Who Came First?

This post is written by DCIN's fantastic transport coordinator, Claudia Keating and I can't thank her enough for such an honest piece about something that is heart breaking in rescue.

I have an amazing job.  It doesn't pay the bills, or put food on the table (aside from the fact that I am the one cooking it), but it is a job that nourishes my heart.  I am a mama.  I am raising empathic, compassionate, loving children.  My cats are helping me do that.

Charlie and Lorelei 

I have 2 beautiful babies and 2 wonderful cats.  The cats came first.  My husband adopted Charlie when we started dating 11 years ago.  Darla came along the following year.  For 9 years it was just us and the cats, and then we began adding humans to the brood.  While I was pregnant with my daughter I worried about how the transition would be for the cats.  They already disliked each other, how would they feel about a baby?  Many mainstream parenting books touch on the topic of bringing babies into a home with pets, and boy was I shocked to learn that apparently people still believe the old wives’ tale that “cats steal the breath from babies”!  People actually think that a cat will want to sleep on top of a baby for their warmth….never mind the fact that babies cry, snort, flail, and fuss!  I’ve met very few loyal dogs who were tolerant enough to willingly spend time close to a newborn, much less cats!  

Is This Microphone On?

Sam

Seriously, can anyone hear me?  That's what I feel like sometimes.  I'm on stage, I'm talking away and I hear nothing from the audience except for some crickets chirping, maybe someone's cell phone just rang, a few throats being cleared and that's it, a silence that is louder than my voice.  Of course I'm not really on stage, I'm not giving a lecture or telling some fascinating story to an audience. I'm just here; working to try to make a difference for diabetic cats and their people.

Am I making a difference?   Any difference?

Getting Past the Inhumanity

Lilly Grace, CH Kitty

Getting Past the Inhumanity, What One Special Cat Taught Me. That's the title of a note I published on my Facebook page after my sweet diabetic kitty Tucker left this world. The amazing folks who run the CH Kitty Club site published it in the monthly newsletter also (you can read it by clicking on the link to the newsletter). I love the CH Kitty Club folks and what they stand for. I have written for their newsletter several times. Mostly I write about things I've learned being owned by a severe CH kitty, but that time the article was about how I would honor Tucker by living the way he did; choosing to move past the bad and enjoy the good.

Give me - give me - give me!!!!

It may seem like a no brainer, there’s a kitty in need and a person who wants the cat so why doesn't DCIN simply send the kitty?  If you've been owned by a diabetic kitty or a specially-abled kitty you already know the answer to that question.  When an adopter or foster application comes to me I look at everything and we all know what first impressions can do.  But my first impression is only part of it; I then go further and check references.  I listen to what the reference told me and I listen to how they said it.  A long pregnant pause can be interpreted in different ways; what was said after the pause?  It’s not a scientific approach, it’s an instinct and I am human, sometimes I could be wrong.  But the deal is, if I’m wrong, that could be very harmful to the kitty.

All animals are precious and deserve the best possible home.  Just because a DCIN kitty has diabetes and is much harder to place does not mean they can be shuffled from spot to spot and sent to any house that has a corner available.  A DCIN kitty needs so much more than just an open spot.  They need a home that is willing to alter their lifestyle a little to accommodate the needs of a diabetic kitty.  Do they have to give up their season tickets to the local sports arena? Heck no, but they do need to have the ability to give their new kitty shots on a good schedule and feed appropriate food.  They also need to have a home that is appropriate to the kitty in question.  If the current caretaker says this kitty cannot live with dogs, or is terrified of children we need to take that into consideration when looking at the prospective home.

Fundraising in the Dark

All aspects of rescue are hard, but for me, fundraising is one of the most difficult parts. Our DCIN friends are always so amazingly supportive, but I still feel guilty every time I have to ask for money. It seems like we've always got our hands out, yet it's the only way to save so many kitties and help with those in need of financial assistance.

Most cats that come into our program do not require financial assistance for life. Many just need a boost to get started. There are those who have a particular medical issue that requires a one-time grant, others have run into some hard times whether it be economic- or health-related. And there are those who may be here for life because they weren't expecting a diabetic kitty; they have the love and patience to care for the cat, but not the funds. 

Holding it Together When You're Ready to Let Go

This week DCIN was saddened by the loss of a valued member of our team.  In rescue these things happen.  I left a rescue myself recently.  You get burned out, overwhelmed and you have to prioritize.  As I write this another special friend is starting to burn out and she is taking a break from rescue.  I hope a short break and when she's ready I hope even more that she takes time for herself each day.  Maybe some yoga or some tapping exercises a friend of mine in alternative healing has been teaching me.  Search "tapping exercise for stress" to see the tapping.

Ever thankful, DCIN in 2011 and beyond

As the year comes to a close I find myself looking back with such fondness.  Even though I lost my soul mate kitty and my sister lost her soul mate kitty tragically young, I still feel hopeful because of the people I've met through rescue and especially through DCIN.  Every day I see people join together and help others and their cats.  They will never meet these cats and probably never meet the people but when the chips are down they don't hesitate.

There have been some easy rescues, Murray who was in a municipal shelter in Connecticut and was found by his new mom as soon as we posted about him.  The Animal Control Officer who came in day and night to give him shots before DCIN was contacted.  The day we went to the shelter and demonstrated how to test blood sugar was the day Murray went off insulin.  Then to go home just two days later, I think for me the timing was perfect.  Sometimes I get tired and not really sure how to go on, but then something like that happens and it puts everything right back into prospective for me.

There's a DCIN assisted kitty named Big Boy who was on hock legs and skinny when he came to us.  He is now at a healthy weight and walking upright for the first time since his folks adopted him. A kitty in NY named Mikey who was going to be sent to a shelter who instead landed in a wonderful foster home with two people that love him dearly and while he's not been adopted yet, he's certainly being treated like a king.