I’m Vincent D. Cat and here to make you happy! You are HEROES! You work hard every day and you deserve to smile every day! Those of you working to save us animals hear so very many very sad things. And there’s lots of very glad things too and that’s what we talk about here! All pawsitive all the time! I want my friends to be happy and smile and know there’s a lot of good - including YOU - in this world!! Be kind and pass it on! Please send me your Good New and Fun Stuff to share, personal or global. Let’s keep it fun and interactive!! After all, if we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane! Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org
Round the Refuge
Quick quick quick like a bunny!!! Gotta say hi to you and let you know what’s happening and then get to work work work. So much piling up to do.
Mountain is doing great. x-rays and bloodwork show that he’s improving too. The mass in his chest seems smaller. Biopsy didn’t find anything real specific but didn’t find bad stuff. Of course it can’t be totally ruled out cus there can be ok tissue around bad tissue. He’s happy and doing well. He’ll be on meds for a month and then more x-rays and blood work, unless he feels bad again, then he’ll have to go back in.
Gideon had surgery yesterday. Doc Vargas wanted to try and save his left eye. He’d had cancer on his left ear and lost most of that several years ago. Now it was on the third eye lid. It was impossible to tell how it’d spread until she started working. She found it just too much to be able to save the eye. So he did loose his left eye. And he’s feeling great. He came home yesterday afternoon and had to go to a hospital cage. He didn’t like that. He screamed and beat on the cage door and then started beating his head and face on the door.
To keep him from hurting the incision we had to let him out. He went to the 9th Life Area. He was still angry about being a cone head and about not being allowed outside - he loves real fresh nums and hates to eat kibble and canned. He likes his furry and on the run. No more mice in the cat food storage trailer since Gideon earned his running rights! Well at least not many that stay long. He was a good boy and ate the canned nums. Then curled up with his friends to nighty.
BJ couldn’t get used to Gideon’s cone and kept poking it and sticking his head in to check it out!!! Mom said it’d be a cute video ecpt poor Gideon looked so awful right after surgery that she thought it was rude to photograph him. She hates those photos of right out of surgery or when somebody comes in new after a really tough time and looks so horrid. She’ll get pictures of Gideon in a couple days when the swelling is down a bit. He sure seems to feel fine and not act like he’s in pain. He is on strong pain meds for several days as losing an eye is pretty painful surgery.
Paws crossed for all our friends!
Good News from Waynesboro, Barbara TNRed 52 cats in the month of February!!! Wow - that’s a lot of cat!!!! With an average of 6 per litter, every four months, and their kittens reproducing by the time they’re 6 months old ... just do the math!!! What a tremendous savings!!!
David dskinner@thecsgroupinc.com needs 3-5 people to help with Rabbit Rotunda II on Sunday, able bodied, not scared of ladders, hard working and able to follow instructions well. He usually starts at 8 am. Last week it was a little later cuz finding lumber was tough. Coming in from Fredericksburg all the stores were out of what he needed. Guess spring is time for lots of projects. He had to go past the refuge and all the way 35 miles south to Zions Xroads to find the lumber he needed!!! Please help David and the Rabbits!! I’ve included his email in case you want to check in about the weather. Please remember that David is very busy and isn’t on line too often and he’ll be leaving home very early to be here by 8 am on Sunday and no internet on the road!!.
Meowing about computers - me and mom too are really behind on emails, sending and reading. So if you’ve needed us for something important, you might want to send it again Monday or so - hopefully we’ll be catching up by then. We don’t never mean to ignore you, not me and not my mom. Just been too busy for much computer time lately and we haven’t seen high speed in I don’t know when!!!
I have been que-ing up all the wonderful things you’ve been sending me for Good Morning. Without high speed - gotta travel and not time for that lately - I can’t download a lot of them and I’m not allowed to post videos and things till I watch them first!! Gotta make sure they are Good News!!!! No sad endings allowed!!!
Keep the goodies coming in and I’ll be getting them on line soon!!!! Paws crossed nobody else will get sick and have to go to hospital, nobody will toss more stuff on my desk and I’ll catch up and get back on track!!!!
