Give to the Max Day and The Kitten Story Part I

The Kitten Story

My kitten saga began on July 11 of this year, the day I returned home from a wonderful vacation on the North Shore of Lake Superior. My neighbor informed me that she had a mother cat and five kittens living under her deck. Not being an animal lover in any sense of the word her plan was to trap them and bring them to animal control. Of course this meant certain death because nobody would claim them during the five day waiting period. I asked her to please let me trap them and find homes instead. A few days later, before I could locate traps and a place to spay and neuter them, I severely injured my eye. A week later I received a call from this neighbor. She had become impatient and decided to start trapping on her own. She wanted me to come over because she had trapped the father cat, he was mad, and she was afraid to let him out.

I was greeted by a horrifying scene: she had baited the trap in the morning before work, left it out in the hot sun on her deck all day and now wanted to 'let him out' so she could try again to trap the mom and kittens! I took Henry, a cat I had been feeding outside for several months, back to my healing space and again asked my neighbor to let me handle things. It's been a great lesson in unconditional love and forgiveness. Luckily she hadn't trapped the mom or a kitten because they would not have survived the hot day in the sun.

Henry was a mess- full of fecal matter and urine, severely dehydrated, with massive injuries to his head, neck and shoulders from his futile attempts to escape the trap. I managed to give him water and food through the spaces between the wires and brought him to my vet the next day. There he received all the tender, loving care he needed and made it quite clear that he was not wild but simply an abandoned domestic kitty. I brought him home to the Spirit Garage, my healing space, and his new forever home. These are before and after photos of Henry.

It was at this point I came into contact with a woman named Gene Marault, founder of a small, grassroots rescue organization called Stray Feral Rescue. Gene began the organization after moving to a Saint Paul, Minnesota neighborhood that was home to many stray and feral kitties that were not being cared for or helped. It was during this time of seeking support for her rescue efforts that she realized how few resources were available to help her. This was the birth of Stray Feral Rescue.

Gene was immensely helpful and spent a good deal of time counseling me on trapping the kittens and mom, how to proceed once they were caught, and how to "gentle" them once I had. She even lent me two of the gentler type of traps called Tru-Catch that work with gravity instead of being spring loaded! Gene is extremely knowledgeable and patient. I encourage you to visit their website (click on their name) and learn about all they have to offer. It is truly a godsend for someone who wants to help kittens and cats, whether stray or feral, to be rescued or cared for if living outside. Without her my rescue efforts would have been nearly impossible. Here is a photo of the humane Tru-Catch live trap.

Because of this help I am encouraging you to support her efforts by donating to Stray Feral Rescue on Giving to the Max Day from midnight on Thursday, November 15 through midnight November 16. Give to the Max Day was created in 2009 to increase giving to nonprofit organizations across the state and move more giving online. It is a day for Minnesotans to come together to raise as much money as possible for nonprofits and schools in twenty-four hours starting at midnight on November 15, 2012 through midnight on November 16, 2012. By engaging as many donors as possible to give to their favorite Minnesota charities in one day – Give to the Max Day — GiveMN.org is showcasing Minnesota’s unparalleled generosity to the world. During last year's Give to the Max Day $13.4 million was raised to benefit Minnesota nonprofit organizations with a record 47,534 donors logging on to GiveMN.org to donate to their favorite Minnesota charity.

Give To The Max Day is unique in that 'extra' donations will be given throughout the day. For example, every hour (from 12:00 am until 11:59 pm) one donation made through GiveMN.org will be drawn at random and the recipient of that donation will receive an additional $1,000 donation from GiveMN. Plus, at the end of Give To The Max Day, one donation from across Minnesota will be randomly selected for a $10,000 Supersized Golden Ticket! The more donations Stray Feral Rescue receives the better the odds of winning extra funds. (You will receive a receipt for your tax deductible donation.)

To increase their chances to win a Golden Ticket consider breaking up your donation into several donations throughout the day. For instance, if you are planning to donate $100, donate $10, $20, or $25 several times during the day. If you are an early riser or a night owl, donating in the wee hours of the morning or late at night will increase their chances to win a Golden Ticket because there won’t be many donors at those times. You can donate by clicking here: Stray Feral Rescue Give to the Max. Of course, you can also use this link to donate to Stray Feral Rescue at any time. Here is Gene with one of her many rescues!

The Kitten Story Part II

I will continue The Kitten Story in the next newsletter. It will include The Kitten Escape and The Arduous Kitten Re Rescuing. You won't want to miss it! By the way, all of the kittens are still available for adoption. However, it may be easier to be approved for a baby than one of my kittens. Just sayin'...!

Other News

I have settled on Saturday, December 1 for the Animal Communication Part 1 class. Please check it out and join us for a fun day connecting with both animal lovers and animals!

Drumming/Shamanic Journey Service

I have been asked to do the 9 am service at Lake Harriet Spiritual Community on Sunday, December 2 and the theme will be Ritual and Ceremony. I will continue my regular every other month rotation thereafter. There were twenty-six people in attendance at the last service and the circle energy and messages from the spirits were extraordinary! Come join us whether you're a seasoned journeyer or have never journeyed before. One size fits all and it is a unique and beautiful way to connect with spirit for guidance and healing.

The Edge Expo

The Edge Expo two weeks ago was a huge success! I had over ninety people in attendance at my talk on animal communication and was busy the rest of the time doing animal communication sessions and psychic readings. Thanks to all of you who attended!

I hope you are finding a way to bring light to these cloudy days of November! Many thanks, as always, for your support of my practice.

Warmly,

Lena