Foster kittens (and my nine million other cats)!
We have survived Catmageddon.
Minya and Sir Earl Grey, Chancellor of the Tea Party, went home last night.
It was an EPIC SLEEPOVER.
The adults are VERY CRANKY.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING.
IT’S THREE IN THE MORNING.
Batman, Handsome Orange, and Yoda got fixed and adopted.
I did a terrible job of photo-ing because. eight. cats. vanishes everything else RIGHT OUT OF YOUR HEAD.
I still have Sprout and Elvis (the Prequel).
Here is the original Elvis, if you are not acquainted.
Munchkins are cleared, but this holiday week pushed their fix date until Tuesday.
My peoples.
I love these little froggies so much.
If you know anyone who needs THE VERY BEST LOVE… these are the ones.
Be sure you use the arrows on the Instagram photo to see them all!
Sprout and HRH, ETP will stay together– there are lots of single babies, and I want these two to be crazypants together forever.
They are more than best friends– they do everysinglething together.
If you are thinking about kittens… for what it’s worth to you, I would take two kittens OVER one because SO MUCH EASIER.
That’s counterintuitive, but it is impossible for any human to be a companion to a kitten the way another kitten will… you can SEE how HAPPY they are to JUST BE WITH THEIR BUDDY… it’s an amazing thing to watch— the bond between them.
Also, it lets you be the love lady— they understand (mostly) that you are for cuddles, and their buddy is for biting-and-three-in-the-morning-dismemberment.
If you cannot foster, there are still so many ways you can help!
Host an adoption event at your local farmers market!
Volunteer to do social media for the animals! Take photos and videos!
Walk dogs at the shelter!
I wrote a whole post–> how you can help your local animal shelter!
Next is the hard part.
The more I give up, the more I can help.
I cannot help them all.
But I can do my best.
Sometimes it feels too hard.
Sometimes my best feels crummy.
But how else am I going to spend my one wild and precious life?
Learning about the Kardashians?
Human-animals have a bond with non-human-animals.
We know in our hearts– animals are loving beings.
But we are conditioned by tradition.
To turn our face away and close our hearts.
I think it does something— to the humans.
Ignoring what we do, to other living beings, does not erase it.
It just makes us ugly, inside.
To ignore your heart.
Maybe that feels easier.
If I could.
Maybe I would.
Maybe I have it wrong.
Maybe it doesn’t matter.
But I think we must be ALL.
Otherwise, there will always be room for OTHER.
Until we extend the circle of our compassion to ALL living beings, humankind will not find peace.” –Dr. Albert Schweitzer, 1952 Nobel Peace Prize
Compassion, liberty, autonomy… whatever words you want to use, MUST apply to ALL.
Otherwise, they are meaningless.
ALL must matter EQUALLY.
Or equality is just a nonsense word.
In which case, we can all just decide for ourselves which living beings have value.
In which case, we can keep jailing those pesky toddlers.
#winning
#lockthemup
#iliketoddlerswhodontgetcaught
July 6, 2018 @ 11:50 am
I have always enjoyed your posts. Your way with words is amazing- just like we are talking over coffee or tea. Having been in the construction industry for 38 years, I have always enjoyed your decorating and design. Loving antiques for 53 years, I love to see and hear about your fabulous “finds”. I too love animals and have had a sweet pup in my life, all my life. This post moved me to comment. You are so right – we must protect the wonderful animals and we must protect the poor children and babies taken from their families. In this country, now filled with so much hate, which I cannot understand, you post is not only a breath of fresh air – is an affirmation that most of us still believe in the ideals and real values our country has always stood for. Hopefully, we will overcome and our America will be again. Thank you for everything.
July 6, 2018 @ 12:03 pm
Everything Fran said!
July 6, 2018 @ 5:25 pm
Ditto! And… I’m soooo glad you are keeping Sprout and Elvis-prequel together! (Maybe in your own home…. they could welcome all the new little fosters, like little nannies??)