Great Purrchases / Donations
VINCENT NEEDS
tuna to entice sick kitties to eat
canned Hills Special Diet A/D - probably have to get at vet’s office, or call Culpeper Animal Hospital 540-829-9085 and buy a case we can pick up next time I hook up the goat cart and get over there
canned cat food
canned dog food
oranges, any greens and produce for the rabbits and guinea pigs - our deliveries of fresh produce and bread is virtually nil now a days
brooms
trash bags, 30 gallon, black, min 7 mil thick. Somebody brought some really good ones last week from Harris Teeter that were 1.1 ml thick.
commercial string washable mop heads
chinchilla food - petsmart or petco
swimming pools - kids little ones - for swimming ducks and geese - the slightly thicker and smaller ones work better
than the larger flimsy ones - you may not think it’s warm enough to swim yet - but they do!
garden hoses to get water to the animal
laundry detergent
dish detergent
bleach
and of course a can or two of Fancy Feast, Please?
A cart, something kind of like one of these
would making cleaning in the cage room much easier. It needs to have wheels, a couple layers and be relatively narrow, no more than 20 inches. Pushing the supplies around instead of running back and forth would help a lot. Do you have something sitting around unused in your basement or garage? they used to make metal push tray with three levels kind of like this? Relatively cheap household ones? We used to have one but it rusted away. We don’t need anything fancy or expensive, just functional.
VERY IMPORTANT SPECIAL DEALS
at Giant and this might be at Martins too
March 4th - 10th
Giant brand paper towels - 8 in a package - $3.99
16lb bag- Friskies Cat food - $10.99
at Blooms and Food Lion from Mar 2nd-8th
Star-Kist tuna - 2 for $1.00
We need lots of tuna to mix with cat food so kitties will eat their meds also tuna alone for ones not feeling well to get them to eat something. We need about a cast of tuna a day!!!
Tractor Supply March 2 - 13th
they’ve mailed out a coupon for 10% off purchase of $100 or more
please buy us goodies, Paws and Claws cat canned or dry or dog canned
or cracked corn or other grains for the animals
or send us the coupons
NEED ITEMS FOR YARD SALE
Saturday March 26th at Locust Grove Middle School on rt 20, not far off rt 3
Inside the school, rain or shine no problem, 5th year, heavily advertised
yard sale / plant sale / craft sale/ everything and anything sale / avon, tupperware and more
We need volunteers and items to sell NOW.
No foods for human consumption permitted, so no bake sale. But we can sell DOG & CAT cookies if you’d like to donate them.
Kathy KDoucette@wri.org is in charge and you can drop off items to sell at her house in Spotsylvania, just off Old Plank Rd. Email her with details and to set up a time. Let her know what you have to donate so she can let you know if it will fit in the space we have.
Please DO NOT bring your items to Rikki’s - there is no animal safe place to store ANYTHING here !!!!
You can also bring items to the sale the day of the event providing they are clean and priced in advance, email with Kathy first so she knows what’s coming and how to set up our booth.
If you’d like to set up your own booth $15 for 9x11 to benefit Rikki’s with your crafts or something - talk to Kathy and she can put you in touch with someone. If you have costs associated with your goods and can’t donate 100% this is a fine opportunity to have a booth next to us and offer 75% or 50% or whatever of your proceeds - it will bring more business to you and will help the animals at Rikki’s
Take a look at what’s on ebay!!
Where everything listed to benefit Rikki’s is !!!
Melissa helps with listing and shipping - so if you have something you'd like to sell to benefit Rikki's, YOU CAN DO IT NOW !!! Either send Melissa the pictures and description and you cover the shipping (if you can't donate the shipping cost we can reimburse by paypal or check) OR mail the item to Melissa and she’ll handle the whole deal!!
Contact Melissa dogslife24@comcast.net
Donna in Illinois donated a Flip Camera and Melissa sold it on ebay. Lisa in New York bought it and now I get ten cases of Fancy Feast!!! What a deal!!! Thank you Donna !!! It’s amazing. YOU can work for Rikki’s from anywhere on the globe!!! The computer makes us all connected!!
On your way to Rikki’s
Support those who support Rikki’s - Village Farm Feed and Garden Center. They’re right down the road, a great place to stop off and pick up some cat or dog food to bring out to Rikki’s. Best prices to stock up on your wild bird seed too. Please tell them Vincent sent you!
