seemed semi-aggressive when they came near. I didn’t mind, I still looked out for her and each week I would try to socialize with her and she gradually started to trust me. After some time, I noticed that whenever Katie would come out to see me, she would head to the food dishes and the other cats would gang up on her and chase her away. She would jump up to the highest spot in the room and stay away from the food. I started going in every week and getting a small dish of food and water and putting it near where she was so she could eat peacefully. I would “guard” her from the other cats until she finished.
Over time, Katie seemed to be getting thinner and started having some obvious health issues. Due to her health and age, she was moved to the SCR (small cat room), where it was quieter and she could be on a special diet. She ended up being on various medications and many things were tried to help to gain weight and get healthy. It was to no avail. Every week, I would go in the SCR to check on her and call out “Where’s my Katie-did?” She would come out of her hiding spot, let me pick her up and lay on my lap purring. I think she would have spent the entire night on me had I let her. Katie’s condition deteriorated. Several weeks ago she stopped coming when I called her. I would have to seek her out and coax her out of her hiding spot. She was getting thinner and thinner. This past week, she was so weak and frail; she did not even want to be held. It was then that many of us volunteers knew it was time for Katie to be relieved of her discomfort. She was not getting well and was slowly going downhill. Many volunteers shed a lot of tears last week over our Katie. Not only did I have a pet name for her, but another volunteer called her Katie-baby. She would sit on this volunteer’s lap for hours while she cataloged cats into the database in the SCR. She would even bless her with kisses on her nose when she greeted her. Katie was never adopted from the shelter, but she was loved more than many cats probably will be in a lifetime by so many Pet Refuge Volunteers. Rest in peace, Katie-did. We love you and will see you again over the Rainbow Bridge.