January 19, 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 )

Panda helps to get breakfast ready out of the pantry

Sullivan Helps With Breakfast

Bahhh Bahhh Bahhh

here come hay
No, Sillies, that’s STRAW, not hay !!!

Straw is to Sleep on. Hay is for Hunger! That’s how you remember when you’re a city girl just learning about these things. Gee how long did it take me to be able to look at that dried up grass stuff and know the difference in straw and hay? But when you get it wrong you’re in trouble. There’s almost no nutrition in straw. And hay can get moldy when wet with a mold that causes awful respiratory problems for dogs and cats. So you have to learn !!!

THAT is how much straw it takes to change out everybody’s bedding ONCE !!! We need that much once a week if it’s dry. When it’s real wet, lots more times !!! That’s $157.50 every time we change the straw out to give the critters nice warm beds !!! Want to help?

www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate )

or call the Co-Op at 540-672-2977 and buy a bale.

Panda shares Clarence’s lunch

Being National Popcorn Day, he let the animals have most of his Cracker Jack.

Tony gives Lucky his popcorn for National Popcorn Day

We try to make every day special for everybody !!

Waldo reaching in for his cracker jacks.jpg

No interest in popcorn here

They’ll take canned food, thank you !

These are the hoodlums

who caused so much trouble after dark last night.

Look all innocent now, don’t they?

But deep in the dark of the night Clarence and Tony discovered those naughty goats were out of their pen.

These pictures are from the next morning cus it was too dark and they were too busy to get them at the time.

First they had to fix the fence in the dark before they could rest for the night.

Then they had to run thru the briars. Ouch.

As Clarence tells it: We got 4 of the 5 goats in real easily. The 5th one ran around all over the place. Finally we got him back in the fence after running threw the briars that are head high 3-4 times. Our clothing looks like porcupine skin with all the briars stuck in them. I’d say I’ve got 500 or more stuck in my jogging pants.
OUCH it was an uncomfortable ride home for clean clothes !!!


But those little hoodlums haven’t gotten out again

yet !!

All the animals are HAPPY at Rikki’s Refuge tonight

With YOUR help we provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each and every day !!!!
Animals who had nowhere else on earth to go

Thank YOU for making it all possible.
www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

January 18, 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 )

Meet O’Reilly the O’Possum

Can you guess how he got his name? We recently discovered he was living under one of the non-functional vehicles.

We like having possums around. They help to protect all of us.

What are YOUR Favorite activities?
At Rikki’s we love strolling about

Just a bucolic scene at Rikki’s !!

Hanging out with friends

Playing around

Tigger practicing his dance moves

Rubbing on things

EVERYTHING is a scratching and rubbing post at Rikki’s !!

Riding on hoomans

And we LOVE pressies !!!

Just LOOK !!! Today’s Pressies goes a long way towards feeding us !!

YOU can keep everybody fed every day by sending a pressie !!! We always need canned cat and dog food and dry cat food. We get enough dry dog food.
Rikki’s Refuge
10910 Barr Ln
Rapidan VA 22733

www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

If you’d like to feed the bigger animals and birds, they always need Sweet Feed, Cracked Corn, Wild Bird Seed, Sunflower Seeds and Senior Horse Feed, you can call the Co-Op at 540-672-2977 and buy a bag. They’ll call and let us know to come pick up !!!

OH LOOK !!!!! A BOX !!!

Pressies … THE BOX !!!!

We love the boxes almost as much as we love the food !!!!

What you got there?

Grizzly says.

Mmmmm Mmmmm Good !! A lip smackin treat !!!

I can haz one too?

And our especially mostest favoritist time of the whole day is

NUM NUM TIME !!!!

We get so excited !!!

we line up for our turn !!!


Everybody heads to their respective feeding stations with anticipation !!!

That anticipation starts at least half an hour before num num time !!!

Big Pig .. Little Pigs

Many of our farm pigs (who grow to 1,200 pounds) live happily with our miniature pot belly pigs (who are 200-400 pound). Don’t ever let anybody fool you that a miniature pig only gets to be 10 pounds, or even 50 pounds. And that is the reason we end up with so many of them. People still believe the myth that a mini pig is a small animal and not a large heavy hoofed animal that cracks tiled floors and gouges out hardwood floors and roots thru drywall and carpet …. cus that is what pigs are meant to do !!! They’re not being bad …. they’re being the pigs they were meant to be !!!

Clinton the Duck

Clinton has been with us for ages now!! He came when the owner who loved him dearly passed away. Clinton is differently-abled. He has a wing issue called angel wing. This is often caused when the humidity isn’t right in the egg a few days before hatching and the wing sticks to the side and is fused into place wrong.

Clinton is a very talkative and very opinionated fellow. And he loves to care for small orphaned birds !!

Stomachs full, Lucky goes off to join the sheep in the field for the night.

Lucky came as a little calf who was scared of big cows. So he roomed with the sheep and Eddie, the miniature horse who bullies full sized horses but loves sheep. Together they make a happy family unit. Sometimes it takes trial and error, but we work hard to find that everyone has friends they can love !!

All the residents are getting ready to head in for the night ….

Everybody Lives HAPPILY EVER AFTER at Rikki’s Refuge.

With YOUR help we provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each and every day !!!!
Animals who had nowhere else on earth to go.

Thank YOU for making it all possible.
www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

January 17, 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 )

Snow covered morning

Beauty shows up for her morning job

She helps with morning patrols to check on everybody.
Every animal is checked first thing every morning and last thing every night.
Morning and night rounds, to make sure they’re healthy and happy.
Eye contact with everyone, even the feral kitties, or the sheep hanging out in the woods.
It’s a LOT of walking !!! A LOT of counting !!! And can be a LOT of searching !!!

HI Hooman, you can pleaz make snoooo go way ?

Bella and Goliath hunched against the wall to stay on the dry spots.

Randolph doesn’t care, he’s not a sissy, he’ll venture forth and get his feet wet in the melting snow.

Flavored water is always so much better

Despite having fresh water in just scrubbed bowls, the melting snow taste so much better. Just like doggies who prefer puddles to fresh clean water !!!

Speaking of nice fresh clean water ……

Oink Oink !!!

My name is Polly

I’m a hog, I might not be a groundhog, but I’m a hog, and I see my shadow, I declare six more weeks of this glorious wet and muddy winter !!!

Cat-ching some rays !!

Beauty the Beautiful can’t stay white with all the mud around here !!!

Paul brings the donation from Re-Tail out to