Between Route 3 and 522 when you’re coming to visit us and headed out of Fredericksburg. They’re about 10 miles away at 28284 Constitution Highway, Rhoadesville, VA 22542. If you get a chance, stop in and say, “Thank you for feeding Vincent’s Friends!” and pick up something for your critters or bird food for our wild friends, or grab a few cases of canned cat or dog food or some Fancy Feast!!! http://www.villagefarmfeedandgardencenter.com/ (540)854-8888
VOTE TODAY
http://bit.ly/VoteVincent Rikkis Refuge, Orange, VA, USA
The Animal Rescue Site - Shelter Challenge
YOU voted Rikki’s Refuge #1 in Virginia in 2010
Let’s do it again for 2011
quick, simple, free
Your daily vote can win $1,000 - $5,000 for Rikki’s Refuge’s Animals!
HELP HELP HELP
you’ve got to vote
get everybody to vote
only 15 days left
I’m only ahead by the hair of a dog
them cockers are less than a fraction of a percent behind me
they’re gonna trample me
if YOU don’t stop them!!!
There’s lots of ways you can vote
as long as you remember to enter
Rikkis Refuge, Orange, VA, USA
click on any of these and take it from there !!!!
We can’t keep creeping along!
Bissell MVP Contest
Vote daily thru Tuesday March 8th for Bela
quick, simple, free
Your daily vote could win up to $10,000
for Rikki’s Refuge
Click here to Vote for Bela
Formerly feral, now a much-loved indoor kitty
Story Contest
Nobody got a story in for Rikki’s so we’re not in this competition. Let’s vote for Magic representing FIV kitties. He can win $3,500 for FIV kitties
Magic was found as a young stray cat and taken to the Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) in Madison Wisconsin. He quickly became a favorite of the shelter staff and was given the name Magic because of his wonderful personality and sweet disposition. But, when it was time for his health exam, his luck ran out. He had the very bad luck of testing positive for the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).
Generally, this would have been the end of his story. Most shelters euthanize FIV+ cats. But, he had already won the hearts of the staff who now had a dilemma. He was an otherwise healthy cat with a remarkable personality. Once again, his "magic" came through for him. The staff decided to give him a chance at adoption! He became the first FIV+ cat that they put up for adoption. I adopted him just two weeks later. Since Magic, DCHS has continued to place more FIV+ cats in loving homes.
Most people who meet him have never heard of FIV. He's so full of life, energy and love that when they hear his story they wonder why a shelter would automatically euthanize an FIV+ cat. It is an often misunderstood condition. It's not a death sentence and many FIV+ cats can live long, healthy lives with proper care.
All pets, especially rescued pets in my opinion, are special and have an important story to share. Magic's story and his gift is that he's become an educator and ambassador of sorts for an often misunderstood "illness". In doing that, he's helped to save the lives of other FIV cats in our area. Now that's magic!
My Favorite Quote, Today
Make opportunities of your difficulties
Some day you just might look back and see how all those hard times were getting you ready to do what you were really put here on planet earth to do!!!! Just ask mom!!! And me. Gee my accident was a really bad time. And look what I’ve learned and what I’m able to do now!! How many people I touch every day, every year. And I make them smile and I make them care and I make them reach out to an animal in need somewhere. And if I hadn’t had my accident, I’d still be chasing hot little kitties in heat across the streets and just making more babies that were getting killed in shelters!! I’m so luck to have had my life turned around and to have been set in the right direction - even though the times I went thru to get here were pretty rough!
Debbie sends in - "Take charge of your attitude. Don't let someone else choose it for you"
And how right she is! We can’t always control the things that happen, but we can control our attitude about them. And what our attitude is can make us happy or sad and make us productive or just a lump on a log !!!!!
Louie says - “Anger is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”
And how true is that!! Accept fate, and get on with it where you CAN make a difference!
The Cats of Cod
Artwork by Wayne H. Morris of New York
photography and art
visit to see more of his spectacular work
Wayne loves to study an animal and capture their essence which he then turns into a whimsical work of art depicting them at work or play. Your pet’s whimsical custom portrait available for only $300 (donated to Rikki’s Refuge). Contact me and I’ll put you in touch Vincent@RikkisRefuge.org Prints available, 8” x 10”, on heavy stock, suitable for framing, $25 each, resolution may vary so you may want to ask first. Specify which print you want and shipping address. http://bit.ly/WayneMorrisPrint
FATHER BAST
Live from Vincent Video
Meet Mr Mister
Meet Nanny Goat
Meet Neko and Neia
The 24th Species
Rikki’s Refuge’s Human Habitat
Speuter, Speuter Clinics, Speuter Education
Upcoming Events
SATURDAYS DONATION DROP OFF, noon - 2 pm, got something to drop off quick? The gates will be unlocked. No tour at this time, just drop off. Donation Drop Off will be available every Saturday from noon - 2 pm in 2011
SATURDAY March 05 ADOPT A REFUGE DAY - help clean up the refuge like others clean up the highways. Sign in and get your garbage bags. Who ever can fill the most from debris that's been blown about and has migrated from the woods, wins.
