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Thank Heavens for Cats |
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...and the people who love them
In the fall, the U.S. and Canada have special days set aside to give thanks for all the good things in life. While the holiday occasions are always a good time to share with friends and family, along with the turkey, dressing and other harvest bounty piled on our plates, most of us do set aside time to contemplate the people, living creatures and other things that enrich our own lives. Here are a few reasons I'm thankful this year, in no particular order.
My Cats, Past and Present
Shannon
Shannon shared my home and my life for over 19 years. We had several other cats when my daughter first brought Shannon home, having found him abandoned and starving in a park by the same name. He was always a low-profile cat, as others with more personality stole the limelight. But Shannon was always there. After our cat population dwindled to two, Shannon was more aggressive in seeking attention. He was my lap-buddy, my comfort, my best friend. Shannon went to wait for me at Rainbow Bridge on July 13, 2001, and he will always be in my heart until the day I join him there.
Bubba
Bubba is most definitely a guy's cat. Having been rescued by my son Lance, and hopelessly spoiled by both Lance and my husband, Asa, Bubba will invariably seek out the one male lap in a roomful of women. However, when we are home alone, he quietly steals into the chair next to mine and looks at me with those big, liquid, green eyes, and I'm an instant pushover.
My Rainbow Kitties
Around this time last year, I wrote an article about cats I have known and loved, but left out so many of them. Kato, loveable little marmalade cat; Tiger and Figuero(a), who gave us our beloved Tinker; Little Rocky, whose coal-black beauty probably led to his demise; Little Bobby and her nameless offspring, because we ignorantly thought she was too tiny to become pregnant; I am so thankful for having each of you in my life, and I know you are all frolicking now with "Unca Shannon" at the Bridge.
Special People
Eileen Poole
Eileen, of Feline Companions Inc., is one of those women who is driven by an unquenchable inner fire, and the result is a miracle in action for the benefit of some 50 cats that would otherwise be dead. FIV+, FeLV+, blind, crippled; considered unadoptable by most people, these kitties all live a comfortable life full of love and affection. Do you know another woman who would get up at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m. to go out in a small aluminum boat on a New York bay, and fish for food to feed 50 disabled cats? I didn't either, until I met Eileen.
Susie Bachmann
Get out of her way; Susie's on a mission! Like Eileen, Susie is fired with passion, and the object of her passion is cats, although she will speak out loudly for any animal that is mistreated. For several years now, Susie has led the Internet vanguard for the Spay & Neuter cause through her Pawprints and Purrs web site, and her work for feral cats is legendary.
Jana Faucher
Jana was the first animal advocate I met on the Internet, through her work for the Singapore strays back in 1997. Her indefatigable work on their behalf led to a small exodus of lucky cats to new homes in the U.S. and Canada, and more importantly even, was the driving factor for increased awareness of animal welfare issues worldwide. Jana's very popular free postcards at Action Cat site still have links to many of her advocacy causes, and her work carries on.
Diabella
Another animal welfare advocate with a passion for cats (do you see a pattern here?), Diabella uses beauty to appeal to the compassionate side of people who visit Diabella Loves Cats. Along with the wonderful graphics and music that fill her site, advocacy messages are liberally sprinkled, along with several sections devoted to feline rescue groups. Diabella is a whirling dervish of energy, all of it devoted to animal welfare causes.
Jeri Dopp
Jeri's passion is in rescuing and weaning tiny feral kittens, while socializing them so they'll be considered "adoptable." Although her heart is made of gold, it is not unbreakable, and she loses a tiny piece of it every time a kitten doesn't make it. Still, the human heart has an infinite capacity for love, and Jeri's always has room for one more kitten. Jeri offers help for others who would like to undertake a similar project, at her Safe Haven for Cats web site, as well as a wealth of other information.
Glenda Moore
Glenda's Cat Stuff site is one of the most popular ones on the Net, for people looking for cat graphics. But you'll find a lot more than graphics on Glenda's site. She does a wonderful job of educating cat lovers on subjects like care, declawing, and spay & neuter, and makes the world a better place in general, for cats and the people who love them.
HOSTGary
A year or so ago, I noticed a guy on my forums, whose postings were so impassioned and eloquent that they infected the rest of the members with the same fervor. Although Gary pretends to be a novice in catly things, his energy and enthusiasm in researching, questioning, and analyzing have made him an expert as well as an animal advocate in short order. Modest and unassuming, Gary has become an invaluable asset to my forums, and I am SO thankful to have him act as Host.
These are some of the people who gladden my heart, and I sleep better at night, knowing they are in the world, doing all that they do to speak out for animals who would otherwise not have a voice.
Last, but not least, I am thankful to all the visitors to my site who keep me going with their positive feedback, and for the knowledgeable forum members who offer so much support and help to others. You are why I'm here, and your emails and forum postings are rewarding beyond imagination.
Credits
Photos of Shannon and Bubba taken by and © copyright 2000 Franny Syufy
