Monday, May 21, 2012

Good Morning Good News !!!! May 21, 2012

We are Vincent D. Cat and adopted sons Opie and Timmy and we are 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! We want our 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 us 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

It’s been pretty sad here at Rikki’s Refuge while we’ve been getting used to Vincent being at Rainbow Bridge.  The Good News is that he can still talk to us and shows up to guide us!!


He asked me to carry on in his footstep.  But I don’t have any feet, so I’m doing the best I can.  You see, I was born without back feet.
This is a picture of Me and Vincent the first time we met.  Barbara White from Waynesboro is the nice lady holding us both.  She got a call one day from a lady who said she had a litter of kittens and the mom was eating their legs off.  Barbara came to our rescue and found out that it wasn’t our mom’s fault, it was birth defects.  There were nine of us kittens.  This was back last August. 

I’m not even a whole year old yet.

Barbara took my whole family home and took care of us.  Cuz of genetic problems I ended up being the only kitten to survive.  Barbara tried and tried, she took care of us all day and all night.  But one by one, all my brothers and sisters died.  Even the nice doctors couldn’t save them.  But they did save me!!!  

Barbara thought I’d be real good to work with Vincent and to help him spread the word about being nice to the differently abled.  And so she brought me to live at Rikki’s Refuge.  And this picture is when I met Vincent!!

My mom and me was real attached.  What with me being her only surviving kid and all.  Mom was going to go away and be adopted to another home.  I looked at mom, and mom looked at me and thank goodness, da hoomans decided to let mom stay with me at Rikki’s too.

I’m so glad my biological mom gets to be here!!!

This is Timmy
He came to Rikki’s a few months before me.  He was born a “normal” kitten.  He had a terrible accident.  He fell out the window of a moving car.  And his hind legs were badly damaged.  He kind of scoots most of the time.  Sometimes he can stand up a bit and take a few steps that way. 

He came to Rikki’s to see if physical therapy could help him walk.  It helped a little, but he still scoots most of the time. 

I’m very happy to have Timmy for my brofur!

Vincent and his facebook partner Polly who lives in England adopted me and Timmy to be their sons and to help teach the world to be nice to kitties and all animals.
That’s daddy Vincent and mom Polly on top, and me on the bottom left and Timmy to my right!!!  We love our tree house!

My biological mom, Nellie, and adoptive mom, Polly, are friends and are happy to share me.  They say that’s just more love for me!  I like that!

And so I will do my best to keep in touch with you and let you know what’s coming up at Rikki’s Refuge.  Thank you for being my friend and helping me to learn how to be a Spokes Kitty.  Timmy is learning too, he’s shy and gets scared easy, but you’ll get to hear from him sometimes too.  Come on out from under the desk and talk to the nice people, Timmy.


Vincent D. Cat
From Alley Cat to World Renown Spokes Cat
April 30, 1998 - April 30, 2012
Vincent was the inspiration and the evolution of Rikki's Refuge
Read the story of how his life brought so many together in good


Important Things I have to tell you today !!!
Please VOTE for us in the Shelter Contest.
click here http://tinyurl.com/VoteRikkis and Enter USA, VA, Rikkis Refuge to vote for us in the Shelter Challenge and win $1,000 !!!!

We’ve been moving up and might even win more if you’d vote every day and get all your friends to vote every day!!!  Thank you !!!!







BIG EXCITING NEWS !!!!!
PLEDGE: to help Taco win new wheels !!!

On June 6th, from 10 am to one minute before midnight, eastern USA time, you can vote for Rikki’s Refuge to win a brand new Toyota!!!   Please help us.  You HAVE to vote thru facebook - so even if you’ve never looked at facebook - it’s worth setting up an account for the day !!!!  PLEASE, I wanna a new vehicle all my own by my first birthday!!!!

We will be competing against four other organizations to win that day.  (AIDS Resource Group, Wolf Performing Arts Center, American Red Cross - Black Hills Area Chapter, The Johnnycake Center of Westerly) 

They’re all good people.  But they’re HOOMANS and hooman groups get so much more money and more help!!!  Please vote for us and the ANIMALS on June 6th !!

