March 06, 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)

Another bright, bright, bright, sun shiny day !!!

Still here and hanging out on his own. He rushed forward this morning to claim a pool of his own.

Every pool, every water container, from bowls to 300 gallon troughs, must be scrubbed and bleached out every day.

We use about 3 gallons of bleach a day and half a gallon of dish washing soap !! Don’t even ask how many rolls of paper towels we go thru picking up those nasty presents so many of our friends leave around for us !!!!

You’re NOT speaking of ME, are you?

Panda supervises while dishes are washed up!

You COULD just let me lick them clean !

Don’t forget, you have to wash and sanitize all the carriers that you make us go to the doc’s in too.

Kiss Kiss, I love YOU !!!

What was THAT for ?

Hangin out on a nice sunny day

By late afternoon, some of our residents thought it was warm enough to seek shade.

Did I just hear the dinner bell ?

We all get to eat at Rikki’s Refuge

because YOU love us and YOU send food !!!

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 !!!

March 05, 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)

Ohhh another BEAUTIFUL day !!!

And with the warmer weather we can use the hoses again !!! So wonderful not to have to carry 5 gallon bucket of water, sloshing down our legs and into our boots !!!

Listenin to da hoomans … blah blah blah

yeah yeah yeah

Smoky Joe’s feathers rustling in the light breeze

So many dishes to wash …. every day …. twice a day
Mount Dishmore !!

We drag a can around the big fields and fill it with poop.
Yep, all the poop has to be cleaned up.
Load it in the tractor and haul it to the compost pile.
Everything but the cat and dog poo, which has to be bagged and hauled to the dump!
Herbivore poo is fine to compost. Not so with carnivores ! Too much risk of disease to the wildlife.
Cleaning poo is one of the jobs less savory in warm weather than when it’s freezing !!!

The sundeck is a favored place today !!

YOUR support gives the animals a second chance 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)

With out YOU these animals would have no home !

Thank YOU !!!

March 04, 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)

4 am under a full moon – time to start the day


Do you HAVE to start in here, hooman? I could use a little more sleep.

I’m ready for breakfast !!! Thank you for coming so early, hooman.

An hour later, the cats are fed, their beds in the wash, litter boxes changed, floors scrubbed, and we’re ready to head outside to work


The sun is on the way


Looks like it will be another beautiful day !

Since merging Emu Estates and Piggy Paradise, at the insistence of the emus, their breakfast must be high out of reach of the tallest pig. Emus eat much slower than pigs. If the pigs could reach, there’d be nothing left for the emus. Some animals eat till they are comfortably full. Others must eat everything they can get to their mouths !!! Now you know why that term is used for hoomans with the same habits !!!

Wez can have breakfatz now, pleaz?

Hooman? Hey Hooman?

Pay attention to me!!!

I’ve picked out what we’d like for breakfaz. You open now, ok?

Yes, Hooman, this will do fine, thank you. Waldo

Hauling the hay to the big ‘uns … one bale at a time !

Uncle Paul bought this tractor for us !!!! Our old tractor wasn’t big enough to pick up a bale of hay. Hay can weigh up to 1,500 pounds a bale. And a pallet of food weighs about 1,000 pounds. And our little tractor would tilt forward with the wheels off the ground. Uncle Paul’s big tractor has a bush hog that is TEN FEET across …. our little tractor’s is only 4 feet. That means when we’re mowing big areas, it goes 2 1/2 times faster. And since there is never enough time to do everything we’d like o every day at Rikki’s Refuge, that means a lot.

Thank you so much Uncle Paul. I hope you know how much this tractor has meant to us over the years !!!! You’re an awesome Uncle to all the animals !!!

Once the hay is in place and the big guys and gals are distracted munching away, we can take their grain out to them and distribute it to every body. If they see their grain coming first, they’ll charge you and rip the bags from your hands. And us little hoomans don’t have much chance playing tug of war with 1,000 and 1,500 pound animals !!!!!

Next come the cracked corn for the birds and a few of the others. Anybody who needs fattening up get some corn.

Once everybody is fed and happy, the serious cleaning begins. With over 100 giant litter boxes to dump, clean and refill …. it takes a LOT of litter !!!!

On such a beautiful, sunny, cool day, everyone spends the afternoon snoozing and playing in the sun. Well all the animals.



King of the Mountain


STOP workin and scratch my belly !!!

ME too !!!!!

And part of the job is taking time to hand out love and pats and scratches and shoulder rides.



