Consider Adopting A Rescue Animal
Everyone should think about adopting a rescue animal before going to a pet store or breeder. These animals need your love and your home to feel safe in.
They will give you devotion and unconditional love.
My little Gracie’s face is changing. I recall thinking this yesterday when she was looking up at me.
My pets are my babies…
Above she looks more like a baby to me. But in just a few weeks, she grew and changed almost daily.
Oh, though gorgeous blue eyes. They are the blue of the ocean. And that sweet face makes me smile every time I see it.
“The smallest feline is a masterpiece.” – Leonardo da Vinci
Next to Ivy, she looks pretty small. But then Ivy is a big cat. I kind of doubt that Gracie will ever grow as tall as Ivy.
“When you look into the eyes of an animal you’ve rescued, you can’t help but fall in love.” — Paul Shaffer
My sweet little kitten. All white but for light orange/brown markings. They are around her eyes and ears and swirl in circles around her tail.
She seems always in motion when she’s awake. Moving so fast I can hardly get a clear photo of her movements.
“Shall we all open our heart to be a forever home for lost pets.” ― Martha Steward
Oh, my Gracie with my quilts as a backdrop. This photo looks kind of like one of those posed professional photos parents get of their children in a studio.
“A cat doesn’t care if you are smart or dumb, give him your heart and he will give you his.” – Abraham Lincoln
Here she reminds me of a young colt whose body hasn’t quite grown to the length of its legs.
“Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.” ― Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette
Her nose has changed from a kitten nose to that of a kitten on her way to adulthood.
“I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.” – Jules Verne
Is there anything more beautiful than a cat all curled up around itself, preparing for a nap?
In the photo below, her face is beginning to take on the shape and features she will have as an adult cat.
My sweet little Gracie is growing up.
Saving one animal won’t change the world, but it will change the world for that one animal
When I lost my Charlie, my heart was so broken I didn’t think I could ever bring another pet into my home. I figured it would just be Ivy and me. And I felt the same way when I lost Abi. But of course then Ivy came into my life.
But then I once again found myself looking online at the animal rescue sites. And Gracie was one of the matches their computer found for me.
“Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life.” – James Cromwell
Please don’t think that when you lose a pet, your heart can’t bear to love another one.
It won’t be that you love the pet you lost any less. That’s not possible. That love is sewn into every fiber of your being.
We are their voices…
You won’t be replacing your pet if you adopt another. What you will be doing is providing a loving home to a pet that doesn’t have one.
Please open your heart to such a possibility. The rewards are bountiful. And there’s nothing more special or rewarding than taking a pet home to love.
Such beautiful eyes! I adopted a kitten about 6 months ago. She is so spoiled and so much fun!
When I look into Gracies eyes I see an old soul. I’m sure she has lived before.
I think as women “empty nesters” our furkids give us someone to nurture and love and in my case run the household!
My 2 little loves are Bella and Buddy, she couldn’t go with her former owner to his new home and it was love at 1st sight for me.Buddy was left to roam the streets by his family, showed up a friend’s where he couldn’t stay due to allergies so he moved in!
He’s into everything and a cuddler, I’d be lost without them.
Happy turkey day,everyone
🐈🐱😻😻
Brenda, it is indeed heartbreaking to lose one of our fur kids and then another comes along to keep us company and to love us unconditionally. Pets are so precious. I’ve never had a cat only dachshunds but they sure do keep me on my toes. Thank you for sharing your beautiful cats and your sweet dogs.
Gracie is a beauty – those eyes are mesmerizing! I love all of the pet quotes — so beautiful, and so true. We rescued two cats years ago. My husband also had a cat that adopted him – the cat just kept showing up, and eventually my husband took him inside – just for a few hours. Well, he never left. He was a faithful companion and family member for years.
Hi Brenda,
Lily, my Bichon, was to be my last fur baby. I’m currently on limited income so the cost involved, not to mention going back to work in 2022, and I also didn’t want to be leaving a pet alone all day, were my reasons for no more. But things rarely go as planned. Simon (male cat) appeared unexpectedly in my life mid May. Young and skinny, a neighbor told me he belonged to another neighbor who threw him out when male relatives moved in with large dogs. I couldn’t stand it. I started feeding him and then once he was comfortable enough for me to touch him, I took him in and by June he was vaccinated and neutered. Turns out he has feline HIV, so since he’s immune compromised, he needs to be an only cat and indoors only. Why Simon? his name just popped into my head. The vet assured me his FIV was safe for me and Lily. It was an adjustment at first for the three of us, but mostly for me & Simon. I lost Lily on November 9th and Simon has been a godsend. I don’t know how I would have managed the grief and heartbreak of her loss without the affection and distraction of Simon. He has become extremely loving and affectionate and mischievous enough to keep me on my toes. Being a cat, I won’t need to worry about him being alone once I go back to work. I believe Simon was put in my path for a reason. Like most of the cats in my past, he just showed up. This time, it turns out we really needed each other. Margie
Gracie is beautifully sweet! And she has on orange tabby tail, her markings are as unique as Ivy’s!
I couldn’t agree more with what was said in this post. And your Gracie is absolutely gorgeous!
I so agree with you as to the value of pets!! I so wish we could have a dog again, but it will not work right now, especially living in an apt in the MIDST OF A CONSTRUCTION ZONE…sigh…we so need to relocate!! But with my Hubby’s health, I simply do not have energy nor time for a pet right now. But I so encourage you and others who can do so, to have one. My dogs have meant so very much to me!!
