Rikki's Refuge

Friday, October 01, 2010

Hairballs and Happy Tails - Rikki's Refuge Newsletter a

RIKKI'S REFUGE - HAIRBALLS AND HAPPY TAILS
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/4654847890/
The newsletter of thanks from grateful animals to their beloved rescuers
brought to you by Vincent D. Cat

We are the happy animals of Rikki's Refuge who so thank you for giving
us the gift of our lives. We represent all the animals, the world over,
whose lives have been saved by kind and loving people just like you.
Thank you for being an animal rescuer.

It's a beautiful sunny fall day!!! Fall really is here. The leaves
have been changing so fast. It's going to be a lovely fall.

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO AT THE FARM

The bestest news all week! Brought together by feral kitties!
Hi Vincent - My fiancé. Larry Bisgaier, and I just got engaged - our
first unofficial "date" was at Rikki's Refuge many years ago to learn
about vaccinating feral cats, so we wanted to give back. We both
believe in your mission so much, and wish we could send you more! Best
of luck - Sue Wolf and Larry Bisgaier

Squeaks, the pigeon, has joined Rikki's Refuge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIGSF-1vBco

Last week was International Differently Abled Week
My sisfur Pepper Kitten Face got interviewed! Read it here and see her
pictures.
http://www.sparklecat.com/special/pepper-rikkis-refuge

Gibson !!! LIVE and in Catson doing the Happy Dance !!! After almost a
year and a half of confinement, healing from traumatic wounds, Gibson
tastes freedom at last!
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/Rikkis/Their%20Storiesl.html
Scroll near the bottom to see him or watch his happy dance here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6cqvwXhUyw

AT THE CHARLOTTESVILLE VEGETARIAN FESTIVAL

A real HERO traveled from Boston on Friday before the event. Christy
took the train all the way to bring me Mowgs' stroller so I could ride
in style at the Vegetarian Festival!!! AND she stayed to give me love
and hugs and more and more love. She's the bestest hugger!!! Mmmmmm
Purrrzzzz Mowgs sadly passed away in 2008 and Christy just couldn't
part with his stroller. Mowgs was paraplegic and loved his rides out
and about in his stroller. Thank you Christy and love to you Mowgs at
the Rainbow Bridge.

I went to the Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival yesterday. It was in
the big city so mom won't let me drive. I have to ride in my car seat
and watch out the window and nabigate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3JqtJ1Zalo

There are so many buildings and people and cars in Charlottesville they
park them on top of each other! It's like a kitty condo with lots of
levels. They call it a parking garage. I found a handicap spot right
near the elevator! http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5025731423/

I'm ready to roll!!! No more long long walks down city streets to get to
the festivals!!! Thanks to my hero Christy who gave me this wonderful
stroller!!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5026346070/

There were lots of other little folk riding in strollers. I think I was
the only one with fur!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5025731203/

This is our set up. We have a cow tent cuz we love cows and all animals!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5025731033/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5026345610/

Angel, advertising herself as an organic vegetarian dog biscuit for sale
!!!! No Angel, you silly kitty, you came to look for a Forever Home. 16
weeks old, homeless, dumped on the streets, now ready for a new home.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5025730755/

Cindy Lou, the doggy, came to look for a Forever Home too. Looks like
she may get her dream come true too. We have a great application for
her adoption. As soon as it's all checked out and verified we'll take
here there on the home check and see if she's happy!! This photo is me
and Cindy Lou and Mariza and Angela.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5026345384/

Angel wants a forever home too. This little girl fell in love with her.
But her daddy is allergic to kitties. Lots of folks held and loved on
Angel. We're processing a really good looking application and soon
we'll see if Angel won that home!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5025730497/

Polly came to help me out - she's a Spokes Kitty too. She thought it
was to scary, lots of dogs barking and so many people coming by. She
decided to take a nap in her cozy crate instead of give out hugs.
That's ok Polly, I love you.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5025730393/

Larry, Mo and Curly came along looking for a new home too. They didn't
have any luck. They were scared so they won't go out to a real crowded
area again. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5025730293/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5026344894/

As soon as I arrived my fans began to flock around! I had to get a
drink first, before I could start the loving and hugging. It was a
really hot day. I got to see my friend Wendy again!!! That was so
nice. And her husband Greg.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5026344798/

I love meeting folks and trading hugs and kisses!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5025729935/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5026344576/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5026344470/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5026344364/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5025729467/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5026344104/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5026343986/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5025729101/

HERE ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS WE HAVE PLANNED FOR THIS FALL!

Today and every Friday is Furrday!!! And on Furrdays you can send an
email and if yours is chosen they'll send me a $50 gift card for Fancy
Feast at PetCo!!! http://www.freekibblekat.com/giveaway.asp
Right now email Giveaway@freekibble.com with the words "Shelter
Giveaway" as the subject and tell 'em Vincent D. Cat of Rikki's Refuge
sent you!

NOW - October 30 - Enter your Craft for a Cause and help Rikki's Refuge
JoAnn Fabrics is having a contest called "Craft for a Cause." Make any
item using supplies purchased at Joann Fabrics, photograph it, and enter
it online.
http://joannfabricandcraftstores.blogspot.com/2010/08/twice-as-nice-to-craft-for-cause.html

October 1-7 is International Vegetarian Week
http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/veg-week/
Save lives this week - it's easy - just go vegetarian for the week!
You'll be joining millions of hoomans across the globe who'll be giving
it a try.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAaFhKuMRgw

Compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full
breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit
itself to mankind. Compassion is the keen awareness of the
interdependence of all things...MAY YOU ALL have a compassionate weekend!

Saturday October 2nd, Rikki's is Going to the Dogs in Fredericksburg
http://www.fredericksburgsgonetothedogs.com/Fredericksburgs_Gone_to_the_Dogs/Home.html
come join us and have a lot of fun!

October 4th is World Animal Day http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/index.asp

Saturday October 9th, Vittles with Vincent at N's Cafe in Culpeper. The
WHOLE family is welcome, the dogs, the cats, the kids. 11 am - 7 pm.
Yummy yummy Middle Eastern food with specials of the day, just for
Rikki's folks. Rikki's Sampler Platter with Falafel, Dolma, Baba
Gannouj, Hummus, Tabouli or Fattoush, with Pita. Pooch Platters. Kitty
Cups. Kids Plates. Indoor and outdoor dining, I'll be dining on the
patio and you can join me! Ask me for the flyer if you can hang it up
anywhere around Culpeper!

October 23rd, Saturday, Fall Furr Fest (noon-5pm) and Haunted Forest
(5-8 pm) at Rikki's
Meet Vincent the Fortune Teller (bring can of Fancy Feast if you want a
long life line)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5000683975/
Scarecrow Competition, Pie Walks, Cornhole Tournament, Game Booths,
Craft Tables, Face Painting, Visit all of Rikki's Animals, Tickets are
on sale, Admission $3 pre sale, $5 at the door, game tickets one can of
cat food or 50 cents. info? Katarina Galvin katarinagalvin@yahoo.com

It's not to early to sign up for the Fall Furr Fest and Haunted Forest!!!
http://www.whofish.org/Default.aspx?tabid=47&modid=382&itemid=917306&rCode=23&action=detail
I'm gonna get to eat and eat and eat ... oh wait .... Katarina!!
Isn't that supposed to be Furr FEAST ???????

October 31st, Sunday, noon, Tour the Refuge, Famous Tour Guide Jan
Chetnik gets you up close and friendly with all the animals.

November 13th, Saturday, noon, Tour the Refuge, 2 pm, Nature Hike at the
Refuge

Sunday Nov 21, Rikki's Vegetarian Thanksgiving, refreshments start at 4
pm and sit down dinner at 6 pm. RSVP is required, limited seating for
dinner. Send me an e-mail to sign up. This year Mariza, a Rikki's
Refuge Approved Vegetarian Chef, will host the dinner in her lovely new
home, off Route 3, not far from Route 20 in Spotsylvania, about 20
minutes closer to Fredericksburg than Rikki's.

December 25th, Sunday, noon, Tour the Refuge

See www.RikkisRefuge.org for additional details about events.

