Monday, September 26, 2011

Good Morning Good News !!!! September 28, 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

Wow!  Have I missed you!!!!
Fall is such a busy time of year, I haven’t had a chance to drop in and say HI. 

How are YOU?  I sure hope all is well in your world.

I promise I haven’t forgotten you and I haven’t dropped you from my friends list, it’s just been super busy.  So sorry I haven’t answered each of you individually - I’m working on it - honest - with thousands of emails a day it gets behind so very quickly!!

Here on Planet Earth, Northern Hemisphere it’s turned into autumn!  I used to get up with the chickens - now I have to get the chickens up!  It's spring in the southern hemisphere and you're getting more chicken time there!!  Which half are you in? Anybody right in the middle on the equator?



My friend Heba Cat Rady shares a quote
with us this morning: Basically we are all the same human beings with the same potential to be a good human being or a bad human being ... The important thing is to realize the positive side and try to increase that; realize the negative side and try to reduce. That's the way....." ~ Dalai Lama ~



Catnip Candy
my wonderful friend, one of the most kind and loving people you’ll ever meet.  Cat lover extraordinaire.  Compassionate lover of all animals and people.  Always there to lend a hand and help a paw.  Always smiling.  Candy brings out the sunshine just by her lovely happy voice on the phone.

My dear Candy has been extremely ill since before the cat show.  She’s been in the hospital, very, very sick.  Thanks to all of you praying along with me, she’s starting to feel a little bit better and improving daily.  Please keep up the prayers for a full and swift recovery.


The National Capital Cat Show
was a wonderful success!!!!  I got to kiss about 43,863 fans!!!!  Thank you all for coming out!!!  And thank you all who came and volunteered, especially Melissa and Fred who helped set up Friday night and worked all day Saturday and Sunday and Ron who worked all day Saturday and Sunday.  If you got a picture of you and me - I’ll get them out soon!!!!   I haven’t forgotten you !!!!


Teen CARE Party
Thanking all the teens who volunteered (only a few could make the party) all summer long to make Rikki’s Refuge a better place!!!!!


Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival
Was lots of fun.  Big thank you to Laurie, Gussie and Ron for setting up and working our booth all day.  And purrzzz to all of you who came by to love me !!!!!


Fall Furr Festival
Date: October 15
Time: 1 PM - 5 PM
Admission: $3 in advance $5 at the door
            Tours of the refuge, games, face painting, tattoos, massages, hayrides, and much more


Haunted Forest
Oct 22
Time: 6pm-9pm
Admission: $5 per person
            After dark the creatures of the woods come out to play…are you brave enough to enter? 





So Much More to Say !!!!
I’m gonna be quick and brief and I’ll give you details soon.  If I linger here typing too long somebody’s gonna come and holler for me to go clean litterboxes!!!


Remember Chiquita?
The crazy rescue that had to beat Hurricane Irene.  All is well and Chiquita is in her new home, thanks to Martha, Jenna, Martha (another wonderful Martha), an airplane trip and Tere.  Here’s Chiquita in her new home.
I’d say she looks happy, what do you think?


Remember Black Cat Appreciation day???
Five cats came to Rikki's - saved by those of you who care. The older black kitten was adopted out asap. The two younger kittens, including the little black gal who's picture drove this rescue, were a bit on the wild side. Guess what? They've now been adopted together to a wonderful forever home!!!!!
Mickey
Mickey is all ready to go to a new forever home. 
He’s negative for leukemia, fiv, all fixed up and ready! 
A real loving 18 month old gray and white. 
If he’ll fit in at your home please let us know.

Big Boy
Big Boy is all ready for a new forever home that’s not scared
of a big boy who tests positive for FIV.
He’s negative for leukemia, and fixed up!
Five or six years old, a beautiful guy.
Very loving and friendly.

Let me know if you’d like to meet them and take them home!  Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org


My brofurs Kiwi and Gibson
in their new forever home!!!!
Kiwi had lived at Rikki’s for several years before being selected as Patty & Andy’s new special family member.  Gibson came to Rikki’s so horribly injured that it took 18 months and many, many surgeries to heal him and have him ready for a new home.  Now they share a happy home together.  With alumni doggy Starr from Rikki’s and some other friends too!



It’s that time of the month again !
Board Meeting, Saturday October 1, 4 pm.  All you members submit your information for the outline NOW!!   Send it to mom at Kerry@RikkisRefuge.org  Mary is our of town and mom is really missing her !!!!



Answering that age old question
CAN a cat clean it’s own litterbox?



