Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! January 4, 2011



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


My Favorite Quote, Today
For the new year, a short course in human relations ...

The Six Most Important Words: I admit I made a mistake.

The Five Most Important Words: You did a good job.

The Four Most Important Words: What is your opinion?

The Three Most Important Words: If you please.

The Two Most Important Words: Thank you.

The One Most Important Word: We.

The Least Important Word: I.


Hmmmm and I thought the most important two words were Fancy Feast!


Refuge News
Memorial to Sam
We only print good news here.  And Sam was a good cat and his story was a good example of exactly why Rikki’s Refuge is here and who we are here to serve.  An old man with glaucoma so bad his left eye seemed about to pop out his head, his owners abandoned him at a pound several years ago.  Somebody at Winging Cat Rescue has a heart for old folks and they pulled him out the pound.  He traveled 800 miles to come to Rikki’s Refuge.

The second his carrier opened, after that long long ride, he took one look at mom, snuggled up to her, climbed up to her shoulders, rubbed her face, and then got down and said, “So could I use a litter box now Please?”  After that, “Where’s dinner served around here?” 
That Friday mom took him to meet our Doctor Meredith Vargas.  She said YIKES look at that eye, we’ve got to try and save it quick.  She ordered several different type of drops and gave mom the run down, this one every three hours, that one every two, this one every four, and so on.  Every hour he was supposed to have one of the drops in that eye.  If you can do it round the clock till we get the swelling down it’d be best, the doc said, can you do that?  Of course we can, said mom, thinking, well who needs to sleep anyway!  How long do you think it will take?  Come back Monday!  Monday, just a few days and we’re expecting a miracle?

And sure enough by Monday the swelling was very much down and the frequency of the drops started to get dropped. After a couple weeks it was only one type of drops, twice a day.  Sam hated his drops.  He’d try to hide, but soon as it was done, he’d be fine.  He didn’t hold grudges! 
Sam was like mom’s shadow.  He was stuck to mom for the rest of his life.  He followed her around, sat on her lap when she was on the computer, rode on her shoulders around the farm.  Always there with her.  If she was off the property, it’d be hard to find Sam.  But the minute she drove up, there he was, Merow Merow Mom.  He slept curled around her head and when he was feeling extra loving across her face.  She’d wake up with her nose and eyes and mouth full of fur, and he wouldn’t think it was fair to have to move over a bit.  As soon as mom fell asleep, he’d be right back on her face.  If mom was away for a night, he’d sleep on her pillow and sulk.  Often she’d take him with her if she had to be away.
Sam was the best mouser ever.  He’d sit still in bed, we’d hear one rustle, and Sam would bolt and you’d just hear about three crunches.  He’d even lick the floor clean. Then jump back in bed, wash his face and paws and go back to sleep.  He loved them mousies. 

Some times one would walk thru the blower on the furnace, yikes. It’d be killed instantly and it’d put the blower off balance and then it’d quite and the gas would shut off and we’d all get cold.  Mom would have to take the furnace apart to get the mouse out.  Sam would stand by thinking mom was a great hunter, and she’d toss the dead mouse to him!
Sam got along with everybody.  Even Snickers let him share her loft.  Just last week he was still climbing up and down the ladder to the loft.  Though it was about Thanksgiving time we saw him slowing down and getting skinny.  His kidneys had been bad since his arrival and he got sub-q fluids daily.  Twice a day since September. 

We think Sam was about 21 years old.  And his last years were very happy ones.  He seemed to have no scars from his early years.  The last few days he just slowed down, until yesterday, he passed over to the Rainbow Bridge, quietly and gently and on his own.  I know he didn’t want to leave mom, but there’s a time we all must go.  These bodies just aren’t meant to last forever.  Mom will be listening out for Sam and knows she’ll hear him from time to time.

And that’s just what Rikki’s Refuge is here for - to offer love and life long haven to those who’ve been thrown away by the ones they loved.   We love you Sam! 


THANK YOU
Mary came out to work in the office yesterday and brought in the mail and I got more pressies at the post office!!!  Oh mom took pictures of me opening my pressies, she needs to get them ready to go on line.  I’ll go poke her!

Kevin and Janice washed dishes and scooped litter boxes and filled water bowls and feed yesterday.

Kathy came and walked doggies.  They are so happy on the days Kathy comes.  They used to enjoy Kathy’s little daughter too, but now she’s in school and can’t come very often.

Jones’ John, we got a big compliment over the weekend that we have the cleanest porta potty our visitors have ever seen.  Thank you for taking care of Larry’s Loo.  And thank you Larry for paying for it every month so the hoomans don’t have to use my litter box!


UFO Sightings
Well this wasn’t really taken here at the refuge .....  It’s a sculpture made of ice, seen during an ice sculpture festival in Moscow, on Dec. 27.  But I think we should make something like this at Rikki’s!!!!  


oopppssss Vista!
Vista spent night before last in the truck! Mom got in late and he must of jumped in when she was getting out. She didn't see him. He usually comes inside in the early evening and then goes back out for the night, so mom just figured he'd gone to his sleeping place already. She get in the truck this morning and he jumps up and says HI where's breakfast!!!


Don’t forget Amazon

Enter thru that link no matter what or why you’re buying from Amazon!!  Just like magic, they’ll send a check to us!!!  Costs you nothing but a click!! 

Kathy had a great idea! I just bought an external hard drive for work and I went through the link to get it.  Please remind people that if they are ordering things with their company charge cards that they should also go through the Rikki’s Amazon link.  Every penny counts and it doesn’t cost you a thing!


