Thursday, September 28, 2017

Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Remember Me Thursday

That is quite a mouthful of a blog post title. But, it's all for good reason.

We're going to start today with the last part of that title. Today is indeed Remember Me Thursday. The Remember Me ThursdayⓇ website says it best:

"Remember Me ThursdayⓇ is a global awareness campaign uniting individuals and pet adoption organizations around the world as an unstoppable, integrated voice for orphan pets to live in forever homes, not die waiting for them."

According to the Remember Me ThursdayⓇ website, in 2016, those who used the tags #RememberMeThursday and #RememberTheRescue reached over 340 million people on social media. That is 340 million people being reminded of all of the beautiful animals waiting for their chance to be loved in a home of their very own. This year, we know we are not the only ones who hope that we can spread this message to even more people.

And so today, we are joining so many others in remembering and spreading the word about all of the animals in shelters and rescues who deserve their forever home. Anyone and everyone can spread the word, anywhere and everywhere you can. Use the tags #RememberMeThursday and #RememberTheRescue on social media, and light up the internet for all of the deserving, loving animals in the shelter and rescue system. These sweet critters cannot speak for themselves, but we can speak for them.

This year, you can post a photo of your rescue pet on Twitter or Instagram, using the tags #RememberMeThursday and #RememberTheRescue, and be entered to win funds, food, and toys for a shelter or rescue of your choice. You can also upload a photo directly to the Remember Me ThursdayⓇ website. This is just one way that you and your own rescue pet can assist cats and pups awaiting their forever homes, so do be sure to visit the website and spread the word!

Last year on Remember Me Thursday, we shared this doodle:


This year, we sort of redid that doodle, but with just a bit of a different twist on it. Here's this year's version:


Just like we mentioned last time around, our doodles often have a story to go with them, even if they are unvoiced or living solely in this human's head. Just as with last year's doodle, the story here of course ends with this little kitty going to its forever home with this little angel. On this Remember Me Thursday, we pray and spread the word in hopes that the same happy ending will happen for all furbabies awaiting their forever homes.


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The next part of this post is dedicated to the Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, hosted by the handsome Angel Sammy and Teddy.


This week brings us to the letter P. As many of you know, our poems are inspired by our online friends. This week, our poem is inspired by and is in honor of a sweet little lady cat who just gained her wings on Monday. This one's for you, Phoebe.


Phoebe the Princess
 
 Surely you know Phoebe.
She is, after all, royalty.
In this particular instance,
Phoebe is a beautiful Princess.

Phoebe the Princess reigns from her throne,
And all over the world her dear name is known.
While some kings and queens rule with an iron fist,
Phoebe the Princess will instead blow you a sweet kiss.

She is compassionate and kind,
And sophisticated and refined.
She wears upon her head a most deserved crown,
And for her greatness Phoebe the Princess will forever be renowned.

Phoebe will always be there for her people.
All you must do is look up and you will see her grand steeple.
After all, she is Princess of a land far up high.
She is Phoebe, Princess of the Kingdom in the Sky.




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Now, of course, Thimble wants her time to shine.



Isn't Thimble so nice and shiny? Thimble just loves snapping glamour shots like this. And Thimble is very thankful for her glamorous, sunny life. So, she is of course entering Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.


Thimble and all of us here are thankful for so much in our lives. We are thankful for each other, for our home, for the food in our bowls, for family, and of course for friends like you.

We also want to add that we are thankful for our wonderful veterinarians and for the care they give us. That being said, we thought we'd share that Astrid went to see our veterinarian yesterday. Some of you might remember how, nearly two years ago now, a growth showed up on one of the paw pads of Astrid's right rear foot. It was found to be benign, and to be a type of tumor called a histiocytoma, which often will ultimately go away on its own. Given the tricky location, Astrid's veterinarian recommended that we wait and see if it would go away on its own rather than jump right to surgery. We waited it out, always putting a protective boot on that foot when Astrid went outside. Finally, after a few months, the tumor did indeed go away. But, now it's back, and with a vengeance.

My sister (Astrid's "other Mom") and myself feel terrible, as we got bold and began putting Astrid's protective boot on less frequently, given that the tumor was seemingly gone. Well, that was a bad idea, and the tumor came back last weekend after she hardly wore her boot at all, including on walks outdoors on rough concrete. That was far too bold of a move on our part, and now poor Astrid's apparently hidden tumor has made a nasty recurrence.

This time around, the veterinarian has indeed deemed that it would simply be best to remove the tumor, especially given that it doesn't seem to have any intention to go away and stay away. A fine needle aspirate was done while we were at the appointment, in hopes to for sure rule out anything especially troublesome. The tumor's cells weren't cooperating all that well, though, and while the veterinarian is still guessing that it is simply a benign tumor, we will be sending it out for biopsy after it is removed.

Astrid's surgery will be on Tuesday, October 10th. In addition to the tumor removal, Astrid will also have a simple dental cleaning that day to remove some small amounts of plaque, since she will already be under anesthesia. We are hoping for a safe and sound surgery, but if you have any barks, purrs, and prayers to spare, Astrid and all of us would certainly appreciate them.


