March 15, 2021 Monday at Rikki’s Refuge

all in a day’s work …. photos by those caring for the animals
(you can help support those animals at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate)

Brrrr it’s chilly this morning, we’re all crowding to the window with the most sunlight


There’s even ice on all the water containers this morning. Booo where did spring go?

Good Morning !

Remember our Wild Friend? He’s back !!

He went away for a few days and we figured he’d headed on to meet his gaggle. He’s back alone. I wonder if he lost his mate and is feeling alone in the world? He’s very welcome here. I just hate seeing him alone all the time. Maybe he’ll eventually make friends with our geese. Or another flock will stop for a visit and he’ll join them. The idea of anyone feeling sad and alone just breaks my hart.

Time to get up you say?

Mmmmm breakfast time !!! Wake me any time for nums !!

Did somebody say BREAKFAST?

We love a great big pile of shredded wheat for breakfast !!!!

One good long drink from a full water tank, and it needs refilling !!! It takes a lot of water to keep a 1,500 pound cow from being thirsty !!!

Breakfast is coming !!!! Breakfast is coming !!!! Breakfast is coming !!!!


How long before the goats will find these?

Soooo many water bowls to scrub and bleach out every day.

It’s a lot of work, and it keeps our residents happy and healthy !

And oh the floors to mop. I wonder how many square feet of flooring there is over the entire refuge? I don’t know, but it takes hours to mop them all clean every single day. If you have a few animals, and you can do the math, you can probably imagine how much icky stuff gets dumped and projected and leaked onto the floors !!!

And don’t forget the litterboxes, they’re VERY important !!!

We’ll never forget your litterboxes, we know how important they are. Good nutrition, fresh air and cleanliness are so important to keeping everybody healthy. And clean litterboxes makes our jobs (da hoomans) easier too. Cus kitties won’t use dirty ones !! So that’s more floor scrubbing.

We use a TON of pellets every week to keep all the kitty’s in nice fresh clean litter. When we used clay, it was several tons, cus it’s so much heavier. The wood is easier to keep clean, easier to clean up with they kick, and so much lighter on the hooman backs, and so much cheaper at the dump since we pay by the pound.

If you can help, you can call and order for Rikki’s Refuge directly from:
Deep Roots Home and Garden Center
28284 Constitution Hwy, Rhoadesville, VA 22542
540-854-5093
Order Hardwood Heat Pellet Fuel (cheapest when they have it in) or Pelletized Horse Bedding (a few cents more per bag) for ~$5.99 (market price fluctuates about 50¢ a bag week to week
Just tell them it’s for Rikki’s Refuge.
They’ll contact us to come and get it !!!
Their hours are Tuesday – Friday 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday 9 am to 3 pm, closed Sunday and Monday.

Play Time !!!!

Follow the leader

Let’s sliiiiide …..

Hey Marbles !!! What you wanna play while dem hoomans clean up?

Over here Panda !! Over here!! I found toys !!

Oh cool !!!!

I think I smell a puddy tat …….

Panda Panda come here !!! I found a great rolling spot !!!

Mmmmmmmm … Yeahhhhhhh

I’m just going to take a nap if you don’t mind

King of the MOUNTAIN !!!

I’m goin for a swim

On the count of ten, we fly out, and see who can get home quickest …. one … two… three

Anybody up for a game of head butt ?

I just wanna be wif my bestest friend ever

I want a hair cut

I’ll close my eyes while you go hide …..

I’ve searched everywhere … she’s no where out here

… meanwhile back at the barn

Mr Peacock roams the refuge far and wide looking for SOMEONE to admire him

Because of YOU we live at Rikki’s Refuge

www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate
Rikki’s Refuge, 10910 Barr Ln, Rapidan VA 22733 (shipping address for food, etc)
Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960 (secure box for checks, etc)

Thank YOU for not letting us end up in an oven !!

March 14, 2021 Sunday at Rikki’s Refuge

all in a day’s work …. photos by those caring for the animals
(you can help support those animals at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate)

Cock-a-doodle-do rise and shine !!!!!

Let’s go down to the creek and see who came by in the night !!!