HOW YOU CAN HELP AND WHAT THE ANIMALS NEED THIS WEEK

We desperately need your help with expenses. Food, winter bedding,
utilities, doctor bills. If you can, please be my HERO and make a
donation this week http://bit.ly/BeMyHero Rikki's Refuge, PO Box 1357,
Orange VA 22960 Thank you, I know your bills are going up as fast as
mine. Every dollar donated really helps us help the animals.

Items we need this week are: Canned cat and dog food, the winter eating
binge has started!
Dry cat food.
Cracked corn.
Paper Towels.
Trash bags.

Donate your Capital One Credit Card reward points to us!
https://www.capitalone.com/give/donate/541911042?external_id=WWW_Z_541911042_Charity_Widget_Z_Z_G_GSDON

AND HERE ARE SOME WAYS YOU CAN HELP WITHOUT IT COSTING YOU A PENNY!!

GIVE US YOUR VOTE. The new Shelter Challenge is running thru December
19th and Rikki's needs your vote!!! Last time you made Rikki's number
one in the state. The challenge now? Can you make Rikki's number one
in the nation? Right now were wavering between number 5 and number 6.

You can vote every day. Round up friends, co-workers, school mates,
neighbors to vote.

If you'd like voting bookmarks to hand out let me know. I can send you
the PDF for you to print and cut or if you can't do that I've got
volunteers making them and I can send you finished product!

It's very simple, quick and FREE and could win Rikki's up to $10,000.
Very much needed right now! You can go thru our web page
www.RikkisRefuge.org and click on the $100,000 or use one of these
simple links: http://bit.ly/RikkisRefuge or http://bit.ly/VoteVincent
Enter "Rikkis Refuge" as the shelter in the state of VA, if you're
outside the USA you may have to enter USA as the country. That's it.
Click search, then vote, then identify your animal of the day for
confirmation!! Very simple!!! Spread the word.

Anybody have experience using a web cam with a cellular modem at events?
We haven't had a lot of success. Would love any tips.

Our Great Bend backhoe attachment for our tractor needs some parts.
They no longer carry that brand locally and mom's had trouble finding a
supplier on the web. Anybody know where we can get parts?

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A WRITER? Would you like to see your
by-line and/or your photos in Reflections, my printed newsletter? I'm
accepting articles now! Send me your story about your visit to Rikki's.
What you like to do to volunteer and help. What you like about
animals. A story about your special animal. A story about an alumni
you adopted from Rikki's. A cartoon you'd like to draw. Anything you
think our readers would enjoy seeing. Please send your material to
Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org

CHEST FREEZER - minimum size 4 ft x 2 ft x 3 ft.
If you have one you're not using and you'd like to donate, or if you see
an ad for an inexpensive one.

Pickup and strong people! Elizabeth ebw2s@eservices.virginia.edu has a
freezer she'd like to donate to Rikki's Refuge. It's about 4 feet long,
two feet wide and three feet high, so it's not huge, any size pick up or
even a small trailer should do. You'll need to take it out of her
basement at Lake Monticello, so you might want to take help with you for
lifting or check with her to see if she or someone else can help. Lake
Monticello is south east of Charlottesville. Please contact Elizabeth
if you can help.

INSTALL GOOD SEARCH BAR - costs you nothing, GoodSearch donates to
Rikki's on your behalf. Here's another way to help for FREE!! Would you
take a minute to help Rikkis Refuge win $1,000? GoodSearch.com is
sponsoring a contest that will give an extra $1,000 to each of the five
organizations that have the most toolbar downloads (and $100 to each of
the first 100 charities to reach 100 downloads!) With the GoodSearch
toolbar, every time you search online or shop at more than 1,500 stores
(from Amazon to Zazzle!), a donation will be made to Rikkis Refuge —
all you have to do is add our toolbar to your computer.

Instructions on our web site www.RikkisRefuge.org or ask mom
Kerry@RikkisRefuge.org

To date the GoodSearch search bar has earned $584.49 for Rikki's Refuge!!!
http://www.goodsearch.com/nonprofit/rikkis-refuge.aspx
You may ask why, it's the advertising on the search sites, folks are
paying to see their blips come up in hope it'll get you interested in
their products.

So YES it's worthwhile for you to install this search bar NOW!!

USE THE KROGER CARE CARD - it costs you nothing yet Kroger donates 5% of
your grocery bill to Rikki's!!! Start with a $5 Kroger gift car you buy
thru us (must come thru us to be coded for your % to come to us), reload
the card before you shop, pay at the register with your card and Rikki's
gets a check!! Real easy!! Tell mom if you'd like to get a card.
Kerry@RikkisRefuge.org
Gift Cards can be used at the Fuel Centers to purchase gas! And are
good at all Kroger affiliates nationwide: Kroger, Ralphs, King Soopers,
City Market, Dillons, Smiths, Fry's, QFC Quality Food Centers, Bakers,
Owens, Jay C, Hilander, Gerbes, Pay Less Super Markets, Scott's Food,
Kroger Fresh Fare, Food 4 Less, Foods Co, Fred Meyer and these
convenience stores Turkey Hill, Kwik Shop, Loaf n Jug, Quick Stop and
Tom Thumb.

YARD SALE It's getting time to raise funds for the Pana Guatemala
Speuter Clinic that Dr Vargas will head up in December. She'll be
holding yard sales to raise the funds for this years clinic. If you can
help, please call the clinic 540-829-9085 about volunteering at the
sales, or when and what items you can drop off.

Any amount of change that you can spare this week will be a great help.
With winter coming we're all eating more and the warm bedding is being
bought. We can't buy ANYTHING without your help!! http://bit.ly/BeMyHero

Love and Purrs to YOU my HERO,
Vincent
10/1/10

THE FINE PRINT
Rikki's Refuge in Orange County, Virginia, is a 367-acre, no-kill, all
species, peaceful sanctuary supported solely by donations from kind and
loving individuals just like you! We help farm animals, domestic
animals, and wildlife. Over 1200 individuals of 22 different species
now reside at Rikki's Refuge. Please continue to help us help the
animals. To learn more about Rikki's Refuge go to
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/, http://www.rikkisrefuge.blogspot.com/, and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge .

We survive on donations from kind and loving people, just like you. We
live on a shoestring and make it on less than one dollar per day, per
animal. So if you can spare a couple of bucks to buy a few meals,
please go to http://www.paypal.com/ and use our email address of
mail@rikkisrefuge.org . We do accept checks, money orders, cash and
stuff, too! Thanks for your support. Rikki's Refuge, PO Box 1357,
Orange VA 22960

Your donations directly support the Critters of Rikki's Refuge. Rikki's
Refuge is owned and operated by Life Unlimited of Virginia, Inc., an IRS
501(c)(3) not-for-profit Virginia Corporation. Federal Tax-ID
54-1911042. We hold membership in all Combined Federal Campaigns in
Virginia #77674, Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign #3163, PetsMart
Charities #1377, iGive, Benevolink, paypal.com (mail@rikkisrefuge.org),
your donations provide direct support. A financial statement is
available upon written request from the State Office of Consumer Affairs.

If you know others who'd enjoy reading about the exciting adventures at
Rikki's Refuge let me know and I'll be happy to include them. If you
are one of those strange humans who does not wish to laugh and cry with
us, simply reply with "REMOVE" and nothing but "REMOVE" in the subject
line.

--
Vincent D. Cat, Official Spokes Cat of Rikki's Refuge
Representing the Right to Life of the Differently Abled of every species.

Please VOTE daily to help Rikki's Refuge be the Top Shelter in the Nation!
We're very honored to have been voted the Number One Animal Rescue in
Virginia.
Now we're going for the gold!!! Click here http://bit.ly/VoteVincent
and enter Rikkis Refuge in VA in the USA
click search, then vote, then identify your animal of the day for
confirmation
Please share this with family and friends, with the most number of votes
by December 20th, we'll win first prize of $10,000!!!

JOIN THE RIKKI'S FAMILY http://bit.ly/BeMyHero
Not a Rikki's Family Member? For only $45 you can join for a year and
receive your electronic subscription to HAIRBALLS and paper subscription
to REFLECTIONS

DONATE NOW save a life today http://bit.ly/BeMyHero

RIKKI'S REFUGE a 367 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary
supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals, just like
you.