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We think that just about wraps up this lengthy post. If you've made it this far, kudos to you! Happy Thursday!


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Our Tip of the Day:
Do you have kitties or pups who require separate feedings? This can occur if certain furbabies are on different diets, or if they require different amounts of food, such as if one is on a weight loss diet. While it is not always easy to do separate feedings, it is still often doable with at least a little work. For example, some cats who are more agile can be fed on an elevated surface, such as a counter or shelf, where other cats or even dogs cannot reach. In other cases, such as if you have a small cat or dog and a larger cat or dog, you can fabricate a box or other area with a small opening where the smaller furbaby can enter and eat without interference from the other, larger furbaby. Then there are times when when feeding in separate rooms might need to be attempted. This version often works best if feedings are scheduled, and during those times the furbabies are placed in different rooms while each of them eats their diet as needed. Though not always easy, there are methods that can be attempted for feeding furbabies on different diets, so don't lose hope if this is something your furbabies require.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a GREAT post today - so many things to share too including the fact today is Remember Me Thursday. A sad day but an important day to remember and honor. Our one big wish would be that every shelter pet would find a forever before today is over - of course that won't happen but if SOME find it, that will make our hearts happy. We love your tribute to sweet Phoebe too - that doodle is lovely and indeed Princess Phoebe reigns at the Bridge. Your poem for her is sweet as can be. Her Mom Ellen will smile and she needs that right now for sure! Thanks for doing a poem with us every week. We are praying for sweet Astrid as well - we hope those cells show no cancer and that her foot pad will HEAL and stay HEALED just like we hope her dental goes smoothly. How about some hugs?????

Here they are!
HUGS.............Teddy and Mom

Eastside Cats said...

Adopt, don't shop!
Angel Phoebe was well-loved, and will be remembered.
Poor Astrid; sending healthful purrs to her.

Marg said...

That sure is one terrific post. It is so great to have these posts about'Remember me Thursday' for all the shelters and animals in shelters that need homes. It is so important.
Poor Astrid. We sure do send tons of purrs and prayers that all goes well with the surgery. We all have our paws crossed for you Astrid and your family.

pilch92 said...

Thank you for featuring Phoebe for your poem and for the doodle of her. I love them both and I am touched that you did this. Thank you for spreading the word of adoption too. I love the photos of Thimble. I am sorry about Astrid's tumor. I will be praying that surgery goes well and that it is benign. XO

The Island Cats said...

We were surprised to learn how few pets in the US come from shelters or rescues. We need to change that!

Sending tons of purrs to Astrid that all goes well with her surgery and the tumor is nothing of concern.

We also love your poem about Phoebe. She was a princess and will be sorely missed.

Brian's Home Blog said...

We sure enjoyed your post and the lovely tribute to dear Phoebe. We send our best purrs and prayers to sweet Astrid too. Thanks for joining the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!

da tabbies o trout towne said...

guyz.....total lee awesum post two day all round....a pawz a pawz a pawz...

thimble; yur doodle rocks for remember me thurzday; de poem for phoebe iz amazin; ewe iz gorgeouz az all wayz ~~~~ N astrid...we send st francis' blessings two ewe that all goes veree veree veree well ♥♥♥

catladymac said...

Purrayers & POTP going out for Astrid.

I wonder if the stats on the % of cats from shelters takes into consideration pets that were adopted before they ended up in a shelter. One of my cats was a stray rescued from up a tree in midwinter and the lady who insisted on her rescue couldn't keep her, so I took her, Two other of my cats are littermates who hadn't found a home and their owner threatened to drive them out to the country and drop them. My friend took them and passes them on to me because she knew I had just lost an older cat. Al 3 might have ended up in a shelter but never got that far.

Melissa, Mudpie and Angel Truffles (Mochas, Mysteries and Meows) said...

Today is such an important day. The world needs to understand that adoption is the only option. And you know that your artwork last year inspired our Halloween story! Love the new version too, and your Phoebe poem is purrfectly priceless. We'll be purring for sweet Astrid too!

The Daily Pip said...

I love both of your Remember Me Thursday Doodles - I always love your doodles, but the one with angel is especially sweet.

I will be thinking of Astrid on the 10th. I hope all goes well. Paws crossed!

Cathy Keisha said...

VIP—very important post. I pray that every cat will someday have a home. I miss Phoebe a lot.

Momma Kat and Her Bear Cat said...

We always love to see Miss Thimble! I'm not familiar with Astrid's health issue - but it could very well have formed even if you did everything right. Easier to say than believe - I am the worst critic of my own care for my kitties. For me, I think it's easier to blame myself than to admit that there are things outside of my control. If I can convince myself it's in my control - then I can do better and bad things won't happen. That element outside of our control is always the hardest part - especially when it comes to our furbabies.

Dash Kitten Crew said...

We are like you and Thimble, grateful and thankful for so many things.

We hope your #RememberMeThursday was os enriching as ours.