Sure hope the freezing nights we’re supposed to have the next few days don’t kill the flowers that have come up.

Good Morning Isabella? Breakfast?

Did I hear THE word !!

Kaywood snoozes in an empty litter box !!!

Hoping there will be enough to fill them all up !!
Keeping our kitties in fresh litter takes a pallet, 2,000 pounds, of wood pellets.
We use 50 bags a week. Really, not that bad for over 500 cats !!!
If you can help, you can call and order for Rikki’s Refuge directly from:
Deep Roots Home and Garden Center
28284 Constitution Hwy, Rhoadesville, VA 22542
540-854-5093
Order Hardwood Heat Pellet Fuel (cheapest when they have it in) or Pelletized Horse Bedding (a few cents more per bag) for ~$5.99 (market price fluctuates about 50¢ a bag week to week
Just tell them it’s for Rikki’s Refuge.
They’ll contact us to come and get it !!!
Their hours are Tuesday – Friday 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday 9 am to 3 pm, closed Sunday and Monday.
Thank you !! Meow !!

Breakfast for the birds !!

Ohhh look at that sky, and it’s warm, what a beautiful spring day !!!

Doug knows just where Lucky’s sweet spot is !!

Clarence cleaned and scrubbed and bleached out Patrick’s water bowl, and before he could fill it, Patrick has mud in it again. Clean, and repeat !!

But it’s a wooly caterpillar, not a bird, I no canz eatz it?

Nope Marbles, ALL species sanctuary means just that. We protect everybody.

Goat and cat

Goat and dog

Sunny and warm enough to seek shade in the middle of the afternoon.

It’s been a wonderful day. Warm and dry. So many extra chores for done. And with the sun staying up longer, there’s more time to get work done without having to work only by the light of a headlamp. A wonderful invention, but does make it more difficult to do a lot of things than doing them in sunlight.

Everyone will need new hay bales tomorrow. And it’s supposed to rain. It’ll be much more pleasant to do that work as the sun goes down and it’s dry, than to do it in a cold rain tomorrow.

It will take almost a dozen trips back and froth to the hay barn, loading up, driving to several stops in Bovine Boulevard, to Piggy Paradise, two trips to Horsey Haven, 2 more to Ramsey Residence and several to Capri Corners.

Nobody could resist their late night fresh hay !!

Because of YOU we live in peace knowing we are loved at Rikki’s Refuge

www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate
Rikki’s Refuge, 10910 Barr Ln, Rapidan VA 22733 (shipping address for food, etc)
Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960 (secure box for checks, etc)

Thank YOU for making our lives possible !!

March 13, 2021 Saturday at Rikki’s Refuge

all in a day’s work …. photos by those caring for the animals
(you can help support those animals at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate)

Caturday !!!

Dedicated to out Platter Puss today !!!

Looks like it will be another beautiful day … just waiting for the sun to be fully up

When noon comes round … it’s DONATION DROP OFF TIME
and that means time to head up to the life center to get ready to welcome visitors !!
Do YOUR blinds look like ours? Compliment of Kitty Decor !
We have wall and door trim decorators too.

The Life Center has the worst drywall I’ve ever seen. The cats just scratch and rips the cardboard stuff off from the drywall and leave great hunks out of the walls. A volunteer once accused the humans of constantly destroying the walls she was trying to paint !!! But nope, these Kitty Decorators do all the destructive work on their own !!!
As we head to open the gate …. the sun is high and bright

And We’re OPEN

DONATION DROP OFF AT RIKKI’S REFUGE’S LIFE CENTER
21410 CONSTITUTION HWY, RAPIDAN, VA
EVERY SATURDAY FROM NOON TO 3 PM

Please stop by with food. It’s the purple gate at the end of the rainbow fence at the corner of route 20 and Quarterhorse Ln. The gate will be open, come on in, follow the signs and drive up to the Life Center. After dropping off your donations we invite you to walk around in the beautiful fresh country air while visiting with some of the larger animals. We’re still not allowed to invite you inside, or do full tours of the refuge, but bring apples and carrots to hand out to the goats, sheep, horses, cows, alpacas and pigs. We have a porta potty on site for your necessities.

