A new beginning (again)

Well, a few more years have passed since I last posted, but I’m ever hopeful one day I will have it all together. Of course by then, lifting all that baggage may be too heavy a load for me. We’ll see.

Today is a milestone for me.  I’m officially old today and entering the last third of my life.  I remember hating it SO MUCH when I turned 30. I wasn’t too happy at turning 40 either.  By the time I was 50, I took it in stride pretty much, like most of today when I turned 65. I guess wisdom does come with age, like mom said.

I drove in the parking lot at work this morning and heard the DJ on the radio say “it’s Wednesday, June 3^rd and the time is 6 a.m.”  My immediate thought was “crap, it’s my birthday and I’m 65 today!”  I hadn’t remembered when I woke up this morning.  Selective memory, no doubt.

A few minutes later I was at my desk, intending to post a humorous invitation on Facebook to a pity party I was throwing for myself. I got stopped cold by the first thing that came up in my news feed. A friend with a huge heart for all the four-legged creatures on this earth (and the two legged ones too) had just put her beloved foster pet to sleep.

Since I had been forced to do the same thing just last week, I knew how much she must be hurting and my heart went out to her. My few words of comfort were inadequate.  It makes the imaginary problem of getting older fade fast in comparison to real sorrow. So I cancelled the invitation before it was sent, and it’s been a pretty good day otherwise. Attitude is everything.

I’ve only got another 25 – 30 years to accomplish what I want, so I’d better get on it. Wish me luck and I promise that it won’t be so long before I post again, and I hope will become less of a work in progress each time I do.

Trying it again!

I wanted to try more new things this past year, and did - somewhat, but still lots of room for challenges, new experiences and accomplishing things. As a friend mentioned today, she frittered away the whole day and didn't accomplish her goal. Sound familiar? Me too! It's so easy to waste a day, isn't it? 

I'm going to try this again, but tweak things a bit. I'm goal oriented and perform best with specific things to work toward and deadlines to meet.  I fail by giving myself too many goals to achieve and unrealistic deadlines, so won't do that again, but hopefully more structure will work for me.

So look for more blog posts, and on a bigger variety of topics, and have a great 2013!

Why You Should Adopt a Black Cat

I’m happy to report that two of my dear friends “Veronica and Jellybean” who I wrote about last week have been adopted. Yay! It was hard to find them a home, as far fewer people adopt multiple animals. However, a wonderful family took the girls home. Complicating their placement was that Jellybean had a normally working ear, but it was an odd shape. The third strike was that Jellybean was all black.

You see, black animals have a much harder time being adopted than animals of lighter colors. It’s harder to photograph them and get a clear photo, plus sometimes their noses and other features cannot easily be seen. Without a good photo, many people pass over them and go on to the next animal to view. There are also old superstitions and misconceptions about black equating to “bad”.

Nothing is further from the truth. Black labs are among the sweetest of dogs and both black dogs and cats are smart enough to pour on the charm when an interested person comes by, having been passed over by so many who walk by their kennel. Happily, it’s not just for show. They are equally loving and friendly as other animals, and so grateful to be chosen finally by their humans.

Like many shelters, Wayside Waifs where I volunteer has lots of black animals up for adoption. There are so many wonderful animals just waiting for their forever families. This year has seen a bumper crop of kittens too, many of them black. These terrific cats need homes and if adopt one, you’ll have a sweet pet to love you the rest of its life. Sadly, some shelters are still kill shelters and black cats there have little chance of finding homes before their time is up, so many healthy black cats are euthanized.

Won’t you consider adding a black cat to your family? Watch the video below for more information why it’s a terrific idea to adopt a black cat, and meet the black cats currently up for adoption at Wayside Waifs 3901 Martha Truman Drive KCMO. For more information on an individual cat, see www.waysidewaifs.org. Here's the link to the video about black cats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmGAP06-RXU

Two Sweet Sisters

Before I write about my topic of today, I HAVE TO say that I am so absolutely overjoyed. I just found out that the subject of my last post was just adopted an hour or two ago, to the perfect adopter. She was a special needs kitty and needed just the perfect person. He showed up today. Yay, Gretchen!

Now that I have that out of the way, I want to tell you about my girlfriends, Veronica and Jellybean (Ronnie and Jelly). Jellybean's the all black cat in the front. They're so sweet and gentle, they get along with other friendly cats or dogs, and love humans. Playful, easy to brush and groom, total sweeties.

