Rescue Journal

ohhhh yeah...the main land line phone....

Carol  ·  Jul. 4, 2010

is not working again....apparently the mailbox is full (and has been for a couple of weeks) and i can't get into it to check those messages til i get the phone fixed again. the problem is with the old wiring from the road and into the house...it needs to be upgraded or it will keep crapping out.

so being one more thing that we not only can't afford right now but also one more thing i do not feel like dealing with...i am just ignoring it...we still have email and my cell phone so folks can still get in touch with me if necessary. and with that mailbox full no one can leave anymore messages which is good because the max is 20 that are waiting for me to answer once the phone is fixed again.

if anyone really needs to get a hold of me the cell phone number is...604-339-5144...this is not to be given out to people in the public looking to surrender here..we are still too full....and the land line message still tells them that, they just can't ignore it and leave a message anyway asking us to save fluffy from them putting her down.

garry...i would have to dig thru a few hundred emails to find your number again (the email in box is still full of the resumes coming in and will be til i have time to sort thru them for hiring round number 2)...so feel free to call me on the cell...i generally answer it whenever my hands are free.

i know most folks think a working phone is a priority but it just isn't for me because it takes up even more of my time when it actually is working.

but here is another thought if someone wants to volunteer but maybe just can't get out here. i think there is a way to remotely check messages from a landline phone if someone is techno-savy enough to know how.

we could (once the phone is fixed) maybe look for a volunteer who would be willing to check and answer messages with really clear perimeters on who gets called back and who gets passed on to me...but it is a shitty job anyway you look at it because it will be full of sad stories and we can't take in every sad story that ignores our we are full and leaves a message anyway.....

any thoughts on this?

Comments

Carol

ahhh brigid, break my heart. i am so very sorry for your current situation. we just don't have room. we lost one entire cat area in order not to have to euthanize big bear, it was the very last option for him... all of those cats were moved into the house and the 2 groups were blended into one and we cannot crowd them even more or else they all will get stressed and sick. if we had room, i would really try to help you but it is not fair to our existing cats and it certainly would not be fair to your cats to forces them all to live in overcrowded conditions. i am truly sorry.
carol

Brigid Kentel

To Carol at SAINTS:
Thirteen years ago, while working at the local SPCA, I fostered sick and special needs cats and kittens. Once the sick regained health and strength and the abused lost some of their fear of people, I found it impossible to return them to cages in a meagrely-staffed shelter over-crowded with sick and frightened cats, to await their uncertain fate, so I adopted them all.
Over the yrs some older ones have passed and I adopted a few others when I retired as a nurse three yrs ago from a longterm care facility where dementia residents were not able to properly see to the cats' needs, staff members couldn't be bothered, and the manager was going to have them euthanized as one had become a 'pee-er' due to staff bringing their dogs to work on night shifts, and the cats being constantly chased by them and unable to get to their litter box, which was constantly being moved around, despite my best efforts to provide them a peaceful, consistent, and safe spot.
This brought my pet population to ten rescue cats and two rescue dogs.
Since then three of my dear, much-loved 'refugees from ignorance and cruelty' have passed.
It was always my intention to share my life and home with them for the remainder of their lives; however, unexpected recent health issues have made it unsafe and inposssible for me to continue to live alone on my country acreage in the north Okanagan and I will be moving to Chilliwack with my daughter and family at the end of this month/ September.
As my daughter already has a cat and two dogs, I am able to take only two of my cats and the two dogs, all of whom are elderly.
I have tried continually, without success, over the past month, to find loving, safe and guaranteed forever homes for my remaining five kitties who I cannot take with me.
Time has run out...I move in ten days... and I have no further leads.
When I shared my heartbreak and despair with my brother, who lives in Mission (Crispin Elsted at Barbarian Press) he recommended that I ask you at SAINTS to take them into your care, and I am appealing to you to take them in, so that they will continue to receive the love and care they deserve and have known over the past 13 years.
I am keeping the eldest, who is almost 18, and another who suffered the most abuse as a kitten.
Two of the five needing homes are 12 yrs old, the other three are 13. They have all been neutered and spayed. Three are female, two males
All have had vet care and surgeries as needed over the years ( dental extractions and cleaning, bladder stones); one is diabetic and receives special wet food and daily Insulin, was also declawed on front paws as a kitten, two homes ago. He will seldom use litter, but will most often pee on newspaper placed in a litter box or put in the places where he may most often decide to pee, so this has not been a problem. Another pees randomly if anyone else dares to use his litter box and that's just how it is! I am retired and able to clean up any misplaced puddles so not a problem. He is one of the care home refugees mentioned above.
I have not kept their vaccinations up to date, as they have all been indoor cats. Four require the ends of the claws on their front paws to be clipped from time to time, as they have never really liked their scratching posts and their nails get stuck in bedding or furniture fabrics if they get too long; also, one has no teeth and another has very few, so they are unable to 'prune' their claws with their teeth.
All five are very affectionate, four all of the time and the fifth after she gets over her shyness, which may take up to a week.
If you are able and willing to take over their care, I will send all of their information and arrange for vet records to be forwarded to you.
We would be able to transport them to your location.
I'm sure you will understand that this is the most difficult thing I have ever had to do, as I love my pets with all my heart. They have been my loving companions all of their lives, especially since my husband's passing seven years ago; my confidants, lap buddies, my bedmates, and they have returned my love many times over.
I never thought I would have to send them away and it breaks my heart to be forced to do so, but I have no choice, and any other 'solution' is unthinkable. After so many recent failed attempts to rehome them, you are my last hope.
Please advise as soon as possible whether you are able to accept them at SAINTS, where I know they would have the best possible care, the kind of love they have known for many years, and a good chance at new, loving homes.
Please accept them and love them.

Susan Hannah

I have a wonderful pet male goose and two little chickens, their the second tiniest chickens in the world. I believe they would get adopted quickly with your known work. I have also a little Jack Russell terriers who is blind and is 14 yrs old. We are moving to a place that will not allow us to keep them and we found homes for all of the rest of our pets, horses, ducks and so on but as you can see we tried right down to the last couple of days in hope for the others and we can't
Wait any longer...could you pls help us out as we do not want to take them to SPCA. I can donate a couple hundred dollars and I'll try to scrape up more if I can..thank you..and thank you for all of the work your organization is doing..^ho

Colleen B

Carol, I just remembered - with all the laundry room chaos today, I left the ear cleaning solution and otomax on the counter by the toaster oven intending to put it away before I left...but I didn't...and I'm sorry. Like your volunteers should be leaving messes for you to clean up.

Did you get the note re: Casper's left ear?

hornblower

I think if you don't want that cell # being public you should take it off the blog. Once google scans it, it'll show up in searches.