You can always drop food and supplies off for Rikki’s at our Thrift Store in Fredericksburg too.
Re-Tail, 3503 Lafayette Blvd, Fredericksburg, VA

Bring donations and then visit with the larger animals on a safe outdoor self guided tour !!

Meanwhile, down at the refuge, a mile further back than the Life Center, and critters are missing visitors. They long for the time full tours with folks walking all over, and bringing treats, will come back. So they plan a contest for the afternoon to keep busy.

Today will be Turkeys vs Peacocks
The contestants are rounded up


Seriously? Why not a contest of strength instead of show?

We want to play Head Butt !!!

The contestants square off

The Emcee climbs to the top of podium

The crowds gather to watch

Some of the contestants aren’t playing fair and trying to buy votes with the promise of Double Your Dinner !!!!

As the show begins

The judges watch with rapt attention



The displaying and posturing continue

Until a winner is chosen !!!

We really need to get him a white or a black backdrop so he stands out better, he’s always washed out with all the green grass and trees around him.

While most of the animals are entertained by the visitors down at the Life Center, or by the contest at the refuge, the hoomans toil on. Never a moment to rest, for if you sit down, someone instantly jumps in your lap, and someone on your shoulders and you must start patting and snuggling.

Ivan The Great hitches a ride to help deliver hay to the big critters

Getting ready to roll and head to the dump ….
what do YOU see wrong with this picture?

Yup a resident will be in trouble is the hoomans don’t take some evasive actions !!!
Before any vehicle can roll out … or roll at all … it’s down on all four and check thoroughly underneath, walk around and check on top of every tire… whack on the hood, especially in winter if the vehicle has been sitting …. then if the windows were open, totally search the interior for stowaways, under the seats and all …. check the bed of pick ups for anybody in, under, or between any of the cargo. All non-hooman stowaways must be evicted before leaving the property !!!

These are the kind of things you learn in volunteer training. How to be safe, how to, at least pretty much, avoid being stomped, smashed against barn walls, horned, clawed and bitten, and how to make sure every resident is safe and secure.

Welcome to Piggy Paradise !!!

Where we’re suffering horrible with our mud drying up.


Look hooman! Our pond is drying up!

Pleaz… Hooman … you can bring that hose over here

and make my life just heaven !!!!!

THANK YOU !!!!! Come on in, I’ll share !!!

Because of YOU we live in bliss at Rikki’s Refuge

www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate
Rikki’s Refuge, 10910 Barr Ln, Rapidan VA 22733 (shipping address for food, etc)
Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960 (secure box for checks, etc)

Thank YOU for our wonderful home !!

March 12, 2021 Friday at Rikki’s Refuge

all in a day’s work …. photos by those caring for the animals
(you can help support those animals at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate)

I’m sorry I’m behind on getting the news of Rikki’s Refuge out to you every day. About a week behind at this point. Some days end up being longer than others. There are so many things to do to take care of the animals every day, things at the refuge, things at the store, things with suppliers, supporters, donors and more !!! Many things keep me on the road for long hours. Sometimes by the time I finish for the day, it’s way late and I’m so tired, I just go to sleep for a few hours before getting up again. I always promise I’ll get up an extra hour early to get that newsletter done. But sometimes I just can’t wake up after two hours !!! Or I get up and there’s more Its-Just-Got-To-Be-Done things waiting. I know you love reading about what happened yesterday. I’m working on catching up!!! IF there are no unexpected disasters today, I’ll get three days of What’s Happen at Rikki’s out to you !!! But if somebody calls and says I’ve got 1,000 pounds of cat food and I’m only two hours away, and it has to be out of our store before we close today …. well …. I’m on my way !!!!

Trying to decide if it will rain or sun today

Let’s head out to the woods and see what we caught on the trailcam over night !
Rocky is the only one to cross the creek at our spot last night.

Marbles is winking at YOU !!! Good Morning !!! Got nums today ?

Yes sweetie, every day, nums for you and all your friends !!!

Mr Peacock showed off and displayed for attention

But the attention Toby and Marbles gave him wasn’t exactly what he had in mind !!

The Rainbow over the Bridge.