Pairs of cats are always harder to place and these two have had to go through it twice. They used to be pretty shy but were adopted by a wonderful lady who helped them bloom into the cats they were meant to be. They're much more people friendly and outgoing now. Sadly, she was unable to care for them any longer, so they're back at Wayside Waifs, up for adoption again.

Jellybean is all black and some people shy away from black cats, which is a shame. Many of the most friendly cats I've met were black. My theory is they're smart enough to know they have a bad rep (undeserved) so they try harder. Their features tend to fade into their fur too, so it's hard to capture them in photos or video. In Jellybean's case, one of her ears is folded back. Her hearing is perfect, but people wonder about it, so pass her by instead of asking about it.

These girls have been together almost their whole lives and are BFF's. They'd be lost without each other, so must go home together. If you're in the market for a great kitty, please consider these two. They'll entertain each other, won't cause trouble and are priced right too. At the moment, Wayside is waiving adoption fees on adult cats. But even after that ends, when you adopt a pair of cats, the second is half price. Vets often only charge one office visit for both cats too.

Here's a link to a video about the girls and see waysidewaifs.org to view all the adoptable pets and more details about these girls too. You won't regret it!

http://youtu.be/jAWMSw3tFLY

Thank you to my friend, Cathy Sherman, for allowing the use of her photos. 

Gretchen - a special kitty with special needs

This sweet kitty has a slight wobble due to less than perfect sight and hearing. She doesn't let it slow her down and she is an absolute joy - a favorite of the staff and volunteers at Wayside Waifs. Read all about her and spread the word so we can find this special young lady the home of her dreams. She deserves it. 

Hi there!!! My name is Gretchen, and I am a very, very, very special cat!!! Some people say I am a "special needs" cat. But you know what? I think that I am a "special gives" cat--because I am going to give whoever takes me home so many wonderful blessings!!!

The most important thing of all to know about me is that I am a very, very, very happy little girl!!! Yep, that's me. I may have an extra challenge here and there, but I sure don't let that get me down. No way!!! I am a brave, outgoing, playful, curious, super-loving young kitty. I live life to the absolute fullest and enjoy every single second of it! And I'd love to share my life and my joy with you!!!

I was found all alone on the streets of Belton, and was so happy to be rescued by the nice police officer who brought me here to Wayside. When I got here, I walked right out of the carrier to meet everybody, gave a little head butt to the first person I saw, and started to eat up all the affection I could get. And believe me, I get a LOT of affection and attention around here. Just the way I like it!!!

Everyone at Wayside has fallen head over heels in love with me! Am I lucky or what??? They even sent me to some special veterinarians to find out why I am "differently-abled." You see, I'm a little unsteady on my feet and my head goes a little catty-wampus sometimes. The special vets did lots of testing. They found that my hearing and eyesight are very limited, and my special way of walking and moving may just be my way of compensating for that.

But that doesn't stop me one bit!!! No, Sir!!! Cats like me live normal lifespans. We are not in pain. It is not contagious. And we are just as intelligent and loving as any other cat. (In fact, it turns out that I myself am particularly smart.) We simply learn to compensate for our different abilities. I sure have!!!

One of the very experienced cat ladies here at Wayside recently took me home to live with her for awhile so she could see just what my special needs might be in my new forever home. Boy, is she a super-nice lady, and she'd be really glad to talk to you about me if you want more information.

Here's some of what my foster mommy found out:

First of all, I am an Oriental Shorthair mix, and I've definitely got that distinctive Oriental Shorthair purr-sonality. We Oriental Shorthairs are natural entertainers, full of enthusiasm and energy. We (rightly) believe that the world should revolve around us. We are extremely loyal, very curious, and want to be involved in all your activities.

Our feelings are easily hurt if you ignore us, but if you give us the attention we need, we will repay you with a lifetime of love, affection, and intelligent conversation. We have an opinion about every subject and are more than willing to share it with you.

Like any Oriental Shorthair, I will need an adopter who is okay with me wanting so much attention and being so vocal about it! I can be pretty loud for a few minutes when you leave me alone or put away my favorite toys. And I'm awfully demanding about wanting your full and undivided attention when you are at home. I sure hope you won't mind that. After being alone on the streets, I just crave time with my humans!!!

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm fine playing by myself, like when you are at work, but when you are home, I will expect to be the center of your universe. Don't worry. We can do lots and lots of fun things together!!! How about a good game with a cat wand toy? Those are my absolute favorite. I will play and play and play that game, and even cry for more when you finally put it away until next time! If you've got some chores to do, I would love to follow you around and supervise. And when you get tired, we can sit down on the couch, snuggle together and watch some TV until bedtime.