CLASSIFIEDS AND HELP WANTED
Need a very experienced, very reliable, very compassionate pet sitter? Between Gordonsville and Charlottesville Virginia, contact christiannrogersd@gmail.com   Christiann and Sarah Rogers

Lovely piano instructor in the Gordonsville - christiannrogersd@gmail.com  Christiann and Sarah Rogers --- friend of mine and wonderful person - great lessons, reasonably priced.

Remember to send me your coke rewards numbers too !!!! We get good things and even lots of things we can auction for $$$ to buy Fancy Feast !!!!  You can just send the numbers in an email - real simple.  No postage required.

Remember to save Purina weight circles from cat and dog food and mail to Rikki's Refuge !!!! We get lots of free nums for them!!! Thank you !!!!

YOU wonderful voters gave Rikki’s the mostest votes in week 7 of the Shelter Challenge and that won $1,000 for us.  Since you can only win one prize each go round, you all then started voting for our friends at Frog Pond Farm Draft Horse Rescue in OH.  They thank you tremendously for helping them to win $1,000 too.  It’s really nice when we can all help each other out!

Mike the goat who broke his leg the week of the earthquakes is doing great.  He went in last week for his check up.  They removed the cast, x-rayed and put on a new cast.  Next appt is four weeks and if he’s lucky the cast will be off.  It was a very serious break and he had to go to a specialist.  He’s got at least two more visits with the doc.  And he’s not allowed to get a job pulling carts till he’s all healed up.  In the mean time if you could help with his mounting vet bills we’d so much appreciate it.  www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

Do you have CFC or CVC at work? If you do, please consider giving to Rikki's Refuge. We'll show up in your catalog as Life Unlimited of Virginia, Inc and our CFC number is 77674, and our CVC number is 3163 - it's a big help to know we have a check coming in every month!!! Thank you and please share with all your friends.

Thank you Kathy for helping on the CFC.  Thanks to all of you who provided testimonies, stories and pictures.  Most of the work is done.  A little more will be required after the end of the year, but the main package is finished !!!!  This is the one mom is usually fretting about and going crazy with the deadline in January!!

Shop at Kroger?  I just got more Kroger Kare Kards in  - it costs you NOTHING, Kroger donates a portion of their proceeds to us.  More info: http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/08/kroger-care-card.html

This Friday, Sept. 30, Wayne Pacelle, HSUS president & CEO, will be speaking in Charlottesville and signing copies of his best-selling book, The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them. Wayne is an eloquent, charismatic, and inspiring speaker - one of the great minds of the animal protection movement. The talk will begin at 6pm at the UVA bookstore on 400 Emmet St South.  For more info, visit www.humanesociety.org/thebond

Hunting season is upon us.  We are still working on the perimeter trail at the refuge.  Please come out to help us clear paths and post signs and build fences.  Most any time works, just let us know so Joe’s on hand to show you where to work.  Got an atv or small off road vehicle?  You can use that! 

We still need folks willing to spend $28 to help save our woods and wetlands.  Our bills are seriously overdue and could be called at any moment.  http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/08/can-you-put-price-on-animals-head.html

Mom was able to pay some of the bills today and that leaves the bank account pretty much empty.  We’re behind on a number of items.  And it’s time to start stocking up for winter.  Food consumption is already up.  Can you possibly spare a few bucks for food, medications, vet visits and hopefully to fill that propane tank before we need the heat real bad?  We need every bit of help you can possibly spare.  Thank you so much for skipping that cup of coffee today, and giving to the animals  www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

Thankfully we’re ok with dry cat and dog food.  Thank you Purina. 

Every other shelf in the pantry is about bare.  We’re in dire need of canned cat food, canned dog food, produce, especially oranges for the guinea pigs.

When we can scrape up the cash to buy daily laundry detergent, dish detergent, hand soap, bleach, paper towels and trash bags, we do, we have no cash to stock up.  Some days we've had to go without.  These items are so simple, yet so important to the welfare of the animals.

Here’s where you can check Lena’s shopping list any day to see what we need: http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2011/08/lenas-shopping-list_10.html

If you’re visiting this weekend - please grab something to bring with you.

Pumpkin Season is here !!!  Our beloved Catnip Pumpkin Candy is in the hospital and unable to coordinate picking up pumpkins right now.  We’re praying that she’ll be back in time for the big runs after Halloween.  In the mean time, if you know a pumpkin stand that will donate to us, or you can help load pumpkins, drive pumpkins (in your truck or van or suv or car), or unload pumpkins at the farm - please let Pumpkin Fred know  fred@z9a.com

Hope to see you this weekend!!  Saturday Donation Drop Off noon - 2 pm.  Sunday Tour at noon. 

I’ll try to keep better caught up so I can stay in touch more!!! 

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