Getting faded and needing YOU to come out and help us keep up with painting !!!

Panda hops in the bucket of the tractor to head to pigs to give them breakfast.

Ohh please let it rain today

I so miss my mud

The skies are darkening

Ohhh please let the rain come and make mud … please !!!
As soon as the rain starts the pigs run to the mud hole !!!

The geese are thrilled to see water again !!!

Panda says, “I guess I’ll go inside and wash dishes.”

By 3 pm the rain has stopped and the clouds have blown away and it’s a beautiful day !

It’s truly spring !! Beautiful things are spring up ever where !

Spring peepers start singing as the sun goes down, and keep it up all night till the sun begins to rise.

Not the “friends” we’re happy to see again this year. Every year the ticks seem to get more populous. The guineas love to eat them. Such a blessing to have them !!

The ferals back as far away from the hoomans coming to clean up.

Grass is coming up every where, fast and beautiful !!! Soon we’ll be mowing for hours every day !! If only everything was fenced in appropriate sections where the sheep could just move from one area to the next to do all the mowing !!!

5 pm and it’s still sunny and warm and beautiful !! Yup, we love the spring !!

Thank YOU for giving us chance to LIVE at Rikki’s Refuge.

www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate
Rikki’s Refuge, 10910 Barr Ln, Rapidan VA 22733 (shipping address for food, etc)
Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960 (secure box for checks, etc)

YOU have saved our lives !!

March 11, 2021 Thursday at Rikki’s Refuge

all in a day’s work …. photos by those caring for the animals
(you can help support those animals at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate)

Foggy foggy morn

Lazy lazy day

Clarence has been seeing bear tracks down by the beaver pond, so he put up a trailcam. He caught this gal last night, but nobody else.

Please bring back our mud ….

Hey … water’s over here !!! Come on to our picnic !!!

Look at ME Look at ME Look at ME

Fine … don’t pay me any attention

I’ll go away ….

I’m gonna take a nap.

Thank YOU for giving us chance to LIVE at Rikki’s Refuge.

www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate
Rikki’s Refuge, 10910 Barr Ln, Rapidan VA 22733 (shipping address for food, etc)
Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960 (secure box for checks, etc)

YOU have saved our lives !!

March 10, 2021 Wednesday at Rikki’s Refuge

all in a day’s work …. photos by those caring for the animals
(you can help support those animals at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate)

How are YOU today? We are having a lovely spring. I hope YOU are too, where ever in the world you are.

This is a Woolly Caterpillar.

We see a lot of them in the fall. We’re told that how long their “fur” is and how much black they have is an indication of how cold the winter will be. I can’t say I’ve studied it enough over the years to know if it’s right or not.

I do know I’ve never noticed them in the spring before. But they’re all over this year. So I googled it. They hibernate over the winter and then come out for a few days before spinning a cocoon to sleep in for month or so. When they wake up, they’re Isabella Tiger Moths. I always thought they’d cocooned over winter. But they wake up and eat for a few days to store up energy for their transformation.

I do wonder if they have a clue what’s going to happen? Do they know they’ll be different when they wake up? And when they do, do they have a memory of being a caterpillar? Can YOU imagine going to sleep one night, and forgetting to set your alarm, and waking up a month later to be a totally different creature? The world would suddenly be so different. Just imagine that !

I think that’s what the turkeys are talking about this morning too.

The birds are probably our most active animals. They love to strut all around. March to their own drummers. They’re always on the move. Well not always! They do stop and rest at times. Especially on hot days, they’ll rest in the shade in the middle of the day. But they never miss investigating every inch of their territory at least once every day. They’d be so miserable is held captive in small areas.

Pigs, on the other hand, are probably our most sedentary creatures. Moving only for food, or to a sunny sleeping spot, or a nice muddy hole, or …..

Contemplating the plight of woolly caterpillars.

Getting a nice cool drink.

Time for musical sleeping spots …

Do book early for your Spa Day appointment at Piggy Paradise this summer !!!!
We offer full body mud baths.

And good Virginia red clay facials !

AND you get all the popcorn you can eat while during your Spa Day appointment. We’ll try to send you out looking as beautiful as our pigs !!!

