Thirty Nine Years with Cats—and Counting #BtC4A
HIYA! SAVANNAH HERE!!
Strange title, I know. The title was the toughest part of writing this blog post to be honest. I am participating in the Be The Change 4 Animals blog event.
I pawticipate
I want to use this special blog post to share with all my readers the degree of commitment my Mom L and Dad P have to being the change for animals.
When Mom L first learned that Dad P had two cats, Squeaky and Barney, as a single guy in his early 30’s—she thought he was someone she would like to know better. And when they married, Dad P made sure Mom L had her very own kitty. All three cats were rescues in one way or another. And their commitment to making the lives of companion animals better has bonded them for thirty nine years.
Squeaky the tuxie girl lived to 19
Mom L always wanted another gray kitty so Dad P heard about a kitten and brought her home. Dad P’s other cat, Barney, took the kitten under his paw and the kitten worshiped Barney. Mom L named her Ixtaccihuatl. I know, I know—hard to wrap your tongue around that name, right? Ixtaccihuatl, in Nahuatl, means “white woman” and it is the name of a dormant volcano above Mexico City. It is also called Mujer Dormida meaning sleeping woman. Mom L somehow thought that was the perfect name for her kitten. Thankfully for that kitten, they called her Ixy.
Boris and side kick Ixy
Now what does all this have to do with Be The Change 4 Animals you might be wondering. Well, I wanna let you all know that thirty nine years later, my human guardians are still helping cats have the best life possible. I have shared more than once the SNIP (spay,neuter impact program) clinic where they both now volunteer. SNIP is held only four times a year and the April clinic this month fell smack dab on their thirty ninth wedding anniversary—April 10th.
Getting hitched
And what did they do to celebrate their thirty nine years together? You got it, they Pawed It Forward, and worked the SNIP clinic to celebrate their special day. They and all the other volunteers who staff this special clinic were the change for 71 community cats that day. Many of those cats were pregnant and are returned to their trap location, without having to ever have kittens again. And those males with big jowls and fight scars will hopefully never feel they need to protect their territory again.
Here are some photos of Mom and Dad’s thirty ninth wedding anniversary celebration.
Relaxing before opening and admitting first patient
And yes, the above photo of the man wearing a Savannah’s Paw Tracks t-shirt is my Dad P! *proud ears* Here is the lucky kitty who arrived first. He was really nervous, but because he is young, he will not have to face years of fighting other un-neutered male cats for turf. Dad P transported him in his trap to await his surgery. TNR WORKS!!
Next is waiting for surgery—the hall before patients arrive and after they come flooding in.
Surgery waiting hall
From the waiting hall, they go to sedation, then weigh in and first quick medical check for obvious wounds, pregnancy, etc.
Sedation room. Large scale waiting for patient’s in traps
From here they are hand carried (Mom L got to help do weigh in and hand carry!!) to the surgery prep area for shaving and ear tipping.
Surgery prep is quiet and then it is NOT!!
Now they are in to surgery.
The surgery room is quiet and then filled with six DVMs
After surgery they receive vaccinations, flea and ear mite treatment.
The table and supplies are ready and then it begins!
The photo above of the kitties getting their vaccinations is blurred on purpose. They deserve some privacy, don’t you think? And then they are reunited with their own personal trap and whisked off to recovery where it is warm and quiet.
Have a look at some of the patients up close and personal. They are not always in the best of body condition, often matted fur and dirty, but they go back home as cleaned up as they can be.
Mom L just adored this cat. She glanced down as she was tagging his trap and saw two sweet paws gripping the trap for dear life!
Hanging on for dear life
Isn’t he just precious! So hard to believe that they can’t all be scooped up and taken home for a cuddle. But because of SNIP and all the volunteers, including the couple who used SNIP as their celebration event for their thirty ninth wedding anniversary, this cat will have a better chance at living a longer and more healthy life as a community cat.
Ummm…is this gonna hurt??
What do you do to Paw It Forward and Be The Change 4 Animals?
PAW PATS, SAVANNAH
Savannah's Paw Tracks 