As you can see in my video, I am very active and playful and I compensate awfully well for my condition. I understand my limitations as far as jumping up onto things. I go slowly, and don't take too big of jumps. When you are sitting on the floor, I like to crawl up onto your shoulder and then jump off for practice.

I do just fine on carpeted stairs. In order to maintain my balance and agility, I do need to keep my weight down and also cannot be declawed or have my nails clipped too short. I need them to help me balance.

I use my litter box without fail, though I do need a nice big one to move around in. I eat really, really fast, which isn't always good for me, but you can help me slow down by giving me smaller, more frequent meals.

I would do best in a house without very young children who might not understand my special needs. But I would be great at helping older, respectful children learn about those who are differently-abled.

And it would be best if I was the only pet in the house. I do like other animals. In fact, being such an outgoing girl, I kind of like to boss them around! But I will do better in a household where I am the only pet. Besides, if you have a girl with as much love and personality as I have, you won't need any other pets to make your life happy. I can do that all by myself!

I am very, very affectionate and loving. I absolutely love to be petted! And while I'm often too busy to take time out to be held, when things quiet down at the end of a busy day, I enjoy having a nice, safe, warm lap to cuddle up in. Getting and giving love and attention are my very favorite things in life.

But out of all of this, do you know the best thing my foster mom said about me? That I am an AWESOME CAT! Aww, I love you, too, Foster Mommy!!!

So there you have it! A loving, happy, "special gives" kitty looking for a very special home. If you think it might be yours, please come down to Wayside and see me. I'll be the one soaking up the love and attention of all the staff and volunteers. They're going to miss me when I leave, but they are going to be thrilled that I found a loving forever home with a person like you!

All my love,

Gretchen


Thanks to Cathy Sherman for her beautiful photos of the cats at Wayside. 

Two Sweet Girls Need a Good Home

Fluffy and Kookie

Although I normally blog about cats, these two dogs have captured my heart so I'm going to talk a bit about them today. They have spent most of their lives together and are very dependent on one another and need to be adopted as a pair. Fluffy is sight impaired and Kookie takes care of her. Fluffy can see shapes and shadows and manages to do just fine, so don't be scared off by her challenges. They walk just fine on a leash and you can walk them together. They miss their home where they lived for many years, but their owner could no longer care for them. How about you? Do you have room in your heart for these terrific dogs?

Here's their story with a link to their video below. Both are available for adoption at Wayside Waifs in Kansas City MO. Thanks for reading about them.

Hello! We are Fluffy and Kookie and are so very pleased to introduce ourselves to you! We are the sweetest, most affectionate dogs on earth and we are searching for a brand new home. Our story is a sad one, yet filled with inspiration and hope, and we intend for our story to have a very happy ending. First though, we need you to meet us and fall in love, realize what super wonderful dogs we are, decide to take a chance and rescue us, and then help us get settled into our new home. Please? Will you at least think about it? For just a minute or two?

I am Kookie, a 5 year old, 63 pound, totally housebroken Lab mix. I have beautiful black and white fur, soft eyes, and adorable perky ears that are so expressive. I am the protector for my sister, Fluffy. She is incredible, she really is! I admire everything about her. She is my sister and my partner, my best friend and loyal companion....the one stable and safe part of my life. Fluffy is mostly blind from a genetic condition, although she can still see shadows and she definitely doesn't let her blindness get her down. Her condition doesn't require any special or costly medical care. She is almost 6 years old, about 80 pounds, also totally housebroken, and also a Lab mix, although she looks very different than I do. She is soft and furry and a gorgeous yellow color. Looking into Fluffy's face can break your heart and warm your heart all at the same time. I just love that girl!

We came to Wayside when our previous owner could no longer care for us. That was a sad day for all of us. We loved our mom very much and she loved us too. It's hard to get split up from your family. Confusing and worrisome too, not knowing what's going on. And then ending up in a homeless shelter...it has been a stressful ride for both of us. We honestly don't know what we'd do without each other. The volunteers are trying so hard to help us stay positive and happy, but different people seem to take us out for walks everyday and it's hard to establish a routine here. It's much easier for Fluffy when she's familiar with her surroundings, but that's so hard too. We break a few more hearts with every week we're here, because people feel sorry for us. We don't want to be that way though! We want to be joyful and carefree and secure. We want to be part of a family again.

