A Trip through The Wringer

We have never been this quiet for such a long time and therefore I honestly don’t know where to begin. After a myriad of serious and not easily solvable problems which have had us completely stuck for months, now the time has come to move on. With ever

aching hearts, though with eyes full of hope, we’re still not whole but we’re wearing our emotional scars with pride, “desolate yet all undaunted” and finally ready to face the upcoming challenges head-on.

All of the kitties are reasonably well – that

is, those who survived this last winter, the saddest and most heartbreaking winter ever. The latest cold season wasn’t that cold after all, we were spared the powerful snowstorms we know so well, but some of our oldest and sickest kitties lacked the strength to make it

until spring, although all of them put up a hell of a fight. A part of us died with every single one of those valiant fighters until we reached the point where we thought we simply could not go on, but the spark of hope and gleam of love in the trusting eyes of our kitties

who are still here wordlessly told us the simple truth - there’s no giving up, as cats are for life.

After a dreadful and harrowing winter came spring, with sun and light, with smells and colors and with a breath of a new beginning. Trying to

assuage the slight hint of despair still present right beneath the surface of our seemingly buoyant selves, we engaged in a big spring cleaning, which was not only necessary but also a perfect way to clear our minds. All of the vines, climbing plants and hedge bindweed

that had already dried up were removed from the chain link fence, all of the trees were pruned and both yards cleaned up. During the process we were surprised to find out just how bad the condition of the wooden platforms, ladders, timber tables and other big outside

toys is - and our kitties love them so much! Almost all of the wooden items in both yards need to be renewed or replaced, but this time some metal parts are going to have to be added so everything will be able to last much longer. We strongly hoped we would be able to skip

repairs of any kind for at least one summer, but it evidently isn’t meant to be…

A bunch of minor repairs can easily turn into a big headache, as little costs add up to make these much needed renovations far more expensive than we first thought

and planned. Moreover, a three-digit of cats still need to eat every day, whether we’re trying to fix some issues at the shelter we've never worked on before or not, and veterinary treatments for the sick ones is simply unavoidable. Donations during the

summer are usually slim, as most people are heading off on vacation and are consequently strapped for cash, but the kitties’ needs remain the same, if not even bigger.

We managed to de-worm and de-flea all of the cats last

weekend, even the grumpy ones who despise humans and would do anything they can to refrain from being touched; nevertheless the procedures were completed successfully, leaving us weary, sweaty and with some serious scratches.

Now it’s about time for mandatory yearly vaccinations against rabies, and it’s a huge financial burden aside from it being the announcement of trouble, which will include a lot of running, scuffling and struggling with not-so-friendly cats -

although it would be fair to say that even the cuddliest, most affectionate and loving kitties regularly freak out when they see the vets. However, if we all end up with just a few scratches and bite wounds, we’ll definitely consider ourselves lucky.

It brings me to the point: if you are able and willing to help us accomplish anything at all this summer, please consider donating any amount, no matter how small, to our project. And if you can’t donate, we’d really appreciate it if you could do us the

favor of sharing and spreading the word. It’s well known that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something and Helen Keller brilliantly formulated this irrefutable truth “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.”