Imagine Home’s Month of Gratitude, Day 6

Susie.  The picture that got her noticed.
Susie. The picture that got her noticed.

Sweet Susie’s picture struck a chord for many people in the cat world. Susie was abandoned by her previous owners at MDAS (Miami Dade Animal Shelter), a notoriously high kill place.  A shelter worker took a picture of her crying, inconsolable, while sleeping.  We lost track of the number of shares that picture got, but the sad picture got her out of that scary place.

After leaving the shelter, Susie got vetted, was treated for a slight URI (upper respiratory infection) and seemed pretty healthy.  At first.

Susie, queen of the kitchen.
Susie, queen of the kitchen.

When her transport finally started to get off the ground, Susie’s foster, Bernie Alfonso took her in for a checkup.  The vet noticed that Susie’s ears seemed jaundiced, which is a sign of liver damage.  Within two hours of Bernie calling Kelly, our Transport Director, with this news, Susie had crossed to the Rainbow Bridge. Our hearts were all shattered.

What follows is from our Transport Coordinator Teresa, and her thoughts about Susie before she came “behind the curtain.”

“They say people cross your path for a reason, I believe that animals cross our path and enter our lives for reasons as well. Susie had a story of her own to tell. This is my version of what Susie meant to me.

It was about two weeks before Christmas of 2012 when I saw Susie’s transport request with Imagine Home. I went to take a peek at the transport event and there she was! Not sure what it was about her but, she grabbed my heart immediately. I often wondered why people would adopt kitties so far away when surely there were cats in their areas that need homes. Susie answered that question for me. You never know when one kitty will grab your heart and hold it even from 1000 miles away. I wanted to make sure this sweetie got to her forever home (I was more then willing to take this kitty if for some reason the adopter back out). I started calling in a few favors from some people on her route and got the transport filled! Sadly, Susie never got to make that trip home. Susie brought me to Imagine Home and brought all these wonderful ladies into my heart and my path. Thank you Susie! You showed me that distance should never be a factor when it comes to true love whether it is humans or furbabies. So many strangers stepped up to help one kitty named Susie, a little tux kitty that had even heard of. That was the moment I decided that I wanted to feel that kind of love everyday. I wanted to be a part of an amazing group of people who would give so much of their time just to see one kitty go home. Susie left this world with a piece of my heart. The gift she left behind for me is priceless!” ~  Teresa Hinchcliffe-Dechert

Imagine Home’s Month of Gratitude, Day 5

Your Imagine Home Admins have learned that our drivers are the precious key to a successful transport. Today, we celebrate a group of angels on one particular transport, but realize that each and every one of our drivers has been a kitty angel, here on earth. And we love and thank them all for their help.

The recent transport of Mini even if it were 10 years ago, it would still hold a special place in our hearts and minds. Mini’s journey was an epic tale of travel, in more ways than one. We first heard about Mini from a post on our wall (yes, we actually do read them!) Mari was pleading for somebody to foster her Mini cat until she could figure out a way to get him from New York City to Arizona.

Mari and her husband had found themselves in a tough place, like many people in today’s tough economy. They were losing their jobs and as a result, their home in New York city. They ultimately decided to relocate to Arizona where Mari’s family lives. For the interim, Mari and her husband had somewhere to stay – but Mini could not go with them due to severe allergies in their temporary home.

And so began the frantic search for someone to foster Mini until the family made the trip in October. Mari wanted a nearby foster so Mini could fly out with her, but was having no luck at all. Neither was Imagine Home in our repeated shares of her plight.

As Mari left her home, she was so desperate to keep him out of the shelter, she sent Mini to their vet to get a health certificate so he could travel alone, by plane, to Arizona. Since Mini weighed in at 23 pounds, he would travel in the cargo hold, a standard airline policy. Mari considered this the best option available but really didn’t like taking that risk.

As Jack (see Day One) would have it, there was a pair of cats going through Pennsylvania the next day, West to East. One of our Admins, Linda Rattenni, was involved. Linda offered to foster for as long as needed, if we could get Mini closer to her in Pittsburgh. It so happened, Teresa Dechert, another Admin, who lives in New Jersey, was involved in that same transport. Linda and Teresa split the driving distance for the ongoing transport, Linda handed off the 2 eastbound kitties, got Mini from Teresa, and headed home. Two kitty angels earned their wings that day.