July 6, 2018 @ 11:55 am
Not a cat person here but I still love your blog. We have been taking care of and adopting rescue puppies for many years now. All of our owned dogs are rescue ones. Thank you for taking care of the kitty cats! 🙂
July 6, 2018 @ 12:09 pm
I agree with everything you say and I understand the heartbreak of seeing any sentient creature caused pain or fear. But the system in which we find ourselves is also kind of a weird system of life devouring life. Even our dead waste in one form or another serves to feed and nourish the earth. Its’ efficiency,cruelty and dispatch of everything into a complex,evolution of life serving death and death serving life and on it goes .
I do not see benevolence or mercy in its’ design.
Cats are beautiful and interesting but they are carnivores and to gloss over that fact is, IMHO to ignore reality. Eliminating the eating of meat would demand the near elimination of animals presently used for food since what farmer or corporation would raise animals if not to make money? We humans must have a certain amount of indifference to suffering in our DNA or how would we have survived. The future may bring a gentler kinder human species but right now we have children in cages and the archetype of stupid and cruel in the white house. There were 4 million plus individuals enslaved at the time of the emancipation proclamation. How did we do this? Everything we buy in our marts and malls is probably made by a person forced or enslaved to work under arduous conditions and yet the system grinds on. At 78 on my way out the door of Life I don’t get it. But I wish you could be at peace with yourself and your efforts for good. Mountains are worn down by raindrops. I believe in the strength and tenacity of people like you and I believe you will prevail in the end.
July 6, 2018 @ 1:00 pm
Beautifully stated.
July 9, 2018 @ 10:52 am
“Eliminating the eating of meat would demand the near elimination of animals presently used for food since what farmer or corporation would raise animals if not to make money?”
They’re bred only because there is a market for their meat/milk/skin etc. By not replacing the current stock of animals due to a proposed lack of demand, you would only reduce the creation of future animals who would suffer. This doesn’t affect current stock, who are destined to be slaughtered no matter the demand. How is that a bad thing?
July 6, 2018 @ 12:30 pm
Your heart is heavy with love and compassion, VEB, as is mine, making the world a difficult place to deal with some days, no? Your work matters to those beautiful little creatures and to those of us who can’t always dive into the mess to effect change. That being said, I agree, two fur babies are better than one! My two girls are litter mates and I’m grateful every day that I was able to take both of them! I wish I could take them all home….
July 6, 2018 @ 2:01 pm
OH YES always get two kittys together! Our last 2 from the shelter were damaged, but after 5 years, Julian has learned to purr and Sherman has developed a bond with (a very few) humans who he realizes won’t kick him. But they went through it together…
July 6, 2018 @ 3:43 pm
The reason the illegal aliens children were separated from the adult illegal aliens was because they may not be their parents. Human smuggling is a Hugh problem in this country. Smugglers know that if they use children under obama’s catch and release policy, they will have zero problem getting into the country. They are not in cages, they are treated better than with the adult illegal aliens who dragged them here. It takes time to run DNA tests on them to make sure that the adults are their parents and not smugglers. Please educate yourself about the HUGH problem of open borders before it’s to late. If you have noticed an increase in America with animal abuse it’s because of people from third world countries here illegally who have zero concept of caring for animals, or our laws.
July 6, 2018 @ 4:42 pm
Is this Hugh very large, by chance? I think that says a lot about the other mis-information you are sharing.
July 6, 2018 @ 5:43 pm
Cheryl,if you are not a Russian bot then I must say that what was done to those children was done in the name of unmitigated brutality. An act that a man who grabs woman by the * should be quite familiar with. One can see that these children are not with frightening strangers but with humans they trust and love. I do agree that America must cease importing the abject poverty of other countries and exporting American jobs. We knew engineers years ago who worked at plants south of our border. They related how the wealth class lived like Kings of old with servants(many) running around doing everything and paid next to nothing-sometimes only a meal for a days labor. And it was laborious. Two actions- IMHO-shame the wealth class to accept responsibility for the welfare of their own citizens. Ask Mexico’s new President why his people flee their own country? They love that they don’t have to provide for the impoverished and they love the millions of American dollars that flow to the families left behind while the Husband bunks in with 10/20 other men in order to preserve funds. 2nd- a punitive fine imposed on any American that employs illegals would stop the influx cold. But who would work in the chicken processing factories,who would pick crops and who would clean all those American swimming pools,raise the babies,cook and clean for a pittance. Who indeed?