Your donations provide direct support. Only 4% of our income is spent on
fundraising and management, 96% is spent directly on the animals you
love. A financial statement is available upon written request from the
State Office of Consumer Affairs. All material in this e-mail is
copyrighted and cannot be used for any purpose other than to bring
awareness of Rikki's Refuge and the plight of unwanted animals to the
public. Any monetary gain attributed to this material must be donated
to Rikki's.

Phone: 540-854-0870
Address: PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960
Member: paypal.com (mail@rikkisrefuge.org),
CFC 77674, CVC 3163, PetsMart Charities #1377
Web page: http://www.rikkisrefuge.org
E-mail: Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org

Good Morning Good News !!!! October 1, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!!

Welcome to October 2010 !!! Only 80 voting days left !!!!

Begin your day right! Vote for Rikki's Refuge http://bit.ly/VoteVincent
Rikkis Refuge of VA
Get your friends, coworkers, school mates, pen pals, email pals, chat
pals, neighbors out there voting. We must re-claim 5th position!

This video will start your day off with a smile! Doesn't he look like
he's wearing overalls?
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=pzjJSFHbiHM

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

Rikki's is Going to the Dogs tomorrow, Saturday 10/2
http://www.fredericksburgsgonetothedogs.com/Fredericksburgs_Gone_to_the_Dogs/Home.html
come join us and have a lot of fun!

Rikki's Vegetarian Thanksgiving is set for Nov 21, Sunday, refreshments
start at 4 pm and sit down dinner at 6 pm. RSVP is required, limited
seating for dinner. Send me an e-mail to sign up. This year Mariza, a
Rikki's Refuge Approved Vegetarian Chef, will host the dinner in her
lovely new home, off Route 3, not far from Route 20 in Spotsylvania,
about 20 minutes closer to Fredericksburg than Rikki's.

Don't be giving mom no ideas! First it's agility, next it'll be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzvUyu3zOmE

October 9th Vittles with Vincent at N's Cafe in Culpeper. The WHOLE
family is welcome, the dogs, the cats, the kids. 11 am - 7 pm. Ask me
for the flyer if you can hang it up anywhere around Culpeper!

Appropriately World Animal Day falls during this week on October 4th
http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/index.asp

From Lori today: Compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can
only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living
creatures and does not limit itself to mankind. Compassion is the keen
awareness of the interdependence of all things...MAY YOU ALL have a
compassionate weekend!

U.S. Soldiers Rescue Wounded Eagle in Afghanistan
Mitch is a Steppe eagle that cannot fly. His brown wings, permanently
injured, no longer soar through the air. Still, Mitch is about to head
from Afghanistan to New York, thanks to the help of a few caring soldiers.

The bird will travel on a military flight with one of his rescuers, and
will finally arrive at his new digs, the Berkshire Bird Paradise
Sanctuary in Petersburgh, N.Y. A soldier sent them an e-mail about an
eagle that had been shot, on purpose and at close range, by an Afghan
soldier.

The soldier and another Navy SEAL operator picked up the bird, and
knowing nothing about veterinary care or eagles, put a t-shirt around
Mitch. They then gave him some anesthesia, dressed and stitched his
wounds and built him a cage. They fed him chicken, beef, whatever they
could find. "He tries to fly but cannot," the soldier wrote. "I fear
that if it is not rescued out of this place, it will not live much
longer. Can you help?"

He was motivated by a sense of duty to address this animal and these men
in need. "We try to save what we can, because doing this teaches us how
to be better humans," Chepaitis says.

The process of bringing Mitch into the U.S. was a challenging one. The
Fish & Wildlife Services denied their request because Mitch is not a
native eagle. The USDA had banned import of birds from the region and
promptly shut Chepaitis down. She then turned to Senator Schumer's
office, where she found support, and through those connections, got some
help from the White House.

"Everyone grew very attached to the story," Chepaitis says. "There's a
great deal of admiration that these young men would do this in such a
horrendous situation. These guys did something good."
http://www.peoplepets.com/news/hero/u-s-soldiers-rescue-wounded-eagle-in-afghanistan/1

Surf-ise Dog Hero was a Service Dog Failure!
This is Surf dog Ricochet's journey from birth, to service dog training,
to dog surfing, to surfing tandem with quadriplegic surfer, Patrick
Ivison, to fund raising for charitable causes. Each person who watches
finds an individual message that touches them on many levels. It's about
acceptance, adjusting expectations, & focusing on the "can do's" in life
which allows for a celebration of amazing outcomes.
http://www.selfgrowth.com/video/the-surfing-dog

Have a happy happy weekend
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/88142/squirrel_band/

I love you,
Vincent

PS If you don't want your Daily Good News, just let me know! A couple
of you have said you only want Hairballs with out the Good News!!
That's ok! Just tell me. I'm here to make you happy, just tell me how!
If Good New don't make you happy - I could always start Bad News, but,
as you
hoomans say, why reinvent the wheel - that's what you've got tv and
newspapers for !!!!!

--
Vincent D. Cat, Official Spokes Cat of Rikki's Refuge
Representing the Right to Life of the Differently Abled of every species.

JOIN THE RIKKI'S FAMILY
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

We're very honored to have been voted the Number One Animal Rescue in
Virginia.

Thank you, our supporters and friends, who made this possible. It took
over 50,000 votes! Thank you for your confidence and trust in the work
we do at Rikki's Refuge. We won't disappoint you!

I'd like to thank the sponsors of the contest; Pet Finders a wonderful
resource for helping us locating the perfect forever home for many of
our cats and dogs; and The Animal Rescue Site, where a click a day helps
feed shelter pets.

Not a Rikki's Family Member? For only $45 you can join for a year and
receive your electronic subscription to HAIRBALLS and paper subscription
to REFLECTIONS

DONATE NOW save a life today
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

RIKKI'S REFUGE a 367 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary
supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals, just like
you.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!! September 30, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!!

Welcome to the last day of September 2010 !!! Only 81 voting days left
!!!!

We'll call this day to order with a vote !!! http://bit.ly/VoteVincent
Rikkis Refuge of VA

Good morning wonderful friends of the world !!! Thank you for being
here today. Thank you for being my friends. Thank you for caring about
one another and all our animal friends, non-human and human too! The
word of the day is LOVE ! Approach your day with LOVE, share a little
LOVE everywhere you go, at the end of the day your own heart will be
filled with twice the LOVE you gave away!! Smile at everybody, hug
somebody out of the blue, if they look at you strange, look them right
in the eye and say, "Vincent made me do it!" Then hand them a Vote for
Vincent book mark and ask them to vote! The world will be a happier
place because of YOU! When in doubt, stop and think, What Would Vincent
Do ! It's simple, be somebody's HERO today !

Read stories about our animals up on our web site. Go to
www.RikkisRefuge.org and on the left click on "about us" and then under
MY picture, click on "Their stories". Do you have a Rikki's alumni?
Write a story and send a photo and we'll include it!

Here's another way to help for FREE!! Would you take a minute to help
Rikkis Refuge win $1,000? GoodSearch.com is sponsoring a contest that
will give an extra $1,000 to each of the five organizations that have
the most toolbar downloads (and $100 to each of the first 100 charities
to reach 100 downloads!) With the GoodSearch toolbar, every time you
search online or shop at more than 1,500 stores (from Amazon to
Zazzle!), a donation will be made to Rikkis Refuge — all you have to do
is add our toolbar to your computer.

Please help us be one of the lucky charities that will receive these
much needed funds!
Here's how:
1. Click http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/rikkis-refuge
2. Download the Rikkis Refuge toolbar
by clicking on the button about halfway down the page.
then clicking on Download on the next page
Firefox may prevent you from doing this - if so you can click
"allow" on the upper right
continue following your browser's instructions
3. Search something for a test drive! Then use this search bar when
needed so Rikki's benefits.
4. Share this with you Friends, let them know a simple search could feed
one of us !!!

The contest ends on Oct. 31 so please add the toolbar NOW and spread the
word to as many people as you can! For more information, click
http://www.goodsearch.com/goodsearchgiveaway/

So YES it's worthwhile for you to install this search bar NOW!!