~

Now safely fostering with Linda, Imagine Home began recruiting drivers for Mini’s journey back to his mother. Everything was proceeding smoothly, we thought, until we discovered that Albuquerque, New Mexico was hosting their annual Balloon Festival that draws people from all over the world. It seemed like we were trying to hold a bunch of cooked spaghetti in our hands, because each time we filled one leg, somebody else would have to pull out! One of our cardinal rules is that we will postpone any transport not filled within 48 hours of start time. Because this was such a lengthy transport and involved our largest number of drivers, we were bending that rule on the Friday night before Mini’s journey started. If it was humanly possible to find a person, we were going to do it. Worse still, we were getting runsheets sent back to us because of bad email addresses!

We were on the brink of postponing Mini’s transport when an 11th hour angel arrived in the form of Tracy Patton. We’ll never know why Tracy made the offer, but incredibly, Mini’s angel was going to take him from Missouri, all the way home, and throw in a hotel room with her nip-aholic friend to boot! What was going to originally take 3 days over two weekends was now going to be a “simple” 2 day run.

October 5th finally arrived, and our Indian Summer chose that day to become a memory. Instead, we awoke to a nationwide storm that had drivers gritting their teeth. Our first day of travel included construction, torrentially blinding rain, and one very chillaxed cat passenger. No matter the weather or the time, every single one of Mini’s drivers arrived at their destinations with smiles on their faces.

At the end of the journey, the day that Mini and Mari were finally reunited, we’d love to think that Mini finally got it. We believe that when Mini saw his mom, that the hours in the carrier with strangers were worth it to him. And most of all, we are grateful to Mini’s angel drivers who went far above and beyond that day, to help a charming oxymoronical cat named Mini reunite with his mother. Mini is just one example, but we thank all of our drivers, past and present for caring enough to take a few hours of their precious free time to help save “just a cat.” ~noelle~

Mini and Mari, together again
Mini and Mari, together again

Imagine Home’s Month of Gratitude, Day 4

On this beautiful November day, as I sit at my computer with one cat in my lap and my senior sleeping nearby in her super warm bed, I am grateful to all the cats that I’ve had in my life.

the best things in life

My very first cat came into my life when I was 5 years old. I don’t remember if Midnight was a boy or a girl, but I vividly remember a sleek and beautiful solid black house panther. Midnight, and our German Shepherd, Wolfgang, both needed to be rehomed when my Air Force father got stationed in Germany for 3 years. We knew that it would be cruel to have to quarantine them for months on each side of the move.

While in Germany, we didn’t have cats or dogs, much to my dismay. I was sure that the addition of either to our family would make our life perfect. I waited for 3 very long years for some new family members. In the meantime, I had to content mself with books and a brother with cooties.

After our return to the states, we soon acquired the first of two cat and dog combinations. T.V. was our first. He was black and white, and stuck by his dear doggie friend Shadow like, well, a Shadow. T.V. taught me that cats could be fun! He chased Shadow around the house, and at night, would groom him as if he were another cat. I don’t know what disease took our noble young man, but I cried my heart out when we lost him.

One cold December day, my parents gave me a long-haired white boy cat for my birthday. I named him Percy, because in my pre-teen brain that hadn’t researched cat breeds, all long-haired cats were Persians. Percival Lancelot loved to sleep at my side every night, and I told him all of my deepest and darkest secrets. In the 80s, in our lower-class neighborhood, none of us knew about the dangers of un-neutered animals. So when our intact boy wanted to roam, we let him roam. There was a time when my boy Percy disappeared. It could have been days, or weeks, but again, I cried, sure that I had lost my one true friend. Percy finally came home, and he was a different cat. His desire to roam was gone, and he stayed close by my side. Now that I’m wiser about cats, I realize that means that Percy encountered something that stuck in his kitty memory and shook him to the core. But back then, I was just happy to have the return of my white knight with the slight streak of orange down the middle of his back. One day, during our long talks, I noticed that Percy wasn’t as attentive as usual. In fact, he was downright sleepy, and a little pale. For a teenager to notice that a white cat was pale was a pretty interesting feat. My parents scraped together enough money to take Percy to the vet and get him checked out, and he never came home. Percy had picked up Feline Leukemia on his travels, and the vet felt the most humane thing to do was send him to the Rainbow Bridge. I never got to say goodbye to my furry friend, and I think my heart shrank two sizes that day. My dad’s did too, because through his tears, he told me that he couldn’t bear to say goodbye to another animal after that, and we were under orders to acquire no more pets for our house. With Percy, I learned the value of vetting pets, and vowed that all my future animals would have “the works” done for them.

