My heart is heavy for the people in Ukraine and their pets. I will not get into the politics, or express my feelings about what is happening there. This strictly about the inevitable suffering that will and is happening there. On the news, the station showed a man and his cat in a bomb shelter (subway station). It completely and utterly breaks my heart. I am not advocating the message on the picture; I am simply demonstrating the suffering pets are facing during this troubled time. Most people don’t even think about the consequences of war, storms, not neutering or spaying your animals, etc., …the list is endless. This picture was featured on the ABC Nightly News with David Muir. The image is imprinted in my mind, and I honestly want to cry thinking about it.
Moving On — The Last Few Years
After I started treatment, I was trying to help with at least the adoption applications. It is a tedious process, and some potential adopters do not understand what goes into it. Some adopters are downright mean, to be totally honest. I was also trying to work on the volunteer master list. Another tedious chore. These tasks must be done to ensure the operations of the shelter continue as seamlessly as possible.
As I became less and less able to work on these due to my treatments and my surgeries, I became less and less active. I had attempted to resume my pet sitting business. A momma cat and her litter was being cared for by one of our foster moms. One of the kittens died during the night. I left the night before to seemingly healthy kittens, to one of the calico girls dead the next morning. She didn’t even have a name yet. Depression sank in, and I let both my business and my volunteer activities at the shelter go. I finally returned to the shelter near the end of 2021. It was if I was reborn. Finding my “niche”, helping fearful cats and kittens gain confidence, filling in when needed — for the first time in the past twenty years my purpose at the shelter was clearer than ever. I had come full circle.
Rest in Peace Sweet Angel