Are you ready for some serious Good News? Brought together by feral
kitties!
Hi Vincent - My fiancé. Larry Bisgaier, and I just got engaged - our
first unofficial "date" was at Rikki's Refuge many years ago to learn
about vaccinating feral cats, so we wanted to give back. We both
believe in your mission so much, and wish we could send you more! Best
of luck - Sue Wolf and Larry Bisgaier

I agree with Jeanie: The FIVE Most Important Things You Can Say To
Another Being
1. I am proud of you.
2. May I help you?
3. I love you.
4. Thank you.
5. We

Look we made the paper, have to scroll down a ways.
http://www2.staffordcountysun.com/lifestyles/2010/sep/23/community-briefs-sept-24-paper-ar-521422/

Artists' Sand Sculptures Boggle the Mind at World Champ Event
http://www.happynews.com/
Watch the video on the second page.
That would be cool to have a contest like that at Rikki's. We'd have to
lock up the goats !!! And well I guess us kitties, too!

Blue Whales Spotted In Unusually Large Numbers Off Southern California Shore
Whale watchers in Southern California have been delighted this year with
the spectacle of blue whales turning up close to shore in unusually
large numbers.

Captain Brad Sawyer, "I've been working on the water for 23 years right
now and this is the first time I've ever seen a congregation of blue
whales like this." Other veteran whale watchers concur with Sawyer's
statement, and say higher amounts of krill -- which the whales eat --
may be responsible for drawing the whales both closer to the shore, and
up to the surface.

Video (sorry it does have commercials up front)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/21/blue-whales-spotted-in-un_n_732181.html

New footage shows tigers can thrive in Himalayas
A few seconds of film showing tigers roaming wild in the foothills of
the Himalayas could provide the ''missing link'' to an ambitious plan to
try to save them from extinction. The film is the first real evidence
that tigers can thrive - and breed - in the hills which are more than
13,000 feet above sea level.

Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan said he was reduced to tears the
first time he saw the footage. He said: ''It was beyond words, pretty
overwhelming. 'We were there about six weeks. For me the whole purpose
of the expedition was to film evidence of the tigers living in Bhutan so
all the effort and everything we did came down to a few seconds of
footage.''

Mr Buchanan added: ''This is such a significant discovery for tiger
survival. The tigers' behaviour suggests they are breeding and I am
convinced that there must now be cubs somewhere on this mountain."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/8011950/New-footage-shows-tigers-can-thrive-in-Himalayas.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/4726579549/
Peace, Love and Catnip to all,
Vincent

hoomans say, why reinvent the wheel - that's what you've got tv and
newspapers for !!!!!

--
Vincent D. Cat, Official Spokes Cat of Rikki's Refuge
Representing the Right to Life of the Differently Abled of every species.

JOIN THE RIKKI'S FAMILY
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

We're very honored to have been voted the Number One Animal Rescue in
Virginia.

Thank you, our supporters and friends, who made this possible. It took
over 50,000 votes! Thank you for your confidence and trust in the work
we do at Rikki's Refuge. We won't disappoint you!

Not a Rikki's Family Member? For only $45 you can join for a year and
receive your electronic subscription to HAIRBALLS and paper subscription
to REFLECTIONS

DONATE NOW save a life today
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

RIKKI'S REFUGE a 367 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary
supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals, just like
you.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!! September 29, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!!

Vincent slides in, singing, You are my HEROES, my wonderful HEROES, you
are my HEROES my awesome pawsome HEROES, you are my HEROES my marvelous
hoomans !!!!!

Do you know what YOU did? You've moved us in to number 5 planet wise!!!
Yippee Yippee !!! We're moving up !!!! We're headed for number one.
We're gonna win. Cus YOU are my number one HERO!!!!

UH OH I started writing that to you and then mommey started gacking
hairballs and I had to get off the puter and go take care of her. And
OH NO do you know what happened? We got overtaken! Oh BOO now we're
back to 6th place. I feel so bad. I'll really give mommey something to
gack about today!!!

Help me help me please !!! We've got to regain our ground and get back
to #5!!!

Only 82 voting days left !!!!

http://bit.ly/VoteVincent RIKKIS REFUGE ORANGE VA USA

Can you guess my animal of the day? I'm not a fish and I wouldn't be
very good with your peanut butter. I love floating in the sun and I use
jet propulsion to travel. I could be up to 3 feet wide and 15 feet long.
What am I today?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn0Xv0fb1z4

Kathy Dennis is donating 5 round bales of hay to us and Bob Wallace will
hitch up his trailer and haul it in !!!!! Big $s saved !!!!! We're
not using hay yet - but winter will probably come this year and we'll
sure need it them !!!!!!

Judith won a grant for Rikki's to get $10,000 in free Google Ads!!!
Animal Rescue Site voting for Rikki's is now in the queue!!!!! This
should get more people on track voting every day!!!

And have I got a treat for you !!!!! You hoomans and you doggies and
you kitties. On October 9th, Saturday, from 11 am till 7 pm, just so
you can have lunch AND dinner with me, N's Cafe will be hosting a
special Grand Opening and Vittles with Vincent !!!! http://come.to/nscafe
Lots of nummy vegetarian and vegan items for you herbivores like mommey!
Hummus, Baba Gannouj, Tabouli, Grape Leaves, Falafel, Salads, Grilled
Veggie Sandwich, Veggie Kabobs, and more !!!! See the menu on line.

On 10/9 from 11 am - 7 pm, 20% of the sales will be donated to
Rikki's!!! We'll have face painting, dining with Vincent, and more!!!
It'll be a whole day of fun and food. Nummy food !!!! Special Rikki's
Sampler Platter for Hoomans (falafel, dolma, baba gannouj, hummus, and
tabouli or fattoush.), Pooch's Platter, and Vincent Vittles for our cat
friends!!! Come and join me!!!

Hey pray for a easterly blow (Judith says even westerly as they need the
rain) for Tropical Depression 16 !! We can use some rain but not all
that wind please !!!!

Another story about them evil pitties !!!!
Dog's lick saved my life - The kiss of life has new meaning for a
Southland woman who credits her dog as her savior. Shirley Mulvihill
was alone and asleep in her house when her eight-month-old Staffordshire
dog Fiji licked her face to alert her to danger. Her eyes opened to a
smoke filled bedroom and her house in the firm grip of a fiery inferno,
she said. She made a frantic phone call to the fire service for help but
halfway through the phone cut out, she said. Not knowing if the message
had got through, she dashed out the front door and ran down the road to
one neighbor, but no-one was home. So it was on to the next to make
sure the alarm was raised. But from the window she saw the lights of
fire engines coming, the call had been answered, Mrs Mulvihill said.
"I'm certainly no runner but it didn't take very long for them to get
here." But it was too late, the house was engulfed and her neighbor
told her the kitchen was gone. "My house is gone, but we are both alive,
thanks to Fiji." The experience was frightening and unreal, she said.
Fiji was a special friend and now even more so, Mrs Mulvihill said.
"She'll get a few treats out of this."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4162818/Dogs-lick-saved-my-life-says-woman

The 40 Best Little Radio Stations in the U.S.
http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2010/09/the-best-little-radio-stations-in-the-us.html?awesm=fbshare.me_ATZqm
WRIR, Richmond where my hero Rebecca's show is broadcast from Tuesdays
at 12:30 !!!! Tune in today!!

Betsy Gunderson: To the world you might be just someone.....but to
someone you might be the whole world. ♥

This is a rather bizarre ad for a car .... but proof everybody wants a
cat representing them!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7245jE1FS9U

I love YOU,
Vincent

PS If you don't want your Daily Good News, just let me know! A couple
of you have said you only want Hairballs with out the Good News!!
That's ok! Just tell me. I'm here to make you happy, just tell me how!
If Good New don't make you happy - I could always start Bad News, but,
as you hoomans say, why reinvent the wheel - that's what you've got tv
and newspapers for !!!!!

--
Vincent D. Cat, Official Spokes Cat of Rikki's Refuge
Representing the Right to Life of the Differently Abled of every species.

JOIN THE RIKKI'S FAMILY
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

We're very honored to have been voted the Number One Animal Rescue in
Virginia.

Thank you, our supporters and friends, who made this possible. It took
over 50,000 votes! Thank you for your confidence and trust in the work
we do at Rikki's Refuge. We won't disappoint you!

Not a Rikki's Family Member? For only $45 you can join for a year and
receive your electronic subscription to HAIRBALLS and paper subscription
to REFLECTIONS

DONATE NOW save a life today
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

RIKKI'S REFUGE a 367 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary
supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals, just like
you.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!! September 27, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!!

Only 84 voting days left !!!!