After both of my parents died, a former best friend/roommate decided that the ticket to healing my grieving heart was to gift me a cat. Sphinx was a stray that somebody had acquired and decided to get rid of after giving her the worst possible name, and my friend brought her to me without asking. And then my friend moved out without warning. For a time, I resented the kitty offering, and just wanted my parents and best friend back. Time heals all wounds, though, and eventually, I fell in love with Sphinx. Sphinx kept me alive during the darkest winter of my life, and she gave me a reason to get out of bed. I soon discovered her sense of humor late one night when I woke to my mooing cow welcome mat. Around 3am, I heard a cow mooing over and over. It would stop for a few seconds, and then start back up. Shaking like a leaf, and wondering why I moved into such a horrible neighborhood, I quietly tiptoed to my dresser, pulled out my .380 and loaded it. I crept down the hall doing my best imitation of every police show I’d ever watched. I hugged the wall, crossed the doorway to the kitchen, and gripped my gun with determined and shaky hands. There sat Sphinx, staring at my cow mat, and reaching out one delicate paw to get it to moo. We both startled each other at the same time, and I was extremely grateful that I’d forgotten to undo the safety on my gun. Together, Sphinx and I had our ups and downs, and our friendship lasted longer than the one with my former roomate. Sphinx became one of my longest-lived cats until the Melamine Cat Food Recall. We said goodbye to each other on Valentine’s Day 2008, and through my tears, I thanked her for making me want to live through the dark winter of 1993.

I’ve had 4 more cats since Sphinx. Three were a family made up of a momma cat and her two daughters. T.V., our black and white girl was the smartest cat I ever met, and her death from lung cancer on St. Patrick’s Day,2008, broke my husband’s heart as much as it did mine. T.V. gave us the gift of her daughters, Muskrat and Piglet. Muskrat ran away one cold December in 2007, and we never saw her again. She had stayed feral, even though we had known her since kittenhood. We learned from Muskie that some cats need some extra care to get used to humans. And Piglet, the last survivor of her small family, is now 15 years old. She’s the most talkative cat that I’ve ever had, but comes to me in the night with soft paws and sweet purrs to get petted and brushed. Fluffy is our most recent acquisition. He has a fierce love of running water, and Whiskas Temptation’s Savory Seafood Medley. I’m not sure which love is greater, but with Fluffy, I always know where I stand. He’s a quietly dignified goofball with an ability to make even my worst days better.

Every cat in my life has given me a gift, taught me a lesson, helped me, and gifted me with unconditional love. For all those things, today, and every day, I’m grateful to all the cats I’ve loved. ~noelle~

Imagine Home’s Month of Gratitude, Day 3

What a frightening thing it must be when you’re blind, lost and abandoned. Paulie is one of our favorites. He inspired in us courage, fortitude, and hope. He taught us that not all things that happen to you in life are bad even when they seem to be. 

Paulie imagined home

Paulie was taken to the vet’s office in December 2012 and simply left there. Quite possibly it was the alternative to a NYC kill shelter where he would likely have spent his last few days. After numerous failed attempts to reach his human then many attempts to find a rescue to take him in, the vet’s office found the perfect home. Paulie made a day trip and was home in Ohio on March 23rd.

The special needs kitties are the hardest to place, the most difficult to transport, but it seems to me they are the some of the most grateful kitties we have ever had the pleasure of helping. It’s like they know, somehow, that you’re there to help them get to a better life.

So for the lessons I’ve been taught by Paulie, I am grateful. And Imagine Home is grateful that we got to be a part of his journey.
~kpk~

Imagine Home’s Month of Gratitude, Day 2

Today, we express our gratitude for Jack the Cat.
The story of Jack the Cat is a sad and cautionary tale, but there are also many layers to what happened.

Our lesson of love from Jack
Our lesson of love from Jack

First, the story, directly from Jack’s Facebook page FAQ section, found here:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/jack-the-cat-is-lost-in-aa-baggage-at-jfk/updated-faqs-10211/158135107609782

“1. How was Jack lost?
The bottom line is this: we don’t really know at this time. Here is what we do know: On August 25, 2011, Karen checked Jack and her other cat, Barry, into the American Airlines system to fly on her flight, but travelling as “checked baggage.” Each cat was flying in its own crate. She went through the TSA system with them, reloading them into their carriers and securing the carriers per AA policies. She then said goodbye to them and went up to the passenger area to have something to eat before the flight. Approximately 30 minutes after leaving the cats, she was called by a baggage supervisor to come back to the baggage area because one of the cats had been lost. When she returned to the baggage area, she saw the empty carrier that had contained Jack. Barry was still secure in his carrier. After walking around the baggage area and calling for Jack for over an hour, Karen was advised to take the last flight out and they would call her as soon as they found him. She got on that later flight with Barry. Jack has not been seen since.”

