I’m Vincent D. Cat and here to make you happy! You are HEROES! You work hard every day and you deserve to smile every day! Those of you working to save us animals hear so very many very sad things. And there’s lots of very 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!! Be kind and pass it on! Please send me your Good New and Fun Stuff to share, personal or global. Let’s keep it fun and interactive!! After all, if we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane! Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org
Keep a close eye on me - watch my subtle changes for the next couple days! Better look close or you're gonna miss it!!!
VOTE TODAY
http://bit.ly/VoteVincent Rikkis Refuge, Orange, VA, USA
The Animal Rescue Site - Shelter Challenge
YOU voted Rikki’s Refuge #1 in Virginia in 2010
Let’s do it again for 2011
quick, simple, free
Your daily vote can win $1,000 - $5,000 for Rikki’s Refuge’s Animals!
We’re holding #9 on the planet with 0.85 % of all votes cast planet wide.
Many of the folks ahead of us have been on nationwide TV shows in the last year!!
So I think we’re doing pretty good!
But don’t slack off on that voting.
Come on folks - one of these days we’re gonna see Rikki’s Refuge at the TOP.
Why not tomorrow?
We got doggies hot on our tail in Virginia.
We’re at number one with 25.94 % of all votes cast in Virginia!!!
The doggies are at 23.37 %
Let’s spread that difference - vote vote vote
Every where you go - spread the word!
Bissell MVP Contest
Vote daily thru Tuesday January 18th for Zoe Marie Spumoni
Running on behalf of Rikki’s Refuge
quick, simple, free
Your daily vote could win up to $10,000 for Rikki’s Refuge
Click on Zoe to Vote for Zoe: 
Zoe can win up to $10,000 for Rikki’s Refuge if you’ll please vote for her!
Zoe was at 271 votes this morning when I voted
VOTE and help me raise the score!!It’s Friday and it’s Free Food Friday
send an email to Giveaway@freekibble.com with the subject "Shelter Giveaway" on Fridays to enter PetCo’s drawing for a $50 PetCo Gift Card every weekend. A winner will be chosen at random every Saturday. It may as well be YOU! http://www.freekibblekat.com/giveaway.asp
Individuality
Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish. ---John Jakes
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. ---Howard Thurman
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. ---Friedrich Nietzsche
Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else. ---Judy Garland
Refuge News
Jan writes in:
GO TEAM VINCENT!!
My happy news is that my Callie kitty is at the end of her chemo treatment with no side effects and no fibrosarcoma recurrence. Do any of you experts out there recommend (or not) periodic brief re-treating with chemo to keep those aggressive tumors at bay? No literature, vet says up to me. Idea is not to wait for the inevitable next recurrence but to be proactive. Maybe you good people (or Vincent!) have had some experience to share.
HELP - do you have any first hand experience you can pass on to Jan? Either those of you with kitties. Or Dr Vargas, or any of you docs out there. Together we have so much knowledge to share, please share yours. This is one area I don’t have experience in. Either in comments in the blog or to Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org
Thank you Amy for bringing the cat tree for the 9th Life Center and for washing dishes and feeding the guinea pigs and rabbits!!!
Allyson Herring worked with 1-800PetMeds and got Rikki’s signed up regular donated products. they said lots of flea product and many other things. Close to expiration date, returns, damaged items!!! Great big thank you Allyson!! Good Job.
We’re also not a Jeffers Livestock affiliate. As soon as I have that all together I’ll get you the link and then any products you order thru them - if they’re for us - we’ll get a donation too!!
Live from Vincent Video
Meet Jake the Cat
Fun and Inspiring
Holiday Traffic Weekend - Watch Out!
From Grace: Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it....... In a cold impersonal world, we can make a huge difference in the lives of those seeking the shelter and grace of Jesus and his people.
Hmmm Barbara what were we talking about last night ?????
Tails of Trivia
Yesterday’s Trivia Question was : A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time. Do you know how much?
Fred writes in: jiffy - n. the amount of time required to have your car's oil changed at a drive-in, no appointment necessary instant lube establishment
No need to put my name in Good Morning Good News, just shop for the business offering the most "free oil change" coupons in return for replacing "instant lube establishment" with their name, make the adjustment, and send the coupons to me.
Vincent’s Official Answer: A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
Did you know all porcupines float in water.
No animal experiments were done to produce this tidbit of trivia! At least not by me!
Armadillos have four babies at a time and they are always all the same sex.
January is National Reaching Your Potential Month - why not reach out and volunteer at Rikki’s Refuge or your favorite animal shelter.