Some of our dogs have earned the privilege of being Free Rangers. To earn that status, you must promise not to run off the property, and to never hurt another resident. This is the rule no matter your species. When you learn to volunteer here, we’ll let you have Free Range when you’ve learned all about how to be safe around everyone, and how to keep them safe around you !!!

Very few of our dogs will promise to obey the rules. Well that’s not exactly true. Many promise, but few keep that promise. It’s just so hard for most dogs to see cats and ducks and geese and to refrain from the chase, or to resist herding the goats or sheep, or worse, trying taste somebody !

Did you know the pictures you see each day were taken that day !!! The folks working at Rikki’s snap pictures as they have time and see something they want to capture. You’ll see a lot of favorites over and over. And you’ll see different areas of the Refuge each day depending on who got the best pictures that day !!! But what you see, is always what’s happening that very day !!

I know a lot seems same ol same ol each and every day. And it is !!! Our residents don’t often change. Every year a few reach the end of their natural life span, and then a few more come to live with us. But the population stays pretty stable. Except for the times we’ve been able to build new areas. But that takes extra funds, and the volunteer power to build.

The farm critters are certainly the largest group of eaters on the Refuge. Especially if we include the birds in that. This truck of sweet feed, will only last a few days. They’ll also need a second truck of cracked corn to go round.





It seriously takes a village to feed all the animals at Rikki’s Refuge !!

If you can help, you can call and order for Rikki’s Refuge directly from:
Deep Roots Home and Garden Center
28284 Constitution Hwy, Rhoadesville, VA 22542
540-854-5093
Order Wrangler All Stock (sweet feed) and/or Cracked Corn, each $11.59 per bag
Just tell them it’s for Rikki’s Refuge.
They’ll contact us to come and get it !!!
Every bag is a HUGE help !!!
Their hours are Tuesday – Friday 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday 9 am to 3 pm, closed Sunday and Monday.

And you know who else eats – and poops – us out of house and home on a very regular basis !!

This is a pallet of litter coming in.
Keeping our kitties in fresh litter takes a pallet, 2,000 pounds, of wood pellets.
We use 50 bags a week. Really, not that bad for over 500 cats !!!
If you can help, you can call and order for Rikki’s Refuge directly from:
Deep Roots Home and Garden Center
28284 Constitution Hwy, Rhoadesville, VA 22542
540-854-5093
Order Hardwood Heat Pellet Fuel (cheapest when they have it in) or Pelletized Horse Bedding (a few cents more per bag) for ~$5.99 (market price fluctuates about 50¢ a bag week to week
Just tell them it’s for Rikki’s Refuge.
They’ll contact us to come and get it !!!
Their hours are Tuesday – Friday 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday 9 am to 3 pm, closed Sunday and Monday.

Riley says not only will she poop on the floor, but she’ll bite you if her litterbox is not immaculately clean !!!

Go on Panda … you can do it ….

What an amazing jumper !!

Thank YOU for giving us chance to LIVE at Rikki’s Refuge.

www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate
Rikki’s Refuge, 10910 Barr Ln, Rapidan VA 22733 (shipping address for food, etc)
Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960 (secure box for checks, etc)

YOU have saved our lives !!

March 09, 2021 Tuesday at Rikki’s Refuge

all in a day’s work …. photos by those caring for the animals
(you can help support those animals at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate)

Today’s photo newsletter is dedicated to Paddy Cat and his daddy Ron Herfurth.

Long, long ago, in September of 2004, I got a phone call from someone who’d taken in a cat and just found out he was FIV positive. She’d been told she had to euthanize him right away. He was dangerous, he’d spread the disease, just being in her house he’d infect her other cats. And, anyway, with FIV he’d lead a short and very miserable live. Constantly sick till he died.