We thought our luck had finally changed, when we were adopted by a wonderful new mom about a month ago! My, those were good times in our new home. Our mom adored us in every way and said we were such a joy to have in her home. We were affectionate and fun and kept her entertained every single day, with our enthusiasm and love for life. We were well behaved at all times, fully housetrained, never any trouble at all in our new home. We even got along fine with the cat who lived with us! We enjoyed playing outside, going for walks and car rides, just living and loving life. Unfortunately, our new mom had a change in her lifestyle and she was no longer able to keep us. It was such a disappointment for us, but we understand...we have no choice but to understand. And to be perfectly honest, we're thankful to Wayside and it's village of staff and volunteers who welcomed us back with open arms. They were sad for us, but went right back to work searching for another new home where we can be safe, comfortable, and loved...hopefully for the rest of our lives this time around.

During our stay at Wayside, we've been fortunate in that we've touched the heart of a very special woman...she's featured in our video...and she has made such a difference in our lives. She takes us to her home for a few days each week for a break from shelter life. She's fostered many times before and says we are the easiest dogs she's ever brought home. She said we'll be the perfect match for someone looking for low maintenance, affectionate dogs who are always happy to see you! She wanted to offer up some peace of mind to you as well, regarding Fluffy's blindness. Us dogs aren't reliant on our eyes as much as people are, and Fluffy has been getting around just fine, including maneuvering the stairs. She checks out each room, figuring out where the furniture is, and she remembers! It's really no big deal and pretty incredible to watch her in action. At night, our favorite thing to do is to curl up on the couch together with our foster mom in between us. We love belly rubs and rump scratches. We also enjoy playing in the backyard and I like to play fetch. We're very well behaved and don't cause any trouble at all. We're so happy, grateful, and appreciative just to be hanging out in a home...the little things in life are like heaven to us!

We walk very well on our leashes and one person can typically take us both for a walk at the same time. Fluffy follows my lead and I never, ever lead her astray. Keep in mind, though, as I'm going on and on about how well I take care of Fluffy, that she takes care of me just as much. Her companionship means the absolute world to me. We thrive with people around to love us and our favorite thing in the world is a good belly rub, together with a cheerful human voice. We are sweet, affectionate, calm, and smart too! We can sit for our treats, which we love, and we know plenty of other commands as well. We'd prefer to have a home without kids under 5. The youngsters sometimes make us nervous, especially Fluffy, what with their loud voices and unpredictable movements. Other dogs make us nervous too, so we hope we can be your only dogs. We do just fine with cats though!

Just in case you're reluctant about taking two precious sweethearts home with you together, let us ease your mind. We love to play together and promise not to fight. We do like to eat separately and in peace, but other than that, we want to be together always. We'll be able to keep each other company when you're away, so no feeling guilty about leaving us alone! We keep each other happy and healthy. You get a special Wayside adoption deal when you adopt both of us together, too. And of course, you're assured double the doggie love every single day. How can you possibly resist?

We promise not to cause trouble in our new home! We'd love a daily walk, to help us stay happy and healthy, and of course plenty of loving attention, but other than that, we won't ask for much. We're just two sweet dogs, longing for the routine, safety, and security of our very own home and family. Don't we deserve that? Won't you please take a chance on two gentle souls like us? Our love and devotion to each other is incredible, and we'd really like to include you in our pack. Please?
Love, Kookie and Fluffy

http://www.petango.com/webservices/adoptablesearch/wsYouTubeVideo.aspx?videoid=bbSNhgBeKWY

Report Card Day - 5 out of 6

These sweet faces are just a few of the many cats who have been adopted from Wayside Waifs Animal Shelter in Kansas City where I volunteer. I'm fairly sure my blogging about them wasn't really a factor in them finding their furr-ever homes, but you never know. So I'll keep doing my best to spread the word about my furry little friends. I blogged about these guys and happily got to hear or see them going home. Remember any of these?

From left to right and top to bottom, they were Rocket, Biscuit, Mandaga, Lou and Jazz Man. They all seem to be settled in happily with their new families. The only one I blogged about that hasn't found her home yet is Miss Baily. This is Miss Baily below.

She's still waiting for the right family. We know people are hearing and reading about her, because they're calling and asking about her. Just not the right people yet. But Baily will be patient a while longer, her foster mother less so. Patience is a foreign concept to her, but she's working on it. She really just wants Baily to find the happy ending to her story. So if you're out there, Prince Charming, come and claim your princess.  And while we wait, we'll enjoy our time together.