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
Good Morning from Snickers!
Dear dear friends of our beloved Vincent, I’m Snickers, and I’ll be talking to you today. Vincent’s had to cancel his daily appearance and take a sick day off. I hate coming down from the loft unless the office needs defending. But I'll do it for our leader Vincent. I've been peering down and watching him type and I think I can do it. He's depressed about losing ground in the Shelter Challenge. So you gotta help me round up voters. http://bit.ly/VoteVincent Enter Rikkis Refuge in Orange, VAAnd now he’s feeling not up to par today. He’s had a bladder infection. He was feeling back to normal yesterday. Maybe he over did it. This morning he’s feeling like he just needs to sleep in. So I’m gonna let him. I’ll take over his job for today. And don’t you dare laugh at me.
The doc says Vincent is under too much stress because he worries too much about all his friends. He worries about them being hungry if there’s not enough food on the table. He’d share his last can of Fancy Feast with any of us - but with 1258 brofurs, sisfurs, brofeathers, sisfeathers and sisscales, that last can won’t go very far. All this stress of being in charge of raising enough money and enough food to take care of everybody is wearing on his already compromised body.
So I need your help to help our Vincent pal get well.
The biggest thing we can do to relieve stress on the poor old guy, is to see that the pantry is FULL. I mean FULL. If there was just enough food for even a couple weeks, it’d be such a relief. Here at Rikki’s Refuge if we’re all gonna eat right we need 474 cans of cat and dog food EVERY DAY.
There’s a great challenge running for the next few days, thru the 15th. If you donate the most cans of food, you’ll win a T-shirt. A Rikki’s T-shirt!! Now if you live far away you’re not excluded from this challenge. Vincent had planned on doing the shopping for you, but since he’s not feeling well, I’ll hook up the goat cart and do the shopping. And I promise not to bite - well I’ll try not to bite - anybody in the store.
I’ll buy the food, 3 cans for every dollar you can donate. So even if you can’t win the top spot - YOU can help. Every dollar adds three cans to the pantry.
Help me fill that pantry. 6,636 cans will fill the pantry. That’s two weeks of nums for us.
Please make a contribution today as a get well quick gift for Vincent.
Here’s all the details of the March Madness Can Challenge!!!
Click here and I’ll do your shopping!
Thank you Patricia and Jim for adding cans yesterday!!!
Martha is still the TOP HERO !!! She’s donated 750 cans so far !!!!! Can you beat her ?????
Please help me out, I don't know so much about being a spokes kitty. My job is office defense and I'm real good at hissing and snarling till the enemy goes away.
Round the Refuge
We have a refrigerator in Short Pump, the Richmond area that has been donated. We need to get it moved this week. If it’s not out, it’s gonna go to the dump. The donors do not have a vehicle that can transport it. Do you?
Mary, who normally works in MY office twice a week and who’ve I’ve decided to even let in and let her pat me some, came out and worked on Monday when the hoomans were so short staffed. Hoomans who will do that - be on call to come do all the dirty icky cleaning up when need you - are really special people to us. Thank you Mary.
Rene is selling her wood work and giving a commission to Vincent to help buy food for the critters. So far she’s been able to meet her goal of $100 a month!!! Thank you Rene.
Cindy loves the doggies. And the rest of us too. I stay a couple days at Cindy’s home. Once upon a time somebody wanted to adopt me from MY office and Cindy drove me to their house. I kept biting the lady till she called Cindy to come bring me home. I love my office, I love my loft and I love my mommey and I don’t ever want to be taked away again. You may think Rikki’s Refuge is just a shelter but I think it’s my HOME. Cindy loves all of us, but she’s got a special thing for doggies. She comes Saturdays to feed and clean up after the doggies. Poor Mountain has been really sick and Cindy made a great big huge donation to cover Mountains doctor bills. Thank you Cindy.
I wonder who’s gonna pay for Vincent’s doctor bills? Vincent always tries to help everybody else and never asks for anything for himself but a few cans of Fancy Feast. I wonder if anybody will pay his bill? I hope he doesn’t get repossessed. I’d miss him.