The purrfect mis of mud and sunshine …… total bliss


Mr Peacock isn’t playing fair, when I try to claim the mountain, he flaps his wings in my face and screams !!!! Shadow

Meanwhile the hoomans have a lot of work to do.
Every couple days trips to the store to bring in feed are necessary

and litter

They have to go to the dump, they have to wash litter boxes, they have to do the dishes, and it’s a LOT of dishes for all these animals !!! They have mountains of laundry to keep clean. They have to fence and gate maintenance, they have roofs to fix and plumbing problems, and diesel to get for the tractor, and inventory to check to make sure there’s enough food for tomorrow, but also bleach and laundry detergent and dish washing detergent and fabulosso to mop the floors with and everything else they’ll need, like paper towels, and maybe even toilet paper for the primates who use the porta potty !!!

5 o’clock comes and go and with the longer days, nobody even notices, the work goes on.

If the work isn’t done by the time the sun has gone down, the headlamps come out !!

YOU support makes this 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)

With out YOU these animals would have no home !

Thank YOU !!!

March 03, 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)

The sun comes up on another beautiful day at Rikki’s Refuge

Meanwhile ….. at Bovine Boulevard …..
as the sun rises all the cow come out, marching in the same direction, coming to investigate ….

What is THAT stuck on our fence?

Don’t worry guys, just something that blew in overnight. We’ll get rid of it for you !!!
Every fence line must be inspected, every morning, and every evening, no matter the weather. And in icy or windy weather where a tree might come down on a fence, even more often !!! Occasionally some kind of debris catches on a fence too. The animals are always very curious about anything different or out of the ordinary in their neighborhoods.

Once everyone’s been checked on and any issues have been dealt with, it’s the mostest favoritest time of the day !! BREAKFAST !!!

Kneeling to say grace before Breakfast.

Did you say BREAKFAST !!!

Let’s wrap up this meeting, I hear breakfast on the way !

Oh yeah !!!! MY favorite time of the day !!

… until DINNER !!!

Stealing some cat food

Everybody gets fed even when they’re stubborn about coming to the table !

The Life Center has a heat pump for heating and cooling. We must heat to keep pipes from freezing. And many elderly or special needs residents live in the Life Center too. They need heating and on the hottest most humid days, some of them need the cooling.

The last electric bill was more than double the normal, so we asked Don (the bestest hvac guy on the planet) to come out and check it out. Fortunately it just needed charging and it’s all better now and that electric meter is spinning a lot slower !!!

BUT …. there’s now a $243 bill to pay. If you’d like to help any of the oldsters or special needs residents of the Life Center pay their bill YOU CAN !!! www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

Thank you for helping us. I have very fractious diabetes and have problems with real temperature changes. I have asthma and can’t breath very well when I’m cold or when it’s really hot and humid. I’m very elderly and my joints are so terribly stiff if I get cold. Thank you so much for helping us. We just don’t have the health to be able to get jobs to pay our bills. We rely on YOU. YOU are the miracle that gives US life ! Thank you so much for making it better.

Trying to get that itch !

The goats will tilt their heads back to scratch their shoulders and upper back. I so often wish I had horns to reach those hard to get places !!! Imagine just being able to tilt your head back and get a good back scratch !!!

Good swimmin holes are getting scarce as we start to dry out from days of rain

The ducks are not thrilled with this wonderful beautiful sunny weather !!!

Oh please ! Let it RAIN !!!

Donations of livestock feed …..

Donations for the cats and dogs

We are SO very thankful for days like these where there is enough food to go around for all. Even those who want a second helping. It’s so hard when we have to ration canned food and say, I’m sorry, you’re young, you’re healthy, you’ll have to skip canned food today.

Thank you so much for your mail in donations of canned cat and dog food.

Did you know we’re now open for DONATION DROP OFF on Saturdays? From noon to 3 pm. AND when you come with donations, you can visit with the larger animals, cows, goats, horses, sheep, pigs, on a self guided tour. Bring them apples and carrots and you’ll make friends for life !!!

NO. I am not coming down. I know you’re hiding a pill.

Medicating your patients can be quite challenging at times ! Unless they’re sick enough to need confinement in a cage, first you have to find them, then you have to climb to them, capture them, convince them not to bite, claw, horn or kick you, and often, clean your wounds and bandage up before moving on to the next patient !!

Bedding needs to be changed out very frequently while nights are cool and mud abounds !!

She just loves to help spread around fresh straw !!!

As the sun goes down

We’re so grateful for YOU and your support !

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)

We could not survive with out YOU !

Thank YOU !!!

March 02, 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)

What a beautiful day !!!!

Donations today !!


We are in need of DRY CAT FOOD and the cheapest place we know to get it is Tractor Supply.
It’s $18.99 for 44 pounds, and we eat two bags a day. Yup, that’s a lot, but there are a LOT of us !!!