Did you vote yet? http://bit.ly/VoteVincent RIKKIS REFUGE ORANGE VA USA
I'm a ladybug today. Did you know that in England they are called
ladybirds? You don't realize not only the language barrier (bet you
can't spell penguin in Croatian!) but the spelling differences and the
different nomenclature that can make voting difficult for some of our
friends.

We have friends from all over the planet! Where are you from? Do I
have a representative from every state out there?

Rain today. It's really good cuz so much is so dry. We need to get
more grass growing for our herbivore friends. We've been worried that
we might have to start feeding hay and that costs lots and lots of
money. That's one of the things that made last winter cost so very
much. Everybody but the cats and dogs needed hay every day to survive.
At first in the fall it was so wet the grass died, then it was covered
in snow for months and months, then too wet again. Keep your paws
crossed that the weather lets us have good grass all winter.

I'm really glad I get Fancy Feast, not grass. Thank you Barbara for
that whole suv full of Fancy Feast Appetizers!!! And than you the other
Barbara for bringing 50 cases of cat food to me at the festival on
Saturday!!!! We're eating good!!!! And I love eating!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/4132888199

Squeaks, a pigeon, has joined Rikki's Refuge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIGSF-1vBco

Elizabeth ebw2s@eservices.virginia.edu has a freezer she'd like to
donate to Rikki's Refuge. It's about 4 feet long, two feet wide and
three feet high, so it's not huge, any size pick up or even a small
trailer should do. You'll need to take it out of her basement at Lake
Monticello, so you might want to take help with you for lifting or check
with her to see if she or someone else can help. Lake Monticello is
south east of Charlottesville. Please contact Elizabeth if you can
help. Thanks so much.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? Would you like to see your
by-line and/or your photos in Reflections, my printed newsletter? I'm
accepting articles now! Send me your story about your visit to Rikki's.
What you like to do to volunteer and help. What you like about
animals. A story about your special animal. A story about an alumni
you adopted from Rikki's. A cartoon you'd like to draw. Anything you
think our readers would enjoy seeing. Please send your material to
Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org

Check out Earl Worick, a neighbor of mine, and his work
http://gourdguy.wordpress.com Quite interesting, isn't it?

Aviarios del Caribe - the only sloth sanctuary in the world in Costa
Rica. These are some of the baby Sloths.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqio2G_Ra6g&NR=1

Sometimes that looks more like mom's speed than chasing feral cats

Why did the guinea fowl cross the ditch?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmnWEyEWwJg

Lots of love and stay dry, unless you're a duck!
Vincent

PS If you don't want your Daily Good News, just let me know! A couple
of you have said you only want Hairballs with out the Good News!!
That's ok! Just tell me. I'm here to make you happy, just tell me how!
If Good New don't make you happy - I could always start Bad News, but,
as you hoomans say, why reinvent the wheel - that's what you've got tv
and newspapers for !!!!!

--
Vincent D. Cat, Official Spokes Cat of Rikki's Refuge
Representing the Right to Life of the Differently Abled of every species.

JOIN THE RIKKI'S FAMILY
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

We're very honored to have been voted the Number One Animal Rescue in
Virginia.

Thank you, our supporters and friends, who made this possible. It took
over 50,000 votes! Thank you for your confidence and trust in the work
we do at Rikki's Refuge. We won't disappoint you!

Not a Rikki's Family Member? For only $45 you can join for a year and
receive your electronic subscription to HAIRBALLS and paper subscription
to REFLECTIONS

DONATE NOW save a life today
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

RIKKI'S REFUGE a 367 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary
supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals, just like
you.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!! September 26, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!!

Only 85 voting days left !!!!

Do it NOW!!!

http://bit.ly/VoteVincent RIKKIS REFUGE ORANGE VA USA

Vote in the rain and in the shine - don't let anything keep you from
voting every day !!!! We're holding our lead in Virginia and slowly
creeping up across the nation. It doesn't matter where on the planet
you live - you can vote for Rikki's Refuge!!

We're at 6th over all, let's bring that up to 5th !!! there must be one
more person you can ask to vote!

Judith of our Wild and Feral division took 32 kitties to the speuter
clinic yesterday! Yeah Judith !!!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5016931285/

I'm ready to roll!!! No more long long walks down city streets to get
to the festivals!!! Thanks to my hero Christy who gave me this
wonderful stroller!!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5026346070/

It was really cool, I rode in a glass elevator down from the parking
garage. I leaned up to the front of my stroller and put my hands on the
glass and watched in total amazement at how much we could see as we went
down four floors!

There were lots of other little folk riding in strollers. I think I was
the only one with fur!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5025731203/

And the goodest news from the festival is that both Angel a kitty we
took for adoption and Cindy Lou a doggy, got wonderful applications.
Once they are processed they'll go for home visits to make sure they
will be happy and then the adoptions can formally take place!

Last day to buy traps on sale at Tractor Supply. If you do TNR this is
a great deal.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/live-traps-1-small-size-amp-1-medium-size-5132129

best deal 2 traps

Check out Earl Worick's work! Mom and me's gonna see his gallery and
interview him on Monday! http://gourdguy.wordpress.com

From Beth at Orange County Animal Shelter: Kathy and Kim and Mariza and
some of your other volunteers took some of our dogs to Brittany Commons
this past Saturday as you know. Kathy wrote that there were enough of
them that our dogs didn't have to stay in crates. AuraLou, a very shy
and very special dog who is one of my absolute favorites was adopted all
because of their efforts, mainly Mariza's who took her swimming in the
pool. Kathy's story of AuraLou's transformation into a playing,
wagging, happy spoiled dog who relaxed so much that when she flopped
over for belly rubs, she almost rolled down the hill—is awesome!

Well see you later, we've got some rainy day chores to catch up on!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/400759762/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/4885551612/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5016885645/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5016885663/

Love and snuggles and lots of purrrsss,
Vincent

PS If you don't want your Daily Good News, just let me know! A couple
of you have said you only want Hairballs with out the Good News!!
That's ok! Just tell me. I'm here to make you happy, just tell me how!
If Good New don't make you happy - I could always start Bad News, but,
as you hoomans say, why reinvent the wheel - that's what you've got tv
and newspapers for !!!!!

--
Vincent D. Cat, Official Spokes Cat of Rikki's Refuge
Representing the Right to Life of the Differently Abled of every species.

JOIN THE RIKKI'S FAMILY
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

We're very honored to have been voted the Number One Animal Rescue in
Virginia.

Thank you, our supporters and friends, who made this possible. It took
over 50,000 votes! Thank you for your confidence and trust in the work
we do at Rikki's Refuge. We won't disappoint you!

Not a Rikki's Family Member? For only $45 you can join for a year and
receive your electronic subscription to HAIRBALLS and paper subscription
to REFLECTIONS

DONATE NOW save a life today
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

RIKKI'S REFUGE a 367 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary
supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals, just like
you.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!!

Only 86 voting days left !!!!

Do it NOW!!!

http://bit.ly/VoteVincent RIKKIS REFUGE ORANGE VA USA

Please help me over the weekend. We always lose ground on the weekend
cuz Rikki's hoomans are running all over volunteering for all kind of
good causes and not at their puters. So if you're at home or work today
or can stop in the library or have a phone that votes, please do. Also
please tell everyone you meet to help us out!!! It's so easy and so
quick and totally free and will SAVE LIVES!!! Our lives are worth it!

Thank you my heroes!!!

A real HERO traveled from Boston to come visit me yesterday. Christy
took the train all the way to bring me Mowgs' stroller so I can ride in
style at the Vegetarian Festival today in Charlottesville!!! AND she
stayed to give me love and hugs and more and more love. She's the
bestest hugger!!! Mmmmmm Purrrzzzz Mowgs sadly passed away in 2008 and
Christy just couldn't part with his stroller. Mowgs was paraplegic and
loved his rides out and about in his stroller. Thank you Christy and
love to you Mowgs at the Rainbow Bridge.

I got great pictures but no time to get them up right now cuz I gotta
get on the road to Charlottesville. I want to be on time so I'm not
speeding and get arrested driving.
Don't want to lose my license!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/4925114484/

I'll be at the Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival
http://www.cvillevegfest.org/
11 am till 4 pm in Lee Park
Please sneak me in a can of Fancy Feast, mom says I'm not allowed to
have that at a Vegetarian Festival!!! I say poo on you, mom!

