I’m Vincent D. Cat and I’m here to make you happy! You work hard and you deserve to smile every day! Those of you working to save us animals often hear very sad things. There’s lots of glad things too and that’s what we talk about here! All pawsitive all the time! I want my friends to be happy and smile and know there’s a lot of good - including YOU - in this world!! Please send me your Good New and Fun Stuff to share, personal or global. Let’s keep it fun and interactive!! Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org
Please PLEASE don’t make me go Christmas shopping
Oh please don’t drag me thru the stores! I’m making donations to Rikki’s Refuge in honor of everyone on my Christmas List! How about you? http://bit.ly/Give-a-gift-to-Rikkis
Dark night of the moon!
It’s been 372 years since a lunar eclipse coincided with the winter solstice!!! Party at Rikki’s! Come on out, we’ll be walking the snow covered grounds and watching the eclipse.
Hey if you live on the east coast you might want to step outside about 3 am tonight / tomorrow morning. Not only is this the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, we’re having an eclipse tonight!!! Check here to see what time it’s happening at your place.
And if that's not enough, a minor meteor shower is expected to send a few shooting stars through the darkened sky during the height of the eclipse.
George shares - Why email was invented!
On the Twentieth Day of Christmas,
look what came to Rikki’s,
eighteen litter challenged kitties,
seventeen emus escaping,
sixteen dangerous ducklings,
fifteen peaceful pigeons,
fourteen peacocks plotting,
thirteen humans helping,
twelve temperamental turkeys,
eleven pouting pussies,
ten crotchety creaking canines,
nine grumpy geese,
eight kicking kittens,
seven guinea fowl freeloading,
six lizards a lazing,
five guinea pigs a gnawing,
four elderly equines,
three burly bossy bovines,
two rabbits a mating,
and a chukar in a cherry tree.
See all the pictures
Saving Goats
Remember a few years ago when we rescued all those mom goats who were pregnant? The first babies, twins, were born on Valentines Day that year! They were about the size of us kitties when they were born. The goats in this musical video aren’t ours, but they reminded me of our babies playing in the cat runs that year!! Ours have all grown up now and are the goats you meet on a tour!!
Meet the real life Tom and Jerry: Cat gets stuck up a tree after chasing a wily mouse
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:25 AM on 20th December 2010
It looked like a scene straight out of children's cartoon Tom and Jerry when this hapless cat got stuck half way up a Christmas tree after chasing a mouse.
The 14-month-old feline, called Bumble, had leapt into the branches after his prey. But, just like his cartoon counterpart, the mouse proved far too quick and agile for his pursuer.
The clever rodent made it to the top in a flash but Bumble struggled to get more than half way up the five foot tree.
Bumble by name: This cat hadn't really thought things through when she chased a mouse and got stuck half way up her owner's Christmas tree
Who's an angel? The mouse made it safely to the top of the tree, dislodging the angel from its perch, while Bumble caused chaos with the rest of the baubles in the lower branches
And as he struggled to disentangle himself from the lights and tinsel, the mouse smugly looked down on him from his safe spot.
The incredible spectacle was captured by Bumble's owners Carolyne and Stan Brading at their home in Whitwell, on the Isle of Wight.
Mrs Brading, a support worker, said she was delighted to get such an unusual sight on camera.
The 51-year-old added: 'Bumble is a bit of a character, he's always up to mischief.
'I think he'd been chasing the mouse and it had scurried up to the top of the tree to safety.
'The mouse wouldn't have had any problems climbing up but Bumble obviously found it a little more difficult.
'When we walked into the room we found him perched in the branches about half way up, and the mouse was peering down on him.
'I couldn't believe what I was seeing. We grabbed the camera straight away because it's certainly not something we think we'll witness again.
'Despite the awkward position, Bumble looked quite comfortable. We lifted him out and the mouse scurried away.
'The tree was a mess. The angel that had previously been on top of the tree was on the floor and there were baubles everywhere. It took me an hour to put everything back together again.
'Everybody who sees the pictures thinks it's hysterical - just like a scene out of Tom and Jerry.'
Vincent’s Very own 25 Days of Christmas
On the Twentieth Day of Christmas
our hoomans sighed with relief
to have wonderfully dry feet
twenty warm and toasty feet
Have you ever worked in wet shoes or boots? It is awful – especially when the temperature dips and the wind blows! Today we’re thinking of the staff again with this electric boot/shoe dryer. A bit pricey, but it dries 2 pair of shoes/boots at the same time.
click on the staff to help them feed the animals -- or on the boot warmer as a gift
nineteen dogs a walking,
eighteen extra eyes on the lookout,
seventeen ears a listening,
sixteen healthy hoomans a caring,
fifteen seniors breathing easily,
fourteen feral kitties happily helped to the speuter clinic,
thirteen terabytes of memory,
twelve glorious gift cards,
eleven wondrous packets of warmth,
ten hooman helpers illuminated to see,
nine domed doggy igloos,
eight cozy kitty condos,
seven guinea pig garages,
six months of warm and wonderful heat,
five gentle, soothing, healing musical CDs,
four lights to help us see all the creatures at night,
three nummy cans food for each of the doggies,
two snuggy pads to keep us comfee,
and one VINCENT eating FANCY FEAST ....
You can have Amazon send it right on it’s way to
Vincent D. Cat
Rikki’s Refuge
10910 Barr Ln
Rapidan VA 22733
AND it even counts towards Amazon point for Rikki’s cuz you’ll be going in thru our site with this link!!!!
Interested in buying other items from Amazon for yourself or for gifts for all your friends and family? Use this link to make your shopping shop for Rikki’s - it doesn’t cost you a thing - Amazon will make a donation to Rikki’s when you enter their site thru this link!!! http://www.amazon.com/?&tag=wwwrikkisrefu-20&camp=212361&creative=392013&linkCode=wsw&
If you missed any of Vincent’s Shopping Suggestions - here they all are!