But he was perfectly healthy, except for that little blue dot on a test. And she could not bear to kill him. I told her, yes, we housed FIV positive kitties, and in our experience, they were pretty healthy and most of the evidence these days was saying as long as they’re neutered (so they’re not fighting with that deep biting or their rival males, and females of their affections) they’re ok to live with negative cats and there would be no transmission. She wanted to keep him, but feared causing injury to her other cats, or watching Paddy Cat die a long and horrible slow death. This is what so many vets were saying back then, and what most of the literature said. It was only the sanctuaries who didn’t kill them and housed them for life who were discovering their lives were 16, 18, 20 years and had no more illness than negative cats. It’d still be years before the rest of the world caught up with what we already knew.

So Paddy Cat came to Rikki’s. He moved into Cat House #4, where most of our FIV positive kitties lived. Paddy Cat was longhaired and very loving. Our wonderful volunteer Ron Herfurth, who a few years earlier had come on a tour at Rikki’s, returned the next weekend to adopt Cassie, a lovely long hair calico, and then returned the next weekend to volunteer, and has returned most weekend and holidays ever since, met Paddy Cat. Ron loves long hair kitties.

Soon Paddy Cat was following Ron around when he’d work in Cat House #4. Ron had a special place in his heart for FIV kitties too. They were getting such a bad rap at the time. Turned into shelters and usually killed just for a little blue dot.

One day Paddy Cat decided to go home with Ron. That was April 9, 2005. Paddy Cat and Ron and the rest of their feline family

If you’ve seen our pretty theme colors, Ron’s the man responsible. He’s got a great eye for mixing and matching colors. Like he did here at the Life Center.

Ron paints and fixes up, and builds, and landscapes. He’s planted hundreds of fruit trees for the animals all over the Refuge!!

The wishing well in the Center Garden at the Life Center came to us in pretty bad shape.

And see what Ron did !!!

Ron is also the one responsible for most of our pretty signs !!!

And Ron is responsible for having given Paddy Cat a wonderful home for almost 16 years !!! AND TODAY IS PADDY CAT’s 21st BIRTHDAY !!!!! He’s been a happy healthy boy all these years.

And to think, they wanted to kill him when he was only five years old, cus everybody knew if he had FIV he couldn’t lead a happy healthy life and would be better off dead.

Most of our FIV kitties live until close to 20. Our longest lived kitties, those making it over 20, have mostly been positive for FIV. And not a single one of them ever had any health issues we don’t see in the general negative population. Yes, they often come in ragged and torn up. Cus they’re trapped on the streets after a bad fight with another tom and have infected injuries, and they often need a dental when they come in, as do most of the kitties who’ve been living on the streets eating garbage to survive. But once they’ve been fixed up, they’re just as healthy as can be.

Next time YOU adopt, think about welcoming an FIV positive kitty into your home. Though the myths about them have tamed down, there are still people afraid to give them homes, so they end up in shelters on death row far more proportionately then non FIV kitties. Give one a chance to prove how wonderful they can be !!

We have another beautiful day upon us !!!! We’re really enjoying this wonderful warm dry spring weather !!!

Guarding the last cases from the pallet we got

Riley says, oh yeah, you wanna fight over that food?

We’re on YOUR side Riley !!

Stay out of here, we’ve for our case and we’re not sharing.

Who’s gonna share with me?

Will there be anything left of us today?


It’s cool guys, I grabbed a case for us.

Yeahhhh, chow time !!!

Contented cats …. after their all you can eat breakfast buffet



Some stay out of reach unless you’re offering something to eat !!

Mmmmmm stretch it out

Some bellies are fun to scratch, others hurt like heck when you

work at Rikki’s, you learn which bellies are safe to scratch and which aren’t !!!
Are YOU talking about me?

Yup, you learn mighty quick. Some bellies are better left alone !!


All these friggin cats, why do people always want to take pictures of cats?

Cats always like to camouflage in or on colors that match their fur.



The peacock is really marvelous construction !! Each different type of feather has a job. Some hold up the long colorful feathers, others are for rustling.

And everyone lives happily ever after at Rikki’s

With YOUR help we can save and provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each & every day !!!!

www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate
Rikki’s Refuge, 10910 Barr Ln, Rapidan VA 22733 (shipping address for food, etc)
Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960 (secure box for checks, etc)

Thank YOU for making it all possible.

March 08, 2021 Monday at Rikki’s Refuge

all in a day’s work …. photos by those caring for the animals
(you can help support those animals at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate)

What a beautiful world !!!