If you can’t volunteer some time or bring out some supplies, could you make a donation? The pantry is running low on canned cat and dog food, laundry detergent, paper towels, trash bags and flea treatment (advantage and frontline).
Let me know if you want to Feed Vincent or Feed Duke Choose one!
Music and Motion
Sorry I can’t embed this in the blog, but it’s very cute and worth watching.
Good Times in the News
Which Animal Is Fastest?
by Delicious Reddit, HappyNews Columnist
(Muhammad Mahdi Karim) Tiger beetle pictured in Kibaha, Tanzania, photographed by Muhammad Mahdi Karim.
Q; Which animal is faster - a cheetah, kangaroo, or house cat?
A: A cheetah is the fastest land mammal if you measure speed in kilometers per hour. Its top speed of 113 km/h (70 mph) beats a 48 km/h (30-mph) kangaroo or 48 km/h house cat.
But, if we consider the animal's size, the picture changes.
Measuring how many body lengths an animal goes in a second, we find the house cat (29 body lengths) beats the cheetah, (25 body lengths), which beats the kangaroo (1 body length). The tiger beetle (125 body lengths), however, is the supreme winner in terms of body-length speed. This little creature sprints so fast, it stops three or four times during a chase, but still manages to outrun its target, says entomologist Cole Gilbert of Cornell University.
"Tiger beetles pursue prey in nature with several sequences of interrupted running. To successfully track prey, adult tiger beetles use this stop-and-go method to re-localize continually moving prey within their field of vision," says entomologist Phyllis M. Pineda of Colorado State University. Apparently, a beetle receives more information than he can process as he runs, so he reduces the information flood by stopping periodically. Now he need only to re-locate the darting, direction-changing prey with the part of his compound eye where his vision is most acute and head in the new direction. Finally, at the last and shortest pursuit, the tiger beetle seizes the prey with his sickle-like mandibles (the principal jaws) and eats it."
Great Purrchases
Winky's Whimsical Kitties
Shannon Lobe’s delightfully Whimsical Kitty Paintings! Original and unique paintings by this artist for sale with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Rikki’s Refuge.
Take a look at these delightful paintings!
"Happy"
"Ferals are Fantastic"
"A Normal Day: The Bathroom"
"A Normal Day: The Laundry Show"
"Faceless Ferals: Over 60 Million Strong"
"Partners in Crime"
"Wet Paint + Cat ="
"Got Ferals??"
"Feral FeWines: Red Purrlot"
"Feral FeWines: Snipped, Nipped and Tipsy Too!"
Click here to view them all.
What we NEED this weekend
Thank you who ever brought out 3 Metal Pitch Forks - they’re working great and that means we have one at Horsey Haven, one at Bovine Boulevard and one at Piggy Paradises!! Proper pooper scooping sure makes it more of a Paradise!!!
Paper Towels (we need about 6 rolls a day, it’s more sanitary and sterile than sponges) Mom bought 30 rolls yesterday but that was all we could afford.
Canned Cat (we need 16 cases a day) - DESPERATE, a prepaid order is late getting in so there’s no more money to go buy now. With the holiday weekend we now can’t get our urgent order till Tuesday. Really seriously need about 40 cases before the order gets in early next week.
Canned Dog Food (we need 4 cases a day) to keep my doggie friends happy
Laundry Detergent (we need to do 22 loads a day)
30 Gallon Trash Bags (we need 26 bags a day)
Dish Detergent (we need about 16 ounces a day to wash to wash 317 bowls, plates and platters)
Donation Drop off Noon - 2 pm every Saturday !!!
Spray bottles for cleaning. The cheapest way to get what seems to be the best ones is to buy a general purpose cleaner at the dollar store, use that and then have the spray bottle to mix up the next batch. Any non toxic cleaner that doesn’t need to be washed off is good. Orange stuff, 409 type products, windex, anything that’s only $1 and comes with a good spray bottle!!!
I’ve got a whole, great big, huge stack of $5 off coupons for Purina dry cat food at PetSmart. Since a bag costs about $11.99 if you can spare only $6.99 I can get a whole bag full of nums!!!! This is a real deal, for every $6.99 you donate, it’ll buy an $11.99 bag of Cat Chow!!! I’ve got 21 of the $5 coupons so if 21 of you would each help me out with a bag .... that’d only be $6.99 each ..... and it’d give me 336 pounds of nums!!!! Thank you, very much.Dear Vincent
Why is Walker allowed to visit?
