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
Round the Refuge
Well, April rolls on and I’m trouncing the dawgs!!! Yeahh!!!! It’s Cats vs Dogs month and of course I’m ahead. It was scary there for a bit when the doggies were about to get ahead. But I’m doing good now !!! Come on, give me your vote! You can click on ME for kitties or if you really don’t want me around running the show for another year, click on Duke to give a vote to the doggies!! I’m so lucky to be a kitty with all the right tricks up my sleeve aren’t I? Heee Heee It’s so nice to be smarter than the opponents!!!
We gotta get in line and kick some you know what in the Shelter Challenge
instead of slipping
let’s get clicking!
Keep those votes coming in everyday. They’ve taken away the fun of getting an animal of the day - but the money they’re offering us to win is still there - so lets get our share!! Click to help the animals.
Any of these links will get you there, then enter Rikkis Refuge, Orange, VA, USA
Please vote every day from home and from work and on you phones and get all your friends to vote too.
It’s almost Chicken Bed time and I’m still working on what I started at Chicken Get Up time. Does that ever happen to you? Lena is on vacation so I’m Boss Cat. That means I have to sit on the highest cat tree and keep my hoomans in line. Hey YOU, you over there, bring me a platter of Fancy Feast. YOU, you over there, clean that litter box. YOU, you over there, bring me a platter of Fancy Feast. YOU, you over there, mop up that gack. YOU, you over there, bring me a platter of Fancy Feast. YOU, you over there, take that barking dog outside. YOU, you over there, bring me a platter of Fancy Feast. YOU, you over there, fluff my pillow. YOU, you over there, bring me a platter of Fancy Feast. YOU, you over there, wipe down the wall, Felix just sprayed. YOU, you over there, bring me a platter of Fancy Feast. YOU, you over there, save me, help me run, get me out of here, Valerie is coming with my meds!!!
So how can I work all day long and still be where I was 12 hours ago? It’s like Navigator who walks around in circles chasing his tail and never gets any closer. It’s like I’m doing things and I’m busy but then more busy comes.
70 of my friends entered the Spring Romp Photo Contest and not a single one of us got picked for the top 10 finals! Totally no fair. There was probably 700-1000 entries. And some of you had the bestest pictures. I’ll keep showing them here and when I get a bit of extra time I’ll get them up on a separate blog entry too. Thank you all for working on that one.
D T loves Spring and Rikki's Refuge by Donna Savory
I love snow! Winter bound by Diane Fortier
Dora 'Dorable Dora by Alison Armistead
Scarlett being a cutie. by Kathy Russell
Vincepurrational Visions
Three rules of work,
out of clutter find simplicity,
from discord find harmony,
in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity
Share a story with me. Have you had a situation that you thought was bad, and it turned into just the beginning of something good? Share with me. Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org
The Cats of Cod
Artwork by Wayne H. Morris of New York
photography and art
visit to see more of his spectacular work
Wayne loves to study an animal and capture their essence which he then turns into a whimsical work of art depicting them at work or play. Your pet’s whimsical custom portrait available for only $300 (donated to Rikki’s Refuge). Contact me and I’ll put you in touch Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org Prints available, 8” x 10”, on heavy stock, suitable for framing, $25 each, resolution may vary so you may want to ask first. Specify which print you want and shipping address. http://bit.ly/WayneMorrisPrint
Seen a cat you’d like as a print yet? Or want to see Wayne capture the purrsonality of YOUR companion. His artistic talents aren’t limited to cats. It’s just that we are the most artistic looking critters!!!
Always, Always
an Important Message to Spread
Oops, I gotta take a break from writing to you. I sure hope it’s a quick break and I can get right back. I have to make sure everybody behaves while they get their insulin shots now. 6 am and 6 pm every day no matter what. That’s insulin time. Buster loves getting his shot. He must feel better from it or something. As soon as a human walk in there with his needle he runs to them and dances and says me first. The other diabetics try to find places to hide!!!
Back in a bit! Here’s some trivia to make you smile while I’m gone.
Tails of Trivia
Hyperpolysyllabicomania is a fondness for big words.
The longest non-medical word in the English language is floccipausinihilipilification (29 letters), which means "the act of estimating as worthless."
Duracell, the battery-maker, built parts of its new international headquarters using materials from its own waste. -- now this is something mom wants to do. She wants to make bricks out of cat litter!
The Pacific island of Nauru's economy is almost entirely based on bird droppings. -- Gee it’d make mom awfully happy if I could find a way to base our economy on kitty droppings! Fertilizer fertilizer fertilizer can I interest anyone ....
Each year 96 billion pounds of food is wasted in the U.S. -- Gee now that’s about sinful isn’t it?? You can help lesson that impact. Ask your local grocery store or farmers market if they’ll donate left over produce, bread and so on to Rikki’s Refuge. If you’ll make the commitment to help deliver it to the animals, you can save the waste and help the animals!!!
Gosh the grass really loved the rain on Saturday!! You can just watch it growing. All the herbivores are really happy. I guess to them having bright new spring grass to eat is like me getting a case of a new and exciting flavor of Fancy Feast!!!
And the grass mowing started today. Oh my! Why oh why do the hoomans have to do that? It makes my nose run and makes me sneeze. And I like the long grass. What’s wrong with long grass? I like to scoot thru the grass and pretend to be a big jungle predator!!