I made sure mom packed the web cam this time so hopefully you can see me
live at the Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival !!!!! Come see me and
my new stroller!!!

You have a wonderful day and keep telling everybody to vote!!!

Great big hug and lots of love to you,
Vincent

PS If you don't want your Daily Good News, just let me know! A couple
of you have said you only want Hairballs with out the Good News!!
That's ok! Just tell me. I'm here to make you happy, just tell me how!
If Good New don't make you happy - I could always start Bad News, but,
as you hoomans say, why reinvent the wheel - that's what you've got tv
and newspapers for !!!!!

--
Vincent D. Cat, Official Spokes Cat of Rikki's Refuge
Representing the Right to Life of the Differently Abled of every species.

JOIN THE RIKKI'S FAMILY
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

We're very honored to have been voted the Number One Animal Rescue in
Virginia.

Thank you, our supporters and friends, who made this possible. It took
over 50,000 votes! Thank you for your confidence and trust in the work
we do at Rikki's Refuge. We won't disappoint you!

Not a Rikki's Family Member? For only $45 you can join for a year and
receive your electronic subscription to HAIRBALLS and paper subscription
to REFLECTIONS

DONATE NOW save a life today
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

RIKKI'S REFUGE a 367 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary
supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals, just like
you.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!! September 24, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!!

Only 87 voting days left !!!!

http://bit.ly/VoteVincent RIKKIS REFUGE ORANGE VA USA

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35032&id=100000443110622&l=3b0c7175b5
That's all the confirmation animals I know of so far. Have you seen
one that I'm missing? Please send it to me so I can put it in my album.
I wanna collect 'em all !!! You can right click, save image as, and then
post on my page or email me Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org.

If you're on facebook you can pick your animal from my album and post it
on your page!!! Add a comment with your name and date!! Tag yourself if
you like so you know who's sharing animals with you!

I won't tell you what animal I got today - let's see if you can guess!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5017538652/
So what animal did I get this morning? I walk into a deli, order
sandwich and fruit smoothie, eat, get up and turn to leave. The owner
says to me, "hey you, you haven't paid." I pull out my gun and shoot a
few holes in the wall and head out. The owner yells at me, "Who do you
think you are? Coming in here, eating m...y food without paying,
shooting up the place and just leaving!" As I head out the door I turn
and over my shoulder say, "I'm a _____, look it up in the dictionary."
What am I and what did she find in the dictionary?

FRIDAYS Free Food Friday - http://www.freekibblekat.com/giveaway.asp
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/4902394366/
PetCo has a drawing for a $50 PetCo Gift Card every weekend
email Giveaway@freekibble.com with the subject "Shelter Giveaway" on
Fridays to enter. A winner will be chosen at random every Saturday.

Live Trap Sale - and me with out no more room on mum's credit card!!!!
http://www.tractorsupply.com/live-traps-1-small-size-amp-1-medium-size-5132129
$25 for two live traps, a purrfect cat size and a smaller one, purrfect
for lending to folks to live trap the squirrels in their attic.

This is a great deal. We need some at Rikki's Refuge. Our Wild and
Feral division needs some. And we need some for the Speuter Clinic in Pana.

If I twist your arm hard enough would you buy me one? Please ???
http://bit.ly/BeMyHero
Just put "traps" in the comments or send me an email.

Rikki's Refuge Wraps Your Holiday Gifts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm3dm5J5r0A
Ok, well maybe not the ones you adopt. No, don't worry now. We don't
allow animals to be adopted as gifts. We encourage you to give a gift
certificate for adoption.

But we DO wrap at Barnes & Noble at 7 Corners in Falls Church, Virginia.
We have certain assigned days and time and we wrap for donations
around the holidays.

This is something you can do at any Barnes & Noble or Border's Book
anywhere in the USA!!! Just ask the manager how YOU can get started
raising $s for nums in a climate controlled environment with no smelly poo!

Fred love his wrapping job!
Ah be rappin',
Goin' like mad ...
Be da best rappah
You evuh had!

It's International Differently Abled Week
My sisfur Pepper Kitten Face got interviewed! Read it here and see her
pictures.
http://www.sparklecat.com/special/pepper-rikkis-refuge

This is my blind friend Jimmy Jet showing you what blind kitties can do!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD5Yoa6FbQw

This is about him too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mCC21Rc70o

If I didn't tell you he was blind you'd never even know!

How is your garden growing? Mr Sam Iam is watering his catnip!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5019868699/

Please please come see me at the Vegetarian Festival in Charlottesville,
Virginia tomorrow.

love you bunches,
Vincent

PS If you don't want your Daily Good News, just let me know! A couple
of you have said you only want Hairballs with out the Good News!!
That's ok! Just tell me. I'm here to make you happy, just tell me how!
If Good New don't make you happy - I could always start Bad News, but,
as you hoomans say, why reinvent the wheel - that's what you've got tv
and newspapers for !!!!!

--
Vincent D. Cat, Official Spokes Cat of Rikki's Refuge
Representing the Right to Life of the Differently Abled of every species.

JOIN THE RIKKI'S FAMILY
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

We're very honored to have been voted the Number One Animal Rescue in
Virginia.

Thank you, our supporters and friends, who made this possible. It took
over 50,000 votes! Thank you for your confidence and trust in the work
we do at Rikki's Refuge. We won't disappoint you!

Not a Rikki's Family Member? For only $45 you can join for a year and
receive your electronic subscription to HAIRBALLS and paper subscription
to REFLECTIONS

DONATE NOW save a life today
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

RIKKI'S REFUGE a 367 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary
supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals, just like
you.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!! September 23, 2010 First Day of Autumn !!!

Good Morning Good News !!!!

Only 88 voting days left !!!!

My favorite music to vote by - makes me think of what money can buy !!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMzW3LIkNLA
I bet you were expecting a commercial for Fancy Feast weren't you!

http://bit.ly/VoteVincent RIKKIS REFUGE ORANGE VA USA
Vote every day and tell everyone you meet about voting. You'll be
amazed, when you tell them you are voting to save lives they WANT to
help! Mom went to the dentist yesterday and she told everybody in the
office to vote. They were so excited that Rikki's Refuge was number one
in Virginia and they want to be a part of making it number one world wide!

It's Fursday! If you're furry raise your paw!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5017538490/

Welcome to Autumn! Here's Scout Gatinha in her fall getup!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5017492682/
Send me your fall fashion photo!

Last night was the autumnal equinox -- the beginning of fall -- and a
Harvest Moon.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5017538784/
It was very cloudy and foggy here last night so I only was a glow from
behind the clouds. If it's clear tonight it might still be good. Be
sure to be outside when the moon rises tonight.

Moonrise here at Rikki's Refuge is 6:56 tonight.

It you're out and about, do be cautious, they say strange things happen
during a full moon.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5017538712/

Perseid Meteor Shower Lights Skies With Shooting Stars - Look! Up in the
Sky! Still Sights to Behold Ahead
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/perseid-meteor-shower-best-time-watch-shooting-stars/story?id=11394215
This video of a Meteor Shower is really worth seeing! I've sure never
seen anything like that or even imagined it could be. Is that what was
going on here last night that sounded like thunder and looked like
lightening but had no rain?

Jan Sinnott has Good news....a slightly unstable client of my vet
decided to euthanize her cat rather than treat its non-terminal
condition (urinary stones)...but was willing to relinquish ownership to
me on the spot. SOOO Abby is now treated and recovering and I have my
first ever "orange" kitty!

YEAH YEAH YEAH Jan, you are wonderful!!!!

Jan also reports, Other good news: At my vet's office there is now a
"Guardian Angel" fund for clients who just can't afford to treat an
animal with a serious need and not terminal. So more little lives are
saved from suffering or euthanasia.

This is something Rikki's Refuge hopes to have enough funding to do in
the future. There is so much that can be done to help so many animals,
non-human and human alike, and all we need to that unlimited source of
funds! That's it. Then so much good can happen!

Well I gotta get back to work!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5017538760/

With all my love,
Vincent

PS If you don't want your Daily Good News, just let me know! A couple
of you have said you only want Hairballs with out the Good News!!
That's ok! Just tell me. I'm here to make you happy, just tell me how!
If Good New don't make you happy - I could always start Bad News, but,
as you hoomans say, why reinvent the wheel - that's what you've got tv
and newspapers for !!!!!

