Horatio The 3 Legged Cat from Kentucky

Friends, I apologize for the delay in my post as Hurricane Irene had me occupied yesterday. Today I would like to share my friend, Mary, and her three legged rescue kitten, Horatio. Mary has several rescue cats in her home, and one day heard a terrible screaming from a ditch near her home. She went to investigate and found a small gray kitten bleeding with a back right leg hanging off. Mary took the kitten home, as she is a nurse, and got him warm and stable to take to her vet office. Horatio had been shot, and sustained a serious fracture which would require the removal of the leg. Plus his kidneys had been hit the bullet and he had blood in his urine. Mary did not have the funds for such an expensive surgery, but with the power of Chip Ins and Facebook, the money was raised in less than 48 hours for the surgery. Horatio is now home and recovering very well under Mary's care. His staples are out, and he moves quickly, learning to not let his disability hinder his life. He chases the other cats, plays, and takes the stairs as if he had 4 legs. We can all learn a lesson from Horatio, first, never give up on a life. It may seem daunting, but ask for help. Horatio is a living testament of this. Second, do not let a disability take away from life, enjoy, play, love yourself for who you are, never let anyone make you feel different! Third, Mary never gave up on Horatio, and never had a second thought about helping this kitten who would have died in the ditch. Try to help an animal, make a call, stop at a vets, or a shelter, but never turn your back on an animal in need. Special needs animals can teach us so many lessons, and they in turn, show us just how normal their lives can be.

Special Needs Pets & Their People

This is my first in a weekly post about Special Needs Pets. Moki and pets like him are an inspiration to me every day. I volunteer at Animals in Distress, located in Limeport, PA. We are a no-kill shelter, and we have two spokescats, Spook Cat and Eli. Both are paralyzed in their hind legs, both have a playpen for daily living, and a special crate for night time. Eli has learned to use a cart for better mobility! I tell each adult and child who visits of their stories, Spook was hit by a car, and Eli was used as target practice in a terrible apartment building. Even with such harsh pasts, they are sweet boys, playful and loving to all who visit. They have daily needs and can never be adopted out unless the person has skills and time to care for them 24/7. Every day, they are sweet, hold no ill will to their care givers who prod and clean them daily, make us laugh with their tricks and truly inspire me to accept others for who they are inside, not what makes them different outside. To see Eli move along with his cart his thrilling; any child who sees him can think, Hey, I can get up and try to walk too! Never judge a special needs pet or person from the outside, take a moment to get to know them; you will have a friend for life!

Is It Time For Your Shelter To Redesign Their Website?

In today's social media driven world it is more important than ever to pay attention to your online presence. Your website says a lot about your organization and a poorly designed website might not be saying the right thing about you or your organization. If your website contains small print, no pictures of your facilities or your animals, no donation button above the fold (the area of the website shown before one has to hit the scroll bar to scroll down,) and is severely lacking in the display of social media buttons, then it might be time to consider revamping your site...