Saturday, January 21, 2017

Three More County Park Cats off to Adoption Venue

Sure I was tired yesterday from the exhausting trip to Astoria.

Those one day trips are endurance marathons.  I know when I start out there will be at least six hours of driving.  Usually its far more than that due to the hell of Portland traffic I must traverse on the way back, and this last time, due to weather related road problems.

With road problems, like fog, and debris on the road, driving in the dark, I strain my eyes, without even realizing it, and face muscles, to see forward, through the fog, to watch the road for hazards.  My shoulder muscles lift and tighten too.   Driving in such a state for hours takes its toll.

 Nonetheless I got up early Thursday morning, after over 16 hours involved in the trip to Astoria, to get Darkly, Little Simon and Susie Q ready and over to Heartland before 8:00 a.m.   This was my big shot, to get what was required to move them on to a rescue (shots updated, testing and chips), and to get it done at a price that would not blow me away.   Shots, tests, chips at a private clinic for 3 cats would cost hundreds.   As it was Heartland charged me only $50.

I picked them up again in the afternoon and then yesterday, drove them up to Portland.  Felines First Rescue took them on.  I took them directly to a Petsmart they use to show off adoptable cats off Scholls Ferry Road in Beaverton.

They will get their adoption fee, when adopted, not me.  It can feel like a lose, lose situation for me, but that's the way it is, and the cats get to move on with their lives and hopefully get good homes.  Another good thing is that they are out of this cat overloaded valley.

Since I had gotten all three fixed in the last two months also ($40 each), with the gas to drive them up, the cost to help these three Waterloo cats came to over $200.  That was on top of the costs recently incurred helping out Barcellona.   Yikes.  And now the electric bill will be in the mail.

I dread the electric bill.  It will cover some of the weeks we've had such terribly cold weather here.   Electricity in our state is not cheap.   I have great fears over that electric bill.   Others are telling me they got theirs and it was $500 or $400 or some other ungodly amount.  My stomach churns in worry.

The cat helping is paid for by the nonprofit, but the electric bill is my concern to pay.

It isn't cheap to help unwanted cats in trouble.  Some people do make a lot of money doing it, like shelter directors.  But not the little people doing the grunt work and fighting the good fight, to quell the mess of suffering caused when people don't fix their cats.

When a rescue with high adoption rates can take some cats though, its best to bite the bullet, get what they need done, and get them to the rescue, to move as fast as one can to take advantage of that opening so I can move on and the cats can move into homes quickly.  That's my feeling.  Got to be efficient, jump on opportunities to move a cat to a good adoption venue, and out of here.  I'm happy about Simon, Susie and Darkly getting this chance and that they are out of my bathroom.

It's tough to raise money for the nonprofit here.   I think of the donations I got last year, only a couple came from the county I live in and work in, for the nonprofit, sometimes 50 plus hours a week.

Here are some goodbye photos of Little Simon and Susie Q, born in the berry vines of the county park, and of Darkly, who was left in the county park by a camper.

Little Simon



Susie Q


Darkly on his way to the Petsmart

Now we have a billionaire president who is filling his cabinet with other billionaires.   I don't have  a lot of hope for the future.   I think they'll try to pay for making other people richer by making life much tougher on us nobodies, who struggle to even pay an electric bill to stay warm in the brutal winter.

10 comments:

  1. Love the cats. Yes, I am pleased that they have a chance at new lives, but so wish that good things would fall for you too.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, same old, used to it, and the delightful thing, Susie and Simon already got a home together. One day it took!

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  2. Here's hoping for the best for your next electric bill. I'm sure you won't be the only one who might have trouble paying. Are there any services in your area that might help?

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    Replies
    1. Nope, many people are having to shuffle budgets due to the lengthy rather unprecedented cold spell here. I'll get it paid. I'm doing the shuffle too, some bills will wait to be paid in full for a couple of months. Plus I have an emergency fund.

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  3. Let us know when your electric bill comes in so we can help

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    Replies
    1. thanks sg. I'm taking measures to lower it below normal for a couple months to help offset and have my bike up for sale currently to help me not get behind. I hate to get behind on any bill, being OCD about such things.

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  4. Maybe we can all ask former President Obama with help paying our electric bills. Sorry. I just can't see things getting worse with a businessman in charge. I wish you all the best. Take care, my dear. Have hope, too. Maybe we'll all be surprised for the better. And thanks for all you do.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, who knows how things will turn out. Be interesting and always I hope for the best.

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    2. With hugs, fingers crossed.

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    3. Mine are crossed too and hugs right back at you.

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Round Up

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