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
True Story of Rudolph
A man named Robert L. May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night. His 4-year-old daughter Barbara sat on his lap quietly sobbing. Bobs wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer. Little Barbara couldn't understand why her mommy could never come home.
Barbara looked up into her dad's eyes and asked, "Why isn't Mommy just like everybody else's Mommy?" Bob's jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears. Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been the story of Bob's life. Life always had to be different for Bob.
Small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he'd rather not remember. From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in.
Bob did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression. Then he was blessed with his little girl. But it was all short-lived. Evelyn's bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the Chicago slums. Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938.
Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn't even afford to buy a Christmas gift. But if he couldn't buy a gift, he was determined a make one - a storybook!
Bob had created an animal character in his own mind and told the animal's story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope. Again and again, Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling. Who was the character? What was the story all about? The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was.
The name of the character? A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose. Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day.
But the story doesn't end there. The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book. Wards went on to print, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores.
By 1946, Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph. That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book. In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Wards returned all rights back to Bob May.
The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter.
But the story doesn't end there either. Bob's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of "White Christmas."
The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on returning back to bless him again and again. And Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn't so bad. In fact, being different can be a blessing.
We’ve come a long way since 1946
When Wards gave the rights to the book back. Today I heard a ad on the radio for a Car Dealer in Charlottesville advertising that if you buy a new car this week they’ll donate a whole $25 to the food bank!!!! What is that? Like 1/10 of 1% or something?
And for only a $30 TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation to Rikki’s Refuge, Progressive Automotive and Tire in Stafford and Fredericksburg will give you $295 worth of services! A great stocking stuffer, a real win win. www.RikkisRefuge.org for details!
LOOK !!!! My own Katarina !!!
Giving animals a Christmas
Today in the Free Lance Star
Katarina Galvin (center, red coat) instructs a group of teen volunteers from Fairfax County on cleaning a shelter for feral cats at Rikki's Refuge in Orange County. Galvin, the refuge's volunteer coordinator, has organized an angel tree program to benefit animals this holiday season.
ROBERT A. MARTIN/THE FREE LANCE-STAR
ROBERT A. MARTIN/THE FREE LANCE-STAR
Katarina Galvin, with T. J. at Rikki's Refuge, has put ornaments with pictures of needy animals on trees at local stores.
ROBERT A. MARTIN/THE FREE LANCE-STAR
Teen coordinator at Rikki's Refuge launches a different kind of Angel Tree-one seeking gifts for animals
Date published: 12/20/2010
BY ROBIN KNEPPER
Angel trees are not uncommon this time of year, but Katarina Galvin has put her own spin on the tradition.
She has made and placed animal-angel ornaments, each with the wreath-surrounded picture of a needy non-human recipient, on Christmas trees throughout the area.
Galvin, 23, is the volunteer coordinator for Rikki's Refuge in Orange County, and the ornaments picture some of the 1,200 rescued animals that live on the 367-acre farm. The nonprofit sanctuary is home to more than 20 different species of abused, neglected and abandoned animals.
At the Petco store in Harrison Crossing in western Spotsylvania County, the Christmas tree is adorned with cat, dog, rabbit, guinea pig and turtle angels--domestic animals for which gifts can be purchased right there. The ornament can then be attached to the gift, returned to the tree or taken home as a memento.
At Booth Feeds' stores in Spotsylvania and Stafford counties, the angels are cows, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens and other farm animals. Other trees decorate offices, and there is one at Confederate Ridge Animal Hospital in Fredericksburg.
In Orange, there are trees at the Orange-Madison Co-op, Village Feeds and the LaRue de Beauty salon. In Culpeper County they can be found at the Culpeper Animal Hospital and the Culpeper Co-op.
Galvin was in the seventh grade when a friend's family took her on her first visit to Rikki's Refuge. That was seven years ago, but because she lived in Fredericksburg and didn't drive, she didn't get back to Rikki's until 16 months ago.
"I always remembered that it was a place with loving people taking care of animals," she says. "After I revisited it, I kept going back."
She was asked to be the sanctuary's first youth volunteer coordinator.
"It was really fun," she says. "I got to take disabled animals to schools and teach students how to take care of them, since some of them were differently abled kids."
Last summer, Galvin set up a teen volunteer program at Rikki's Refuge that attracted 15 teenagers who went to the farm on Thursdays to clean cat boxes, train dogs, organize trailers, paint buildings and care for animals. She helped organize monthly tours and open houses.
Starting next month, there will be Sunday tours of the sanctuary.
"Kerri Hilliard [the sanctuary's executive director and founder] supported me through everything," Galvin said. "This was the first time I had worked with animal rescue, and she helped me learn the operations and encouraged me to do more and more."
This isn't Galvin's first volunteer experience. At 16, she started as a junior volunteer at Mary Washington Hospital. After a month she was hired to work in the dietary department after school, during the summer and, later, during college breaks.
After college, she was promoted to an office job and is still employed by Mary Washington Healthcare.
As the volunteer coordinator for both teens and adults, Galvin finds her work challenging and rewarding.
"I love doing it," she says. "It's helped me become way more confident, and I've learned management skills and even how to train dogs."
This is the first year of the animal-angel tree, but probably not the last.
"I always feel good when I throw a fundraiser and it's a success," she said. "It blows me away every time."
Well it’s getting late and I better say nighty!!!
We’re making some progress on the challenge.
I still have a long way to go. If you can help, no matter how small - it’d mean the world to me!!
Nighty night,
Love,
Vincent