Mr Peacock is on the fence about who to show off to today !

Scrubbing and filling watering stations

Our friends can’t wait to get in the clean water and hop in before it’s full

Isabella appreciates a good long drink of clean water. We’re still getting some ice forming overnight, despite the wonderfully warm days.

Look at this amazing thick long ruff !!! As the weather warms it will start to shed out, by summer you’ll hardly know he’s a long hair kitty in the winter !!!

I love you fresh straw

Myyyy post !!!! Now I will spray you !!!!

The reason many of our kitties are considered unadoptable. We’re willing to create a safe environment for them, one that we clean up everyday. But most households won’t put up with that, and pretty soon, spraying kitty is booted out. Here, they’re welcome forever !

And some are positive for the leukemia virus.

And some help with the pooper scooping

Cats have the most beautiful eyes

Some just can’t stop showing off

Sheep love fresh grass. It’s much tastier than hay. It’s like having fresh off the vine strawberries instead of frozen ones. As fast as it will try to come back in for the spring, the sheep will eat it down.

And everyone lives happily ever after at Rikki’s

With YOUR help we can save and provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each & every day !!!!
www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate
Rikki’s Refuge, 10910 Barr Ln, Rapidan VA 22733 (shipping address for food, etc)
Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960 (secure box for checks, etc)

Thank YOU for making it all possible.

March 07, 2021 Sunday at Rikki’s Refuge

all in a day’s work …. photos by those caring for the animals
(you can help support those animals at www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate)

Good Morning !!!! I just wanted to make sure YOU knew how much you mean to us.

Thank YOU so much for the cat food YOU send me. And the litter. And the hoomans to keep every thing clean for me !!! I preciate you SO much on this beautiful sunny day!!!

I really do have to say YOU are something to crow about !!! Thank you for the cracked corn.

YOUR kindness makes me SMILE !!! Thank you for the sweet feed. And the nice straw to sleep in.

Can you get me some more mud? It’s running out here.
Thank YOU for being YOU, and for the sweet feed !!!

I love MOOOOOO so much. I love the sweet feed and the hay you get for me !!!

Oh !! Hi there ! Thank you for sweet feed. Come visit me on Saturday, and bring apples !!! The gate is open from noon till 3 pm !!! Bring some donations to DONATION DROP OFF and you’ll

get to visit with lots of us and feed us !!!! Don’t YOU think it’d be fun to feed ME ??? I sure do !!!
Thank YOU for the cracked corn. And especially thank YOU for making a place called Rikki’s Refuge be here. Horrible things happen to most of my kind. I’m so thankful that YOU support Rikki’s Refuge so I can have home where I can live my whole life and nobody will want to eat me.

Thank YOU for the food !!! I especially liked the canned food you sent me!! It was so good !!! I’m so happy on days there’s enough canned food for all of us.

Baaaaa and THANK YOU for the sweet feed !!! Bring me some pears and come to visit on Saturday !!


YOU’re so special to me !!!

Thank you for all you do for all of us !!!

Chevy giving this Ford a good hard shove …..

Ohh I hate the rules here.

I so want to …..

As THAT time approaches …. the crowds begin to form

The same scene plays out all across the refuge …..

the hoomans clean it up ….. and the animals dirty it up !!!

If you’re coming to Donation Drop Off on Saturday, grab some bleach and detergent to bring !!

The last little bit of ice left at Rikki’s. The geese are hoping it will melt into a great big pond !!

Investigating something a goat reached in and grabbed !!! Why do all sheds and everything have kitty doors? It’s too easy for a free ranger to dash in when you’re not looking, and we don’t them locked up and stuck inside. So it’s a safety issue.

Where are you off to Mr. Peacock

Rollin with a load of cat food

Everyone at Rikki’s Refuge is thankful for your support

because YOU are what makes it all possible !!!

www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate
Rikki’s Refuge, 10910 Barr Ln, Rapidan VA 22733 (shipping address for food, etc)
Rikki’s Refuge, PO Box 1357, Orange VA 22960 (secure box for checks, etc)

Thank YOU !!!