July 6, 2018 @ 7:04 pm
Oh I wish I had the time!
July 7, 2018 @ 5:14 pm
Seriously. I got through maybe a quarter of that nonsense and had myself a mighty guffaw.
July 8, 2018 @ 3:57 pm
“There are none so blind as those who will not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know. ”
1546 (John Heywood)
Almost everything you wrote is nothing but lies told to the masses to excuse atrocities against others. There is not enough time for me to explain all the many ways you have been fed lies and misinformation and twisted half truths. However, the above quote says it all.
If you truly want to know the truth, stop listening to Trump and his mob in the WH. Stop watching Fox news which is nothing more than a Trump/republican propaganda machines. Stop reading the National Enquirer, of who the owner is a friend of Trumps and prints stories to propogate his lies to the uneducated.
Watch the news from many channels. Read many different newpapers (in paper form or online). Educate yourself so you know the true horrors and corruption that your country is involved in right now. It will possibly take decades or even several generations to reverse the damage that Trumps WH/mob has already inflicted on the USA. That include the environment, air, water, national parks, wildlife the list goes on and on. It’s frankly sickening the raping of everything good your country used to stand for. It’s time for people like you, that believes these lies you are told to READ READ READ for multiple sources not just typical republican/neo nazi/racist/trump sources.
I live in Canada and what’s happening in your Country honestly makes me want to cry. The United States can no longer say they are the Greatest Country in the world. You have more than lost that claim to fame and if something isn’t done VERY soon to rid yourself of the corrupt GOP/Trump, your claim to fame will be a vast country ruled by a Dictator along the lines of Russia, Cuba, China, North Korea.
July 9, 2018 @ 10:28 pm
Beware of taking the nasty comments too seriously. From what I read there has been a concentrated strategy by Putin to inject literally millions of comments in social media to foment division and frustration in democratic populations. With access to the reality of free people around the World the murderous despots are fearful their people may rise up against them. I believe there have been riots of thousands both in China and Russia. I was shocked and appalled by the viciousness of rhetoric I encountered on the web and relieved when I learned that it is primarily propaganda authored by Putin and his minions. I just knew that a people educated and free just couldn’t be so darn small minded, petty and mean.
July 6, 2018 @ 4:31 pm
spot sprout? laughed like a drain! love you lots x
July 6, 2018 @ 4:43 pm
So well done, your fostering, and so beautifully stated! I am working on a sterilization project for the kitties of Kotor, Montenegro. When I get a picture of a new darling in her carrier, post op, it makes me so happy! So do your posts, VEB. Thank you for all the care, compassion, humor, and GFT lessons you share.
July 6, 2018 @ 5:17 pm
Yeah…..what Fran said………
July 6, 2018 @ 6:51 pm
Sir Earl Grey, Chancellor of the Tea Party is hands down the best cat name in the history of cat names. You always have a way with words but THIS one particularly tickled me right in the funny bone.
July 6, 2018 @ 7:08 pm
Oh, how I’d love to adopt a pair. BUT. I have the world’s most demented cat. He barely tolerates me, most of the time, and refuses to be polite to other humans.
I got him from a young couple about to have their first baby. He’d been making their other cat miserable. I knew the moment I saw him there was something wrong with him, because he marched through the room, not even glancing at me or his owners. His owners were desperate. I’ve had cats all my life, so ….
He’s been declared un-rehomeable by a no-kill shelter that had no room for him (yes, things got that bad), so it’s me or euthanasia. So. Here he is. We’ve adapted to each other. The thought of providing him with other cats to kill is unthinkable.
July 7, 2018 @ 5:15 pm
Thanks for loving a special-needs cat. He sounds like a handful!