Live from Vincent Video
Meet Valerie and Mystique

Mystique’s family had a disorder that keeps the organs from being able to keep up with the demands of a growing body.  So as the kittens grew their body outgrew the ability of their organs to function adequately to sustain life.  There’s no way to keep them small.  Thankfully Mystique and her brother Osiris, though terribly ill when they reached the critical size where we lost their other siblings, survived and haven’t grown much larger.  Now getting close to a year old and holding their size since they were just a few months old, we’ve got our paws crossed.  For now, they are happy and enjoying life!  And that’s what counts!


Get the “can’t” out of your vocabulary!  When faced with a challenge say, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”   What would Vincent say? “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”    You think I thought we could win the state of Virginia!!!  But K kept saying “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can” and you kept saying “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”  And we did it!!!

Hurrah to Mystique and Osiris for saying “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can”!!!


Did You Know?
January 4th is International Trivia Day!

There are more plastic flamingos in America than real ones.
I think we should get some at Rikki’s to add some color and fun!

Bird droppings are the chief export of Nauru, an island nation in the Western Pacific.
Mom wishes she could find a place to export cat droppings!

The penguin is the only bird who can swim, but not fly.
I can’t swim or fly!


Interview with God



Good Times in the News
New Moon today - totally dark!!!

Year's first partial solar eclipse occurs Tuesday
LOS ANGELES (AP)

Early risers in Madrid, London and Paris take note.

The moon will appear to nip a bite out of the sun Tuesday, a spectacle that will be visible at sunrise across much of Europe.

The partial solar eclipse can also be seen from northern Africa, the Middle East and central Asia, where it will occur at sunset.

Tuesday's solar show is the first of four partial eclipses of the sun to occur this year. The last time there were this many partial solar eclipses was in 1982. The next time will be in 2029. There is no total solar eclipse this year.

A solar eclipse happens when the moon lines up between the sun and the Earth. This casts a lunar shadow on the Earth's surface and obscures the solar disk. During a partial solar eclipse, only part of the sun is blotted out.

Tuesday's eclipse will begin in northern Algeria. As the moon's shadow travels east, western Europe will wake up to a sunrise eclipse. In Madrid, a little more than half of the sun's diameter will be covered. In London and Paris, about three-quarters of the sun will be hidden.

The greatest eclipse will occur over Sweden where about 85 percent of the sun will be blocked. A sunset eclipse will be visible from Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northwest China.

Williams College astronomer Jay Pasachoff planned to be in Israel and meet up with a local astronomy club to test out his cameras and other photography equipment during the eclipse.

Since partial solar eclipses yield little information of scientific interest, Pasachoff instead will educate fellow sun chasers to resist staring directly at the sun. Instead, people should peer through commercially available solar filters to avoid eye damage.

"It will be a run-the-mill partial solar eclipse, but it's more fun than a lunar eclipse," Pasachoff said.



THINGS CATS MUST REMEMBER
Posting from Pussycat Playroom

=^.,.^= ♥ =^.,.^= ♥ =^.,.^= ♥ =^.,.^=♥ =^.,.^= ♥ =^.,.^= ♥ =^.,.^=

*Screaming at the can of food will not make it open itself.
*I should not assume the patio door is open when I race outside to chase leaves.
*If I put a live mouse in my food bowl, I should not expect it to stay there until I get hungry.
*The guinea pig likes to sleep once in a while. I will not watch him constantly.
*If I bite the cactus, it will bite back.
*I will not stand on the bathroom counter, stare down the hall, and growl at nothing right after my human has finished watching "The X-Files".
*Television and computer screens do not exist to backlight my lovely tail.
*No matter how dangly and attractive they are, my human's earrings are not cat toys.
*If I play 'dead cat on the stairs' while people are trying to bring in groceries or laundry, one of these days it will really come true.
*My human is capable of cooking bacon and eggs without my help.
*The canned cat food is already dead. I do not need to kill it by swatting bits of it all over the floor.
*I am a carnivore. Potted plants are not meat.
*I will never be able to walk on the ceiling, and staring up the wall and screaming at it will not bring it any closer.
*It is not a good idea to try to lap up the powdered creamer before it all dissolves in the boiling coffee.
*The goldfish likes living in water and must be allowed to remain in its bowl.
*If my human wants to share her sandwich with me, she will give me a piece. She will notice if I start eating it from the other end.
*I cannot leap through closed windows to catch birds outside.
*The large dog in the back yard has lived there for six years.
I will not freak out every time I see it.
*I am a neutered cat, not a peacock, and prancing around with my tail fluffed up will not make my balls grow back.
*If I must give a present to my humans's overnight guests, my toy mouse is much more socially acceptable than a live mouse, even if it isn't as tasty.
*Just because I hear voices in my head, I do not have to answer them!

Sea Lion Writes Chinese
Photo by YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images

An eight-year-old sea lion 'Leo' writes the word 'Rabbit' in Chinese characters as part of a New Year's attraction at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama in Kanagawa prefecture, suburban Tokyo on January 3, 2011. 

February 2011 will mark the start of the Year of the Rabbit according to the lunar calendar a 12-year cycle followed by China and other parts of Asia.


All first-class postage to be ‘forever’ stamps
By Associated Press
Beginning in January, all new postage stamps good for 1 ounce of first-class mail will be marked as “forever.”
The U.S. Postal Service is doing away with issuing first-class stamps with denominations.

A Postal Service official tells The Associated Press that the move is designed to help customers who have struggled to match 1- and 2-cent stamps with first-class stamps after postal rates have changed. The official requested anonymity to discuss a policy that hasn’t been announced formally.

The official said that Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe plans to announce the new policy Jan. 14.

The Forever Stamp, first issued in April 2007, is designed for use regardless of changes in postage.
A first-class stamp is now 44 cents, but the Postal Service hopes to raise the price soon.


Smile, I Love YOU

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

The Rainbow Bridge



Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies, they go to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your friend, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....