This is the outside layer of Jack. This is the part that makes us cry.

The next layer of Jack is the day that he was found. October 25, 2011, 2 months to the day from being lost.

The very worst, most heartbreaking layer to Jack’s story was November 6, 2011, when it was determined that Jack was suffering, and he was helped to cross over to the Rainbow Bridge. Jack had starved for 2 full months. His aunt posted the following on that sad day:

Dear FoJs:

It is with tears that I must tell you that Jack has gone over the rainbow bridge. (continued in 1st comment) He was with Karen yesterday, and his condition was worsening. He was treated overnight, and she (and I) both had extensive conversations with the vets at Blue Pearl regarding his condition. Jack had extensive wounds on the back of his body, and the wounds were unable to heal because his skin had deteriorated due to the malnutrition that occurred while he was lost. Despite antibiotics, the infections were worsening, and his skin was continuing to deteriorate. He needed surgery to treat the wounds, but there was not enough available skin to close the wounds after the surgery. The vet compared his skin condition to having severe burns over 50-60% of his body. The vet was very clear that she had conferred with every possible doctor regarding options for Jack, but none of them left him with a substantial chance of survival and all of them involved him suffering. Jack had been through so much, and the last thing anyone wanted was for him to suffer more. Jack was bathed in love and crossed over just a few minutes ago.”

In between those heart wrenching days, miracles occurred. JFK Airport was shut down because of Hurricane Irene. Karen, Jack’s mom felt helpless. But through the miracle of Facebook shares, search parties were organized to do the job that airline employees were not doing. Lasting friendships were started during those dark days. That’s one happy layer to Jack’s story. The searchers became a group called “FoJs” or “Friends of Jack.” They have reunions, some meet more casually, and still others created discussion groups and grass-roots movements on a variety of topics involving cats.

That’s yet another layer of Jack.

Then there is our layer. Your Imagine Home admins arrived at our layer in a round-about way, through another group. That group shall not be named here, as it is not worth mention, other than to say that it taught us what we did not want to do. Here we stand, in honor of Jack in all that we do. Jack opened our eyes to the sad plight of animals everywhere. The germ of an idea that came about because of Jack grew into what you now see as Imagine Home. We are still nowhere close to realizing all of our dreams and goals. We dream of a day that we no longer have to teach people that animals are not playthings to discard and mistreat at will. We also realized somewhere along the way that the hearts of those who love cats sometimes need healing. We believe that by healing hearts and minds, we can also heal the souls of the helpless cats that we strive to help. (*what we call the paw of Jack.)

And the other layer to that layer? We realize that we are nowhere without our friends, fans and followers. We thank you all. And today, as we do every single day, we thank Jack the Cat for teaching us that there is no such thing as “just a cat.” Look at the layers of love that Jack built. ~noelle~

Imagine Home’s Month of Gratitude, Day 1

Today, on our one year anniversary, YOUR Imagine Home admins would like to begin a month of daily gratitude. In America, the month of November is generally a month of thanks.

So to start, I want to thank our friends, past and present. Our past friends have taught us many lessons, and we are grateful for all of them. Our current friends have taught us that we still need to stay on our toes! We’re eternally grateful for the loyalty that so many people have shown us, quietly, or vocally.

Some of our super special friends include Becca Marshall Steinberg, who came out of the blue to help launch our website, when we needed her most, Trudy Bledsoe who shares everything we do, sends us encouraging notes, and puts us in our place whenever we need it, Rhonda Alexander who is a huge cheerleader for us and always eager to help, JoAnn Yuhnke who has seen things in us that we couldn’t see in ourselves, Mia Kate who loves us all the way from Australia, Maribel Moure with her “SUPER SPECIAL EXCITING IDEAS,” and so many more that I can’t think of as I type in haste.

Thank you all! May we continue to grow in light and love, together. ~Noelle~

"Make it so, Number One!"
“Make it so, Number One!”
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