Gracie is one of the most prettiest kitties I’ve ever seen!!! Just a ❤ beautiful little girl 🐈
All our pets going back 25+ years are rescues!! The only way to adopt and give these precious pets their forever 🏡 homes.
We have been rescuing older pets for the last dozen years. They all deserve 2nd & even 3rd chances in life.
At this time, searching to adopt another sweet 🐶 pup. Okay if anywhere from 3 yo & up. Doesn’t matter.
Because we are seniors, very difficult for us to adopt large pets. Impossible to pick up and carry. Usually under 30 pounds is best.
In the past week, we inquired about 2 sweeties. Both have already been adopted. It gets a bit tricky! Obviously people aren’t least rescuing. A good thing! We will definitely keep on trying. 😊
Meant to write ,,,,,,,
At least people ❤ ARE rescuing!!! A VERY 😊 GREAT THING TO DO!!!
My daughter and I have three cats and three dogs. All the cats are rescues and two of the dogs. One of our dogs was rescued from a kill shelter in Louisiana.
All of my babies have been rescues over the years with the exception of our first basset hound. After Floyd, I became involved with a basset hound rescue and fostered and adopted several more bassets. I currently have two basset hounds, Hazel & Otis. Every single cat I have had has been a stray that came to stay, or adopted from a shelter. All of my babies bring so much love and joy into my life that I wouldn’t be without them. I wouldn’t trade them for scratch free furniture for anything. Never have been a materialistic person, though I do like things neat and clean, and my furniture choices have been with keeping a pet friendly home. Lets just say I don’t get a lot of love from my couch and leave it there! Lol. I would say to Kate to check the shelters… there are declawed cats out there. I adopted Rizzo when he was 5 from a shelter, and he was declawed. He is a big snuggly love bug and we enjoy his company!
So heartwarming to read your post, Brenda, and the comments of your kind readers! Rescue is the only way we’ve ever gone in our family and we’ve been rewarded with dozens of loving, grateful pets for whom we sheltered unconditionally for their natural lives. Yes, it’s hard to finally say “good bye,” and I understand the pain of those who vow never to experience it again, but the best way to honor the memory of one lost is to adopt another in recognition of the joy it brought to you.
I would say to Kate, a pet will give you so much love you won’t care about your furniture so much. I do not believe in de clawing a cat and I don’t think any vet should be doing it. However our cat started clawing the furniture so we found some tape at the pet store. We put that on, it was see thru so you couldn’t tell it was on there and it worked. There is always a way, you can put throws on your furniture to keep them clean and fur free. Yes occasionally a cat will throw up but so will kids. I do hope you reconsider Kate.
I love this quote you added to your blog from James Brenda “Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life.” – James Cromwell, Animals have certainly made me more caring, loving and understanding.
Hello Brenda;
Thank you for posting about rescue – I love the photos of Gracie and Ivy. I am a cat lover but have no cat in my home. The reason for no cat is I am aware of the destruction very likely by cats. I am concerned about the state of my furniture and belongings and have resisted the desire to have a cat. If you or a reader has any advice or ideas I would like to hear about it. Thank you much for a wonderful blog, I enjoy your posts.
Gracie scratches things because she hasn’t quite figured out she’s supposed to only scratch the scratching posts. But what I do is put a quilt or something over furniture. Having her is so worth it!
PB, my dog, is a rescue. When I first saw him he was in the back of the pen. When I asked the man who fostered him what was wrong with him, he told me nothing was wrong he was just playing with his toys. He moves, plays, and squeaks his toys. It is fun watching him leave on on the outside doormat to bring in later. He put the toys in the windows, on the bed and sofa. He hides them. When he gets mad because other people or pets are in the house he puts his toys in his water bowl. He has brought me joy.
They are all such fun characters!
For Kate-Soft Claws or Purrdy Paws are small flexible plastic tips you glue on to cat’s claws (for indoor cats only). They come in sizes Kitten to Large and various colors incl. clear. Worked for
my two cats when I bought new furniture. If the cat removes the tips, you can dig out the glue (easy to do) and re-use the tips. I suggest colored tips b/c clear tips are less visible to find and re-use!
We adopted a 5 yo lab from our shelter. They said she’d been returned 3x. A mth after coming home Ella seized and would do so every mth then it tapered off to maybe every two mths. We didn’t put her on anti seizure meds as they weren’t often enough. We had her five years.
And 3 yrs ago my daughter rescued a mare from Oklahoma that was in a kill pen slated to go to slaughter on Monday. The Thursday before she saw her online and bought her on Friday night. They put her in quarantine for a mth then she was brought here. Also 500 lbs underweight. She is just the sweetest mare. Megan had had her Tee, a Palomino gelding, for 16 yrs and said she didn’t want another horse, but saw Tiffany online and that was that. We know nothing of her history or if that was her real name.
The love rescues give us is just indescribable as you well know Brenda. I mean who could resist those blue eyes of Gracie. And that picture of Gracie and Ivy is just precious.
You and your daughter have done so much good by rescuing animals!
We have had 11 rescue cats … so far. We have loved every one of them dearly. They give so much to you and become a huge part of your family. Both of my sons have two cats in their families now. Pets light up our lives and provide so much joy. 😻❤️
Oh yes they do!
Gracie is such a beautiful cat. I am glad you rescued her. Wish more people would do rescues.
Me too.