Oh no ... predators ... I gotta take a break again ... back in a bit .... see how it can take all day to write Good Morning Good News!! Enjoy watching Duke tell me his secrets on how to campaign to win Cats vs Dogs ... and I’ll be back.
Creature Feature
Duke and I spend a lot of time every day chatting about strategies for winning Cats vs Dogs. I’m glad Duke feels confident in telling me his secret plans. Heee Heee Heee
Duke and Vincent Conspiring,
"shhh pretend like you're just napping"
"so this is what I saw the hoomans up to...."
"For real? Holy Cow!
Tell me more!
Being man's best friend you sure get the low down."
"They always talk when I'm around,
like they think I'm blind so I'm deaf too or something."
"That's incredible information.
Let me tell you what to do."
"You're sure it'll be ok if I do that, Vincent?"
"But Vincent, won't they know I did ..."
"Shhh Duke, here they come."
"what do you MEAN, what are we UP to?
We're enjoying the sun!
What are YOU up to with YOUR opposable thumbs?"
Really now, don’t you want to cast a vote for ME?
Long time later
Once again I’m back. My friend Mary Ellen had to be out of town for a few days. So I’m watching her little farm. Horse and goats and chickens. It’s really scary you know. Scooting across that pasture hoping the horses and goats don’t stomp on me and then climbing up into the barn and toting out heavy buckets of food. It’s really tough when you’re only 14 inches tall!
She’s been having predator problems and they ate some of her chickens. That’s not nice. So they were supposed to stay in the barn while she was gone. Well this morning they just ran and flew and whooshed right out. Some other people were there too and we tried and tried to catch them. It’s hard to catch somebody who can fly over your head you know.
Finally they went out over the fence and took off into the woods. We stopped chasing cuz we were worried they’d just keep going further and further away.
Tonight I took a big cage with me and if all the chickens hadn’t been eaten I was gonna lock them up. I don’t want to predators eating them on my shift. My friend might think I ate them and I don’t want! Duke had to come along. His legs are long enough to reach the pedals. I give him orders and he does that part. I do the watching and steering.
See, another purrfectly good reason you should be voting for ME to be the leader of Rikki’s - I can SEE where we’re going!!!! Just a little click here and you can vote and help me tell the world that CATS were meant to rule!
And so I pulled up Mary Ellen’s steep driveway and I didn’t se NO chickens. Oh no. Did they all run away or did they all get eated? Uh Oh, I was gonna be in trouble. I went in the barn and there they were, all safe and sound and all came home to roost.
Duke offered to stay with them and protect them until their mom got home. Silly dog, who’s gonna do the pedals so I can get home to my snack of Fancy Feast after all this hard work?
So I set up a big cage for them and I hope they’re nice and safe and sound till their mommey gets home.
Inner Circle
Coming soon to a computer near you Vincent’s Inner Circle, learn the secrets, get behind the scenes. My Inner Circle Club will be only for my closest friends who really care and love me and want to share my life even more intimately then we do now!! Are you excited? Do YOU want to join? Keep watching here for details.
Survey
Our survey began today. Well the “on the ground” part. It’s so exciting. I’m seeing big bright orange poles going up that say Rikki’s Refuge !!!! Yeahhh I love Rikki’s Refuge!!
Mr James, my surveyor has been working non stop in his office and at the court house getting al the data together to do this. This is how our deed describes our main parcel of land:
Three hundred thirty & 3/100 acres more or less, beginning at a cedar tree, corner to Jack Lee, and Mrs. Luck, thence S. 20 W. 3550 feet to a stake, corner to Frank Johnson; thence N. 29 3/4 W. 1584 feet to stake at foot of fallen down tree, corner to Frank Johnson, thence along branch to stump near forks of run, corner to Frank Johnson, thence S.34 W. 510 feet to stake corner to Wherton; thence S. 66 W. 1458 feet to stake corner to Jim Williams in J. E. Willis; thence S. 45 1/2 W. 74 feet to stake corner to J. E. Willis; thence S. 64 1/4 W. 160 feet to stake near a marked gum tree corner to John Camel and J. E. Willis line; thence N. 24 1/2 W. 700 feet to stake to corner to Alec Camel, thence N. 56 E. 560 feet to stake in line of fallen oak tree; corner to Clifton Turner and Alec Camel; thence N. 62 1/2 E. 1600 feet to center of Berry Run corner to Clifton Turner stake on South bank of run; thence along run to center of Berry Run opposite oak stump on North side corner to the Orange Realty Company; thence N. 60 1/2 E. 3640 feet to large white oak fallen down, corner to Orange Realty Company; thence N. 26 3/4 E. 947 feet to post in stump hole corner to R. E. Faulconer in Orange Realty Company's line; thence S.66 3/4 E. 1254 feet to point of beginning.
For real. That’s how they did it more than a hundred years ago. So could you find your way around? First off you have to research back and see who owned the surrounding parcels at the time this was written - or even more likely what parcel was being called this as it might be really old labels or nick names of the property or something. Then try to find THE cedar tree referenced. And THE fallen down log that the termites probably finished off around the turn of the century and I don’t mean the millennium!!!
The other 37 acre parcel has a much more modern survey and will be easy.
Anybody who has time to come and help clear brush so was can scoot all around the perimeter of the property and if you can help paint three bright orange rings on the trees on the border so it’s real clear where we are - we need 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