Lots of you have questions about Rikki’s Refuge. I’ll pick one or two a day to answer here. Ask your questions in the blog comments or sent to me at Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org
QUESTION: The last couple days you’ve been discussing why you DON’T allow dogs and other animals to visit. I’ve been there and I’ve seen Walker visiting. Why he is allowed to? Susan
ANSWER: That’s a good question, Susan! Walker is a Rikki’s Alumni. He lived here for a long time. So he already knows all the animals here. He spends every Saturday here so he’s never a stranger and all the resident doggies know him. And all of us kitties and everybody else too. While he lived here he proved that he was ok with chickens and sheep and all. So no worries about him hurting our animals. And since he lived here and continues to visit frequently our doggies are used to him. He’s introduced to our new doggies before they have full running rights so he gets to know them too.
Walker is also our Spokes Dog. He was shot before he came to Rikki’s. His first year here he was terrified. He gradually warmed up to hoomans. And fell totally in love with his Cindy hooman. She adopted him. So going home with Cindy Saturday night and coming back Saturday morning when she comes to volunteer is more like going on a business trip, than it is like going home to a different place!
Upcoming Events
SATURDAY January 15
ANIMAL ATTENTION DAY - Give some extra hugs to the homeless - take a dog for a walk, scratch a pig's belly, pat a cat. 11 am - 3 pm
DONATION DROP OFF, noon - 2 pm, got something to drop off quick? The gates will be unlocked. No tour at this time, just drop off.
FULL MOON WALK, Bon Fire, vegan bbq, pot luck 1/15, RSVP REQUIRED, we’re talking outdoors, after dark, so it’s gonna be cold and dark - please be prepared!! Absolutely MUST RSVP. May be cancelled due to lack of participation.
Pit Bull Awareness - Meet Indigo Wheeled Terrier and his family, and hear his hooman mom mommy speak about him, animal abuse and dog fighting at Pit Bull Awareness event at the Canterbury Community Center, 12184 Chaucer Lane, Woodbridge Va 22192. Saturday Jan 15, 2011 from Noon to 3 pm. Pit Bull Kisses are free and leashed, well mannered spayed and neutered dogs are welcome!
SUNDAY January 16
SANDWICH DAY - On January 18, 1778 Capt James Cook stumbles over Hawaiian Sandwich Islands. Today you'll bring your most creative VEGAN sandwiches to the refuge for a judging. Noon.
TOUR THE REFUGE - NOON, mini tour, take a walk around and see the animal neighborhoods. Every week on Sunday you can join a mini tour where you can walk around from animal neighborhood to neighborhood, from Piggy Paradise to Horsey Haven and see the animals. One tour only, starts at noon. Please be prompt.
MONDAY January 17
LEE / JACKSON / KING DAY, the animals come first! Bring yummy winter treats and help fluff up warm winter bedding. 11 am - 3 pm
Stay In Touch
Check my blog http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com
on the right under STAY IN TOUCH
the next four weeks - what to do at Rikki's Refuge
Will tell you all about upcoming events, also any cancellations and all the up to the minute stuff you need to know. Check in often. Sign up to follow the blog so you get updates when they happen. A little further down on the right click on FOLLOW.
Vote for the Animals
Here you can vote in contests that will give money to save the animals, they’re all free and easy, so all you have to do is click and it’s like making a donation!
2011 Calendar of What's up at Rikki's
Here you can see the calendar for all of 2011, so you can plan way far ahead!!
Because I Love YOU
I’m gonna make you laugh
Don’t leave the cat home alone for the holiday weekend!
Love,
Vincent
PS You tell me what you want! Email me at Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org with instructions to change your subscription: additions, deletions or modifications! Subscriptions: Vincent’s VIPs - up to the second alerts about issues at Rikki’s Refuge for those who care and want to be intimately involved. Scheduled as needed. Good Morning Good News - a little something to get you going in the mornings, for those of you who want to keep smiling with us! Scheduled daily. Hairballs - so you know what’s coming up at Rikki’s! Scheduled weekly.
Rikki's Refuge, supported solely by private donations, houses over 1200 animals of 22 species. On line at http://bit.ly/Give-a-gift-to-Rikkis Checks, money orders, cash, items at Rikki's Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960
Rikki's Refuge is owned and operated by Life Unlimited of Virginia, Inc., an IRS 501(c)(3) not-for-profit Virginia Corporation, tax-id 54-1911042. Combined Federal Campaigns #77674, Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign #3163, PetsMart Charities #1377. A financial statement is available upon written request from the State Office of Consumer Affairs.
Learn more www.RikkisRefuge.org and help spread the good word, tell everyone you know about Rikki’s Refuge
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