Those of you who heard Lena went to the hospital, I want you to know she’s ok and at work today. She got hurted yesterday. In the wind and the rain and late at night when it was dark she got whacked and fell down and hurt her knee really badly. She was in so much pain she was crying and it was swelling up real bad. Lena never complains about pain so you know it was bad. She went to the hospital and they said it’s not broke like broke bones but it’s twisted and sprained. They told her to stay off her feet for a few days, so she’s trying to sit more and hobble on one leg or crawl around today. Send her good energy to heal quick.
I was watching mom and Vincent pay the bills and they’re out of stamps to send them in. They were digging around and found some stamps somebody had gived them. Lost of different ones. 39 cents and 42 cents and 23 cents and 5 cents and 3 cents and all kinds of odd things. They were having to put their fingers and toes together - it takes mom’s fingers and toes and Vin’s toes once and Vin’s fingers twice to figure it all out. They got it right and it all got in the mail today.
Vincent said to ask you to look around and see if you have odd size stamps laying around and you don’t want to go to the trouble or piecing them together - or you don’t know how to count that high on your toes and fingers - please give them to us to use!! We’re happy to scrounge and piece together to make ends meet. Thank you.
Somebody sent us two cards for Red Lobster. Each one is $10 off if you are using your Discover Card to pay. You have to use a Discover Card if you’re gonna get the $10 off your meal. You can only use one card per meal. I have two of them sitting here. Vincent hooked up the goat cart last night and made Nanny take him all the way to Fredericksburg cuz Red Lobster serves Fancy Feast on a platter. After being out in the cold and the rain for hours, the hoomans at Red Lobster turned him away. Some nonsense about not feeding cats! Who in their right mind would not feed a cat?
And that’s probably why poor Vin Man is sick today. Out in that cold and all wet and then not even getting a bite to eat. So who’ll give me a donation to help pay Vincent’s doctor bill and I’ll mail you these $10 off Red Lobster cards. Exp date is 4/29/11 so you have lots of time to eat!!
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!
Perk Vincent up by moving Rikki’s Refuge up a notch!!!
There’s lots of ways you can vote
as long as you remember to enter
Rikkis Refuge, Orange, VA, USA
click on any of these and take it from there !!!!
The lengths our volunteers will go to, to help out!
Will you please vote from the comfort of your own home?
Bissell MVP Contest
Vote daily Wednesday March 9 thru Tuesday March 15th for Clover
quick, simple, free
Your daily vote could win up to $10,000
Click here to Vote for Clover
Don't feel sorry for Clover, she doesn't think there is a thing wrong with her. She is happy to cuddle and share her cat hair with anyone. She was injured at a young age we don't know how, and has a heart of gold. She’s 12 years old now.
My Favorite Quote, Today
Every day is a new beginning
GO FOR IT
YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
Together we CAN do ANYTHING!
Vincent could tell you a lot about this. He had a rough time when he had to remind himself every day that each and every day is a new beginning, that you can make things better, and that you can change the world.
Some times we have bad things happen in our lives. Not cuz we’re bad kitties or hoomans or doggies or what ever you are. Just cuz sometimes bad things happen. They may make you stronger or better or something in the long run, who knows. But what I do know is that while they are happening you sure don’t think there’s anything good about them.
I’ve had to learn that I can make my own future. I almost died before I learned that. I was so sad and so upset and so miserable that all I wanted to do was take it out on everybody. I don’t know why my first hooman mom dumped me. I never bit her. I loved her. I thought she loved me too. Then one day it’s into a box I go and when I come out it’s at a scary place with terrified doggies and kitties. They explained to me it’s where you go when no one loves you.
But what was I doing here? My mom loved me? Didn’t she? I was so angry that I started biting and hitting everybody I could. I wanted them to hurt as bad as I hurt. I don’t know what I was thinking but it seemed like if they hurt I’d hurt less. But then I heard that “nasty” kitties get killed. Soon I was in another box being thrown out again.