--
Vincent D. Cat, Official Spokes Cat of Rikki's Refuge
Representing the Right to Life of the Differently Abled of every species.

JOIN THE RIKKI'S FAMILY
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

We're very honored to have been voted the Number One Animal Rescue in
Virginia.

Thank you, our supporters and friends, who made this possible. It took
over 50,000 votes! Thank you for your confidence and trust in the work
we do at Rikki's Refuge. We won't disappoint you!

Not a Rikki's Family Member? For only $45 you can join for a year and
receive your electronic subscription to HAIRBALLS and paper subscription
to REFLECTIONS

DONATE NOW save a life today
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

RIKKI'S REFUGE a 367 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary
supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals, just like
you.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!! September 22, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!!

Only 89 voting days left !!!!

Go to my web site www.RikkisRefuge.org and click on the $100,000 then
enter "RIKKIS REFUGE" in "ORANGE" in "VA" in the "USA" then click on
"search", then "vote" then for verification, identify your animal of the
day and click "confirm vote". That's it. Vote every day to help us win
our share of that $100,000 !!! AND if you'd like, you can set it up
so The Animal Rescue Site sends you a daily reminder to vote!!!

Remember vote every day! The rules allow you to vote once on each
computer, at home, at work, at the internet cafe, at the library, at
school, on your notebook and on your phone. Teach everybody at school
and at work how to vote too!!! This is really important!!! If you help
me win world wide I'm gonna throw the best party you've ever seen and
you're invited!

I know some hoomans who call Wednesday, humpday! Wonder what these guys
call it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RJJQx0X15Q

I told you about the painting of Zach that's up for auction yesterday
and I did a boo boo. I didn't tell you HOW to bid.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5011903173/
If you're a facebook person you can do it here.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=376629&id=126592364031336&ref=notif&notif_t=like
and if you're not you can tell me and I'll do it for you. Winning
payment will be thru paypal.

It got really windy last night for a bit and the trees were throwing
walnuts at the house. That was a scary noise!!! It's warmer this
morning than it was yesterday morning!! It's really getting to be fall
time. Lots of leaves are changing!!!

I think this is really neat!!! Wonder how well a newspaper house would
hold up to kitties!!!!
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/5ieQsE/greenopolis.com/goblog/litegreen/house-made-newspaper-lasts-88-years/r:f
I wonder how many kitty doors we'd have?

Fireman rescues cat, adopts him later !!! There is a Chinese Proverb
that says if you save a life, you are responsible for it forever.

Cats may have nine lives, but a feline in Georgia was spared two of
them, thanks to the help of firefighter Jim Cadenhead. The 29-year-old
was dispatched in June to help a cat that had fallen down a well,
according to PeoplePets.com. After saving the feline, Cadenhead took him
to the local animal shelter. However, after a few weeks, the father of
two girls started getting calls from local animal rescue groups. One
woman in particular got his interest. "She told me a lot of people were
following the story, and wondering what would happen to the cat. It got
me thinking," he told the news outlet. After talking it over with his
family, Cadenhead decided to adopt the cat, now named Max. He most
probably saved the animal from being put down. It looks like Jim and
his daughters, Kelsey, 10, and Sarah, 11, are loving their new addition
to the family. "He's the first cat I've had since I was a child,"
Cadenhead told the news source.

Sorry about the initial commercial but this is a cute doggy! Yes you
heard that from a cat!
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/dog-gets-money-from-atm/ufrbye1s?rs=dog&from=en-us_msnhp&form=msnhed&gt1=42007

Teacup pigs a trendy, but not ideal, pet
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5013955687/

Every time a new designer pet comes on the market there's a collective
groan from animal rescuers who know where most of them will be in a few
short months.

Maybe it's childhood memories of "Charlotte's Web," or perhaps it's
because the intelligent animals love to interact with people, but many
hoomans can't help but find pigs endearing. So, when it was announced
that there was a teeny-tiny version of everyone's favorite barnyard
animal available, it sparked a pet trend that swept the U.S. and the
U.K. Though teacup pigs have become a popular pet for celebrities and
animal lovers alike, in recent weeks they have also become a
controversial topic of discussion among animal rights activists.

When celebrities like David and Victoria Beckham and "Harry Potter" star
Rupert Grint began scooping up these smaller-than-pint-sized versions of
potbellied pigs, many people followed suit. However, some animal experts
have come forward to say that teacup pigs are actually more of a
marketing ploy, not a convenient pet.

"It gives people an image of a very small pig - they will not stay
small," Yvonne McIntosh, the manager at Best Friends Animal Society, a
Utah sanctuary, told the Metro. "It takes them five years to reach
mature size." Because many homeowners are not prepared to take care of
and house a full-grown pig, experts fear that when the pigs begin to
grow they will be dumped or given to animal rescue centers. The
designer swine cost upwards of $1,000 each yet still end up in the local
pound!

Are you gonna come play with me this weekend?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5004075351/

Love, Vincent

PS If you don't want your Daily Good News, just let me know! A couple
of you have said you only want Hairballs with out the Good News!!
That's ok! Just tell me. I'm here to make you happy, just tell me how!
If Good New don't make you happy - I could always start Bad News, but,
as you hoomans say, why reinvent the wheel - that's what you've got tv
and newspapers for !!!!!

--
Vincent D. Cat, Official Spokes Cat of Rikki's Refuge
Representing the Right to Life of the Differently Abled of every species.

JOIN THE RIKKI'S FAMILY
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

We're very honored to have been voted the Number One Animal Rescue in
Virginia.

Thank you, our supporters and friends, who made this possible. It took
over 50,000 votes! Thank you for your confidence and trust in the work
we do at Rikki's Refuge. We won't disappoint you!

Not a Rikki's Family Member? For only $45 you can join for a year and
receive your electronic subscription to HAIRBALLS and paper subscription
to REFLECTIONS

DONATE NOW save a life today
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

RIKKI'S REFUGE a 367 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary
supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals, just like
you.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!! September 21, 2010

Good Morning Good News !!!!

Only 90 voting days left !!!! Remember you can, and need to, vote
every day and the rules allow you to vote once on each computer, at
home, at work, at the internet cafe, at the library, at school, on your
notebook and on your phone. Teach everybody at school and at work how
to vote too!!! This is really important!!! If you help me win world
wide I'm gonna throw the best

TO vote go to my web site www.RikkisRefuge.org and click on the $100,000
then enter "RIKKIS REFUGE" in "ORANGE" in "VA" in the "USA" then click
on "search", then "vote" then for verification, identify your animal of
the day and click "confirm vote". That's it. Vote every day to help us
win our share of that $100,000 !!! AND if you'd like, you can set it
up so The Animal Rescue Site sends you a daily reminder to vote!!!

I don't get it. Mom says she's having a bad hare day but she seems mad
at us pussy cats not at the rabbits.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/4694098599/
She made a cup of coffee to have while she fixed breakfast for us.
Angus like to help fix breakfast too. Today he decided to try her
coffee. He liked it so she was letting him drink some. It was actually
warm soy milk with coffee and vanilla in it. Angus said yum and was
slurping away. He had his head down in the cup when Louie (remember
Louie from a few months back who was so horribly sick with a blocked
bladder?) smacked Angus on the head so he could see what Angus was
pigging out on. Angus jerked his head up and the coffee went spilling
all over. Really all over. Mom cleaned it up and said, well Angus, you
can explain to everybody why their breakfast is going to be late, cuz
I'm not starting till I go get another cup of coffee.

She only had one cup of soy milk left and she made coffee. She could of
just licked tuna juice if she'd gone ahead and made our breakfast, but
no, the hooman had to have coffee. She came back and surveyed the room
and put the coffee up on a high shelf so Angus wouldn't get it.

She started doing what hoomans are made to do - using her opposable
thumbs to crank that can opener and get breakfast ready. Angus was
wired from the coffee he'd drunk. Doesn't do that good for mom. I've
never seen her leap about and climb the shelves. Yup, that's what Angus
did, climb up the shelves right to where the coffee was and jump with
one foot right in the cup.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/4884950299/

Uh Oh this is when mommey started to get mad. Then poor Bobbin howled
and - soaked in coffee and dripping - started running and jumping on top
of the fridge and all over the room. Luckily the coffee was only warm
so Bobbin didn't get hurt. But he did get scared. Terrified in fact.
Mommey caught him and had to give him a bath. Bobbin doesn't like
baths. Mommey was bandaging her arm when she heard somebody really
howling a distress meow.