You can order a bag on line for us and we’ll pick it up at the local Tractor Supply.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/multi-cat-dry-cat-food-40-lb-bag#

What YOU need to do to buy us a bag:
choose the Orange, VA, 22960 store for pick up
List “Rikki’s Refuge” as the pick up person
and when you get confirmation that the order is ready
message me at m.me/RikkisRefuge
or www.facebook.com/Kerry.Hilliard
or email me Kerry@RikkisRefduge.org
and give me the following information
order number
your name exactly as it shows up on the order
what you bought for us and the quantity

We must have all that information for Tractor Supply to give the order to us.

We love Tractor Supply’s Paws and Claws canned cat food too, really, we’re not at all picky, we just want to eat !!!! If you can get the large cans it’s a good price, but usually they’re out. If you want to buy us canned food here, we’re happy to pick it up. But for the cheapest prices for
CANNED CAT FOOD are Chewy, Walmart.com and Amazon

If you’re mailing us food, here’s the ONLY address for deliveries:
Rikki’s Refuge
10910 Barr Ln
Rapidan VA 22960

If you’re mailing a check, please use the secure address:
Rikki’s Refuge
PO Box 1357
Orange VA 22960

We are NOT picky about flavors !!!

And we are VERY VERY HAPPY with anything else too, any flavor, pate, gravy, anything. We promise to dig right in and not say a word, except, well, THANK YOU !!!!

It’s always Cats Cats Cats ……

We’re all smiles at Rikki’s !!!

We’re all SMILES at Rikki’s Refuge cus YOU save our lives !!!

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 !!!

March 01, 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)

Stormy day

Argument about WHO gets this puddle !

Somebody got a feather pulled out of place.

Community pool.

This creek is usually slow and meandering, now it’s rushing right along. The ground is so soaked trees are falling.

How’d you get so muddy Smacks? Somebody’s gonna be mad but they’ll be heading in for a bath real soon.

I think I’d rather be a sheep than a goat in the winter time !!!

Piggy Paradise is a true paradise of mud !!

Waldo declared he was a house cat for the day AND he’d have breakfast in bed, thank you !!

K&S to the rescue, despite the mud here they come to clean the hooman potty !!

I am totally disgusted with all this rain

me too

What is that glowing orb parting the clouds ?



Meet little Cricket – she’s with us cus of congenital cardiac issues.

FINALLY !!!! Some blue sky !!!

and the critters come out …. one … by … one









Make him get up and play wif me …

I don’t know …. but I don’t think it’s so smart for a sheep to fight with a goat …

YOUR support gives us every day of our lives …. rain or shine !!!

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 saving our lives !!!

February 28, 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)

Ohhhhhhhh yesssss we have rain !!!!!!!!!

Just look at that smile !!!!

The ducks cheer on the rain with a call … FLOOD FLOOD FLOOD

Why am I in here with the ducks? And don’t I get a say in this FLOOD thing?

None of us get a say in the FLOOD thing, but I can tell you why you’re in here with the ducks. You were a very very very bad boy to the hens and other roosters. You know the rules at Rikki’s Refuge, if you want to free range you must promise to stay home and not go high tailing it off to neighboring property and getting yourself in some kind of trouble AND you must promise not to hurt any other residents. You repeatedly violated that. So you lost your rights in general population.

And the floods came …. dang those ducks !!!!

The outside ducks want to come in and swim with the inside ducks

I’m Clinton, and I approve of this rain !!!

Speak for yourself silly duck, I’ve about had it with all this wet

Ohhh so happy geese !!

Dancing for more rain

I am not a goose and I am not happy

The ground is so saturated the water now just pools or runs off, creating rivers everywhere there was once dry land

The rivers undermine fences

The rivers run everywhere

Can I be a indoor guard dog and protect you from burglars today?

I can sure tell you I’m a house cat today !

We agree, being on the house is the only place to sit and not be in a puddle.

High and dry, that’s me !!

I found a dry spot !!!

Donations in !!! Lunch time !!!

How much more gloomy can it get today ?

That is red we see in the sky tonight, right? Hoping for delightful weather and sunshine in the morning !!

Even when it rains, YOUR support is our ray of sunshine !!

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 giving EVERYONE a chance for LIFE !

February 27, 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)

No, I’m NOT an ordinary cat, and I don’t poo in a box!

I really admire you !!!! Someday I’ll learn how to use the porta potty too !!

says Smiles, who got his name, cuz he always does !!

And YOU thought stare downs were the domain of cats !

Wanda !!! Been digging in the mud again, I see.

It sure is a wet day.

Remember meeting our Wild Friend a few days ago? He’s still here. Hanging out as the only goose with Patrick and Preston the pig. He seems perfectly healthy. Occasionally we have had one stop in and stay a while. Though they usually visit in groups or pairs.

I’m going back to bed, call me when the sun shines.