YOUR vote on June 6th will help Rikki's Refuge win a new vehicle for the animals.

Toyota's 100 Cars for Good - VOTE Rikki's Refuge, June 6th

then click on REMIND ME under the BIG ORANGE DOG
to get a reminder on June 6th to
vote for Rikki's Refuge in

Toyota's 100 Cars for Good contest.
Be sure to watch our video so you will know why the animals need your vote.
Watch the whole video so you don't miss Taco the Cat driving.

then click on REMIND ME under the BIG ORANGE DOG
to get a reminder on June 6th to
vote for Rikki's Refuge in



You can win this Spectacular Autograph Quilt!

Made by Melissa Felts of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and quilted by Jo Ann Cooper of South Carolina, this spectacular quilt measures 73 1/2″ wide and 76″ long.  Made from 100% cotton fabrics, and 100% wool quilt batting.  It features the autographs of 20 well-known animal lovers:
Anjelica Houston
Cloris Leachman
Raymond Usher
Betty White
Raquel Welch
Ryan Newman
Martin Sheen
Dolly Parton
Johnny Depp
Maya Angelou
Matt Damon
Tim Allen
Sally Struthers
Victoria Stilwell
Kiefer Sutherland
Bill Cosby
Whoopi Goldberg
Bob Barker
Jack Hanna
Elizabeth Taylor — she signed this just 2 months before she died.

The drawing for the quilt will be held on Labor Day, September 3, 2012, at Rikki’s Refuge.  The winner does not need to be present to win.

So, get your tickets now!  For every dollar that you donate to Rikki’s Refuge, you will get a chance to win this quilt!  Look for the quilt around town in Orange, Va., and Fredericksburg, Va.  We will be at businesses and stores accepting donations. Or, you can donate online at http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/Rikkis/food

Be sure to leave a comment with your contact information on the FirstGiving page (name, address, and e-mail address).  If you would like your ticket stubs/receipts mailed to you, please add 45-cents for U.S. address, or $1.05 for other country addresses.  Please note that your contact information will not be made public. If you do not want the stubs mailed to you, then please give us your e-mail address, and I will send you an e-mail confirmation that your donations have been added for the drawing.

Or, you can contact Melissa at: autographquilt@gmail.com to get information about mailing in your payment.

Read about how it took the year and a half this quit was in the making and see more photos and up close shots of signatures here http://blog.rikkisrefuge.org/

 

Read how it took Valen, pictured above, a year and a half to make this quilt happen!!!
And more photos and up close shots of signatures here http://blog.rikkisrefuge.org/







Memorial Day Tour
May 28th, at noon, one tour only.  Gates open at 11:30.  Be prepared for a two+ hour tour, all outside, so dress for the weather.  Don’t forget sunscreen, hats and water.  And remember to dress for the animals!!  NO bare legs - please wear long pants to avoid scratches.  NO bare toes - wear closed shoes or boots.  NO earrings or jewelry - come as you are, no dress up!  Pigs and goats have rough course hair and bristles and will rub on you and scratch bare legs.  Hooves will squish bare toes!!!!   Emus reach out for and grab shiny objects and can be damaged by eating your earrings - and it might hurt your ears too!   Remember ....  it’s wild out here ......

Please call 540-854-0870 x3 in the morning before heading out to Rikki’s on May 28th - if there’s been rain the tour may be cancelled due to muddy roads!!  Weather patterns vary and can be quite different here than where you are starting out from.


Vincent had a wonderful Birthday Party
Vincent had a wonderful birthday party and thanks all who came and who sent gifts and cards!!!  He sends his love from Rainbow Bridge.  Here’s his birthday pictures from his party!!



CATS vs DOGS












2012
has been extended !
So you can still vote for the candidates of your choice -- cats or dogs ----  WHO will you vote to Rule the Refuge.  Click on your candidate’s photo above to vote for them, or read all the campaign details here: http://rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/2012/04/cats-vs-dogs.html

Please, please vote for cats and give me a chance to be ruler !!!!!


I love you sooooo much,
Opie

PPS 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