Grannie was out in the Day Room and apparently couldn't get in thru the
wind tunnel and had her hands up on top of it and was really screaming.
It was dark out and mommey is a hooman so she can't see good in the
dark but it sure looked like Grannie was in serious distress, maybe had
her hands stuck in something.

Mommey started to run out to get her and noticed BJ wasn't around. BJ
wasn't feeling good last night, he had the runs, but no other symptoms.
Mommey is always worried about him cuz he was born with problems. So
then mom looks around frantically and thinks, oh no BJ is really sick
and stuck in the wind tunnel (that's this maze thing that goes from the
kitty doors in the 9th Live Center out to the Day Rooms to keep the wind
from blowing in) and she looks, but can't see him - or anything - from
inside.

So mommey runs out to save Grannie. Turns out Grannie was fine but
wouldn't go thru the wind tunnel for some reason. So mom carried her
in. She has no teeth and has to eat canned for breakfast so she had to
be in. Well Grannie freaked out and scratched mom up. She got away and
went back to screaming at the wind tunnel. Mom grabbed her again and
held on tight. Usually Grannie is really nice and would never scratch
and knows hoe to go in and out to the Day Room. I don't know why she
was upset this morning.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/4727225486/

As mom tried to open the door to get out the Day Room - hoomans have to
use the back door cuz they can't fit in our wind tunnel or thru the
kitty door - Baby Siam (a big red point biter) got out into the
ante-pen. Mom couldn't catch him while she was holding screaming
wiggling scratching Grannie, so she left him there - it's safe, it's the
airlock from the Day Room to the outside world. Just about the time
mommey walked past a bunch of sleeping dogs - and she was trying to let
them sleep - Tippy woke up and let out a woof that started all the dogs
going woof woof woof.

This really scared Grannie and that's when she clawed up mommey's chest
and neck. Struggling to get the door open to the 9th Life Center and
hang on to Grannie gave Anibus a great out - and he bolted out. He's
not allowed out. He needs treatment 2x a day so mommey makes him stay
in the 9th Life Center so he's sure to be there to get them. Once
Grannie was safely inside, mommey went out to look for Anibus. It's
really too bad she's just a hooman cuz she was making all kinds of
noises about finding black cats in the pitch dark. The flash light was
barely working cuz she forgot to plug it in last night. She's forever
forgetting this and not remembering to do that. I should trade her in
at the pound and get a fresher younger model.

Finally she got Anibus and brought him in. Then mommey washed up her
scratches from Grannie. She's very careless about herself and is
always running around with scratch and bite wounds. Next she had to
seek for BJ. She was so scared and worried about him. He's always in
the 9th Life Center in dark and always meowing for breakfast first thing
in the morning and he was no where to be seen. She searched to center
and then figured he must be out in the Day Room. She went out, made a
mental note to collect Baby Siam back out of the ante-pen before anybody
got in for work, and began to search. We have lots of cubbies and
little houses to hang out in. So she was going look here, look there,
BJ BJ where are you?

Finally she looked in one house and there he was. Just sitting there.
The only cat out in the Day Room. It was really cold this morning -
in the 40's. He felt cold and she was worried maybe his body temp was
low. She brought him inside and he didn't try to climb up on her
shoulder or purr. She set him up in a cage. His body temp is normal
and he ate a jar of warmed up baby food. He's got to stay in the
hospital cage for observation today.

So mommey finally got back in the kitchen and back to fixing breakfast.
Angus and Louie had knocked over all the cans mommey had already
opened and everybody in the safe zone was chowing down. That's when
mommey slipped in a puddle of coffee and remembered that mess she had to
clean up. She said something stoopid about wishing the fall had knocked
her out so she could get some more sleep even if it was in a puddle of
coffee and cat food. We all began to howl even louder in protest about
having to wait even longer for breakfast.

She said cuz it was cats who made this mess we could just sign for our
breakfast for as long as it took her to clean it up. She can be a very
inconsiderate at time. Very rude, don't you think?

The Good News is that finally, finally after like three rolls of paper
towels, she got back to her original job of getting breakfast on the
platters and handed out. Yum Yum Yum it was so good to finally get to
eat. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/4902394366/

So I've been trying to get this out to you all for hours now. Several
hours. Nothing is working right on this puter. I hope I just fixed
mommey's puter. It started running really slow. I mean so slow. I found
this thing called PremierOpinions running and eating up all the
resources. It was in the start up stuff and I'd never seen it before. I
looked it up on google and it looks like it's a bad thing, spyware.
Sometimes it's called pmropn.exe, pmropn64.exe and pmservice.exe too.
I've uninstalled it and hope it stays that way. So if youz running slow
......

Another puter warning - lots of email going out, sometimes look like
they come from friends and there's nothing but a link, watch out, they
are bad things. Not really from your friends, they just got that
address. And I'm seeing another one today trying to trick me, but this
is one smart kitty. It's an email from somebody who says something
like, see the attached invoice, I'm forwarding the info, your report is
here and then there's a link or an attachment - bad, bad, bad.

You stay safe and have good puter driving!!!

So I saw the doc yesterday. Boo. The swelling in my ears is down and now
they can see the polyp that's making me snot. I don't get it, ones my
ear the others my nose but that's what the hoomans said. It's too deep
and too small for surgery now so I'll be getting - oh joy for joy - meds
to manage it for now. Hope they make it go away. In the mean time,
forgive me please if I sneeze! Like isn't this great, sometimes I poop
on my friends by accident and now I might snot on them too. Will you
still love me?

I'm looking deep into my crystal ball
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5000683975/

and I'm seeing some hoomans getting bit if I have to keep taking meds!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/2389346681

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5011903211/
Hey Walker! I have a really good idea for you while we're at the
Vegetarian Festival in Charlottesville on Saturday
http://www.cvillevegfest.org/

Can you learn to do this?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5004031975/

This lovely Painting of Zach is up for auction. Winky's mom really wants
it and we're tag team bidding for "Team Shannon", if you'd like to add
to the bidding so Winky and her mom win that'd be awesome!!!! Or if you
want to outbid us and have this wonderful painting for yourself! 35% of
your bid will benefit Rikki's Refuge too!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5011903173/

Gilda Cellini: One of my cerebellar Hypoplasia kittens was adopted
today. Drexel, the gray and white kitty, is on a trial visit to see how
he does. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for him. Darby and Devon,
the two black/whites still need homes.

Yippee it's so wonderful to hear of special needs kitties and doggies
getting homes!!! It's so wonderful to think that we're becoming
socially acceptable!!!!

It's getting time to raise funds for the Pana Guatemala Speuter Clinic
that Dr Vargas will head up in December. She's asking for volunteers to
help with a Dog Wash and Car Wash on Sunday at her office in Culpeper.
If you can help, please call her 540-829-9085 and let them know.

Remember to be somebody's HERO today. Any act of kindness, no matter
how small, is very special.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikkis_refuge/5011903251/

Thank you my best friends, thank you!!!
Love, Vincent

PS If you don't want your Daily Good New, just let me know! A couple of
you have said you only want Hairballs with out the Good News!! That's
ok! Just tell me. I'm here to make you happy, just tell me how! If
Good New don't make you happy - I could always start Bad News, but, as
you hoomans say, why reinvent the wheel - that's what you've got tv and
newspapers for !!!!!

--
Vincent D. Cat, Official Spokes Cat of Rikki's Refuge
Representing the Right to Life of the Differently Abled of every species.

JOIN THE RIKKI'S FAMILY
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

We're very honored to have been voted the Number One Animal Rescue in
Virginia.

Thank you, our supporters and friends, who made this possible. It took
over 50,000 votes! Thank you for your confidence and trust in the work
we do at Rikki's Refuge. We won't disappoint you!

Not a Rikki's Family Member? For only $45 you can join for a year and
receive your electronic subscription to HAIRBALLS and paper subscription
to REFLECTIONS

DONATE NOW save a life today
http://www.rikkisrefuge.org/donate.php

RIKKI'S REFUGE a 367 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary
supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals, just like
you.