SATURDAY March 05 SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - Rainbow Diamond tells me that Noah's rescue group is having a garage sale to raise $ for his care. 610 Morning Hill San Antonio from 9-3 Saturday!
SUNDAYS TOUR THE REFUGE - NOON, mini tour, take a walk around and see the animal neighborhoods. Every week on Sunday you can join a mini tour where you can walk around from animal neighborhood to neighborhood, from Piggy Paradise to Horsey Haven and see the animals. One tour only, starts at noon. Please be prompt.
SUNDAY March 06 RABBIT ROTUNDA II ROOF RAISING
David dskinner@thecsgroupinc.com needs 3-5 people to help with Rabbit Rotunda II on Sunday, able bodied, not scared of ladders, hard working and able to follow instructions well. He usually starts at 8 am. Last week it was a little later cuz finding lumber was tough. Coming in from Fredericksburg all the stores were out of what he needed. Guess spring is time for lots of projects. He had to go past the refuge and all the way 35 miles south to Zions Xroads to find the lumber he needed!!! Please help David and the Rabbits!! I’ve included his email in case you want to check in about the weather. Please remember that David is very busy and isn’t on line too often and he’ll be leaving home very early to be here by 8 am on Sunday and no internet on the road!!.
REHOMING SPECIALS
Looking for a special friend?
You can’t BUY love -
but you CAN adopt Love !!!
Contact Imelda margaretjustine@aol.com if any of these can slip into your heart and home.
#1 Daisy and Chester (Bonded Pair - Must Go Together)
#1 Daisy and Chester (Bonded Pair - Must Go Together)
Female is a 6 years old gray tabby with all her shots up to date and is spayed. While Daisy is very sweet she is also people shy and needs patience to win her over.
Male is 10 years old black and white tuxedo with an updated medical file and neutered. Chester is very gregarious, loves attention and food. He is overweight and has hip with joint trouble.
Owner Surrender. The wife is a first time mother and is frightened her infant daughter will get into the litter and start harassing the cats once she gets into the crawling and ambulatory stages of development. Baby proofing tips might be all that is needed here to prevent the surrender.
Male is 10 years old black and white tuxedo with an updated medical file and neutered. Chester is very gregarious, loves attention and food. He is overweight and has hip with joint trouble.
Owner Surrender. The wife is a first time mother and is frightened her infant daughter will get into the litter and start harassing the cats once she gets into the crawling and ambulatory stages of development. Baby proofing tips might be all that is needed here to prevent the surrender.
# 2 8 Years Old Female Spayed and Up to Date Inoculations. She gets along great with other cats, but is NOT people friendly. A barn cat community or farm might be best.
Owner Surrender. The owner is an elderly sick man in hospice and his family simply does not want to inherit the cat, but also do not want euthanasia.
# 3 Patrick
4 years old black and white tuxedo with in order medical records and neutered. Patrick is a vocal and affectionate kitty who loves to be free to roam. This guy gets along with both dogs and cats in addition to furring up human ankles. His only draw back is that he ends to use the backyard as the litter pan so he must be a outdoor kitty or have access to a yard 24/7.
Owner Surrender. The owner has 5 dogs ranging from a New Newfoundland to a Chihuahua all of whom mercilessly chase and torment the cat. A less canine infused home would be ideal along with a 24 hours yard pass.
4 years old black and white tuxedo with in order medical records and neutered. Patrick is a vocal and affectionate kitty who loves to be free to roam. This guy gets along with both dogs and cats in addition to furring up human ankles. His only draw back is that he ends to use the backyard as the litter pan so he must be a outdoor kitty or have access to a yard 24/7.
Owner Surrender. The owner has 5 dogs ranging from a New Newfoundland to a Chihuahua all of whom mercilessly chase and torment the cat. A less canine infused home would be ideal along with a 24 hours yard pass.
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