July 6, 2018 @ 9:43 pm
This is kind of dumb, and totally unrelated to your blog, but as someone who is vegan-curious but scared, it would be helpful to me if you did a post about what you eat in a typical week—breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner. Every time you post about veganism, I feel a little tug in my heart, but I’m a SAHM and I need practical ideas for what to feed my family. I have some meal ideas, but not enough for a long-term switch. I know you have a big garden, but I’m an apartment dweller with no outdoor space in an urban area, so we’re not eating what we grow…because we grow nothing, except humans.
July 7, 2018 @ 11:55 am
You grow nothing, except humans. That made GIGGLE!
I am also curious, as my daughter is now vegetarian. I’m clueless on what to serve as a protein when she comes for dinner. I’m sure she’s tired of eating the one farro dish I’ve mastered!
July 8, 2018 @ 3:58 pm
I’m not VEB, but have been veg for 20+ years and happy to try to encourage. I think the most important thing is to figure out what kinds of foods you like…and just don’t have meat with them. For inspiration, “international” cuisine can be a good source — if you like it. There’s TONS of veg Indian, Ethiopian, Mediterranean, for example. There are also some great veg blogs: Smitten Kitchen (no longer vegetarian herself, but has a TON of veg recipes); Serious Eats does a vegan month every year; Oh She Glows; Isa Chandra (Post Punk Kitchen); Minimalist Baker…I should note I’m generally just in it for the recipes and scroll past the blah blah blah.
For anecdata, I have recently had: falafel salad (falafel balls from mix, hummus, spinach, romaine, tomato, pickles, avocado); quinoa tabbouleh (quinoa, tomato, cucumber, red onion, avocado, olive oil, lemon juice, little bit of chopped up fresh mint); tacos (corn tortillas, black beans, onions, diced tomato, poblanos, sweet potato).
If you’re seriously considering it, jump and see how it goes. I expect you’ll see that more than you anticipated is already veg (or close to it and easily modified to be). There’s tons of good stuff out there. Enjoy!
July 6, 2018 @ 10:07 pm
Do a cook pamphlet,few recipes and lots of witty repartee – I would buy it and pay more if it were autographed. Also snaps of kittens GFT and giant jewelry with pretty outfits. A smorgasbord of wit and wisdom. It will reside in the Smithsonian for centuries-next to Julia Child’s kitchen.
July 6, 2018 @ 10:58 pm
18 months ago I adopted from foster littermates: George a giant orange part maine coon loverboy and his calico sister Charlotte the sweetest little lady ever. They have added such joy to my life! I agree 2 is better than 1. I love your blog: foster updates and GFT and the occasional political commentary. Keep up the good work!
July 7, 2018 @ 10:06 am
We were just talking last night about how glad we are we kept our tuxedo kitten rescues together. They do everything together and are so.stinkin’.cute. Twice the mischief, but twice the fun.
July 7, 2018 @ 4:14 pm
So there’s an ad for SPAM before the video on this post. Didn’t know SPAM was vegan.
July 7, 2018 @ 10:55 pm
RE: The spam ad,I believe it’s the case that bloggers(who spend personal funds and hours of creativity to be bloggers) subscribe to ad providers. They don’t choose the ads-the ads choose us. The ads reflect the search habits of the followers’. I know if I look for sheets,or socks,etc. I see endless pop ups for those items.
July 7, 2018 @ 5:16 pm
Thank you for recognizing when two kitties bond and need to stay together. They appreciate your attention to detail!
July 9, 2018 @ 6:41 pm
If I lived closer I would so take these babies. I love calicoes and tuxedos and agree about adopting in pairs. My 10 year old tuxedo Fred grew up with his brother George who has passed and my calico Brianna grew up with her brother Cy who managed to escape the house 2 years ago. I haven’t had babies in awhile.
July 10, 2018 @ 11:32 am
Sprout is so dang cute I can’t even stand it – it’s a good thing you are clear across the country from me or I would come and snatch them both up, allergies be dam*ed! P.S. I think you are amazing, and are doing so much for the world by being such a good example and such a good kitty mommy and animal rights activist. Thank you for making the world a better place and encouraging us all to be a little better and try a little harder! ♥