The 200 cases of cat food have arrived. And now I’ve got to pay for them. Just need a little bit more help and we’ll be there !!! Thank you so much!!

Now we know we’re fed for a few days !!! A case doesn’t go far when you have almost 600 to feed !!!

YES, we have our very own Platter Puss !!

No, these don’t live here.
Yes! They really exist ! Aren’t they beautiful !!! I wish they adorned our trees here !
Technicolor 3 foot long 4 pound giant squirrels. Yes this is the real coloring of this Malabar giant squirrel !! They live in India. They feed on tropical fruits in the tree canopy. And can jump 20 feet between trees. They create food stores in treetops high above the forest floor instead of underground like other squirrels.

You can verify their reality and/or learn more about them here if you wish.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/yes-giant-technicolor-squirrels-actually-roam-forests-southern-india-180971886/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_giant_squirrel


I love learning about all kinds of animals, don’t you?

Your support of Rikki’s Refuge provides over 300 acres of pristine woods and wetlands preserved for it’s rightful owners !!!

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 giving EVERYONE a chance for LIFE !

February 26, 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)

Morning started out cloudy and cool

with the sundeck in use, but not high demand

Still a little bit of snow in shady areas

Panda says, Can we open our donations now?

Nooo, I was just getting some sleep in this wonderfully comfortably bed !!!

HANG ON A MINUTE …. where’d he come from ?


I pick the most comfortable bed in the house

The cats LOVE this. It was donated by Deep Roots yesterday and the cats say MMM MMM good. You’ll see them right on RT 20 on your to Rikki’s Refuge, 28284 Constitution Hwy, Rhoadesville. Stop in a grab a bag or two on your way over to visit. Or leave there at Deep Roots for us to pick up !! Thank you


It’s litter changing day !!!

and it started raining in the afternoon

Smoky Joe doesn’t like rain

Turkeys aren’t happy

The geese are ecstatic !!!

Thank YOU for making the world of Rikki’s Refuge

a BEAUTIFUL place !!!

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 !

February 25, 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)

5 am and time to get the Life Center cleaned up for the morning

Go ahead … reach for it …. I dare YOU … Riley




Getting light enough outside to work without a headlamp

Honors takes a selfie

then decides to let Tony da hooman try his hand at photography !!!

Who do YOU think for the better picture ?

Tony also shot this majestic goat. Shooting at Rikki’s is always done with a camera !!

Such a beautiful day !! The sun deck is the place to be !!

Did YOU know everything Rikki’s survives on donations from YOU ?
Donations of food and supplies. Visit us at Rikki’s Refuge on SATURDAYS for Donation Drop Off and take a self guided tour of with the large critters at the Life Center. Bring apples and carrots to feed the horses, cows, sheep, goats and pigs!!

Our store Re-Tail also relies on DONATIONS of gently used household items, furniture, clothing, indoor and outdoor decor and more !!!!

Bring a bag, a box, or a whole trailer full to Re-Tail. We sell everything and use the proceeds to feed and house the animals !!
Re-Tail is open to accept donations at the Store Saturdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And on Saturdays, bring some food or supplies to the store and help us FILL A TRUCK and FEED THE ANIMALS !!
Thank YOU for you support. We cannot do it without YOU.

Come sit a spell. If the chairs are occupied there’s lots of room on the ground!

No matter how much you love cats, you can certainly get your cat fix at Rikki’s Refuge.
With over 500 cats, you’ll find new friends in every color and size !!






The cats will come from all over to greet you !!

Rikki’s Refuge has over 300 acres set aside for native wildlife !!! You’ll see many of them wondering about. Watch for our nature hikes, they’re always a lot of fun !!!

Don’t miss the doggies!! There may not be as many dogs as cats, but there just as loved !!
Most of the dogs have a favorite hooman. Wanda’s is Doug. She’s the first to greet him every day.

Beauty chose Lauren and is out to meet her as soon as she hers Lauren’s vehicle approaching.

Such beautiful blue skies !!

It’s even beautiful at the dump today !

Hustle and ruffle your bustle !!!

No, she didn’t get caught under a falling limb. She saw a comfortable sitting spot and wiggled under !!

Do YOU enjoy seeing pictures of the residents at Rikki’s?
Do YOU enjoy learning about how we take care of them?
Would YOU like to help us ?

We’re hiring for full time positions. Just be here on Saturday at noon to learn more.

Don’t want a full time commitment, but still want to help?
How about becoming a VOLUNTEER ?

I need volunteers at Rikki’s Refuge and at Re-Tail our store.
Which fits your interests more?
Email me at Kerry@RikkisRefuge.org or message me at m.me/KerryHilliard (click or copy and paste)

I can’t wait to hear from YOU !!!

By 6 pm the almost full moon is out !!!

When YOU care, we thrive !!!

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 !