Lucky for me that box ended up labeled “Dangerous Feral” and ended up at Rikki’s Refuge. There’s a lot of bad places it could have ended up, I’m so lucky to have gotten a good one.
But instead of looking out of my nice cage, where I had a soft bed next to a window where I could see what was going on, and getting to know the folks and starting to make the best of my life. I decided to show them what being hurt was all about. So I bet and I scratched and I snarled at anybody who’d look at me. Hooman, dog, cat, I didn’t care, I hated them all. If the world hated me, well, dawg gone it, I’d give them a good reason to.
The Rikki’s hoomans looked at me and said poor kitty, she’s been hurt so bad, she’s so scared, she doesn’t mean what she’s saying. And I’d lunge the cage door and scream oh yeeessshiiissssss I do .... Soon I got to move into the office with Kerry. Not cus I was nice and deserved it. Oh looking back I could have made the most of things and been like Vincent and friendly and appreciative of all the help and love. But no, I had a lot to learn still.
Now every day I wake up and watch the sun rise out my loft window and I’m thankful somebody gave me a chance. that I didn’t just blow it all by being mean every chance I got. You know when I’d hurt somebody else, it would feel good, for a few seconds, and then I’d just be more scared that they’d hurt me back. It’s a vicious circle. I’m so much happier now that I’m working on being friendlier to people. I still get scared sometimes and hiss. And sometimes I forget and lapse back into my old not so good behavior. But every day I’m learning that being nice and helpful brings me much better returns than being hateful.
And I really can make my life just the way I want it!! I can be happy. I can love again. And I can feel the love of others. I just have to not be scared and DO IT !!!
Live from Vincent Video
Meet the Pigeon Waiting To Move
To Pigeon Palace inside the new Rabbit Rotunda II
Meet the Rabbits - Never an Easter Gift
Music and Motion
Hot Doggy Date
Halo the Pool Playing Dog
Great Purrchases / Donations
Take a look at what’s on ebay!!
Lot of 5 Beanie Babies 4 Graduation owls/1 bear NWT
click to BUY NOW ONLY $7.25!
brand new !
only available thru 3/11/11
A must for those of you who make doggie biscuits!!!
cat shaped cookie cutter~meow~
click to BUY NOW ONLY $5 !
brand new !
only available thru 3/11/11
It’s Friday and it’s Free Food Friday num num num
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
Upcoming Events
SATURDAYS 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. Donation Drop Off will be available every Saturday from noon - 2 pm in 2011
SUNDAYS 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.
2nd SATURDAY OF THE MONTH SINGLES DAY - 10 am - 4 pm
Something for everybody. Come and do a day of service at the refuge and meet like minded souls. The leader who puts together the biggest work party wins. 3/12, 4/9, 5/14, 6/11, 7/9, 8/13, 9/10, 10/8, 11/12, 12/10
SATURDAY March 12 ANIMAL ATTENTION DAY - Give some extra hugs to the homeless - take a dog for a walk, scratch a pig's belly, pat a cat.
SUNDAY March 13 KISS A PIG DAY - All pigs birthday party. All Rikki's Pigs will celebrate their birthdays today. Small cupcakes and sweet treats ok but don't overdo them on sweets. Apples and carrots are much better!. Learn to truly appreciate these magnificent creatures, give belly rubs, bring food, lots of fresh fruit and veggies, scratch ears, bring more fruits and veggies. Lots and lots of food. Today is chosen to honor the pig in celebration of Great American Meat Out on March 20th. We ask that you go Vegan for today. Skip the bacon with breakfast, choose spaghetti instead of pork chops, have a lentil casserole instead of pork roast. Of course Petunia and her friends would prefer that you skip pig, but those of us who care for all the animals, no matter what their shape or size is ask that you skip all animal flesh for today. You'll find it's not hard at all to save a life and you'll be proud of yourself for doing it.
SUNDAY March 13 SPRING CLEANUP - You name it, we have it and it needs a spring-cleaning! From hauling trash to the dump, to picking up things that have blown around and just general clean up. We're constantly working at beautifying the refuge. So grab a mop or a rake or a trash bag and let's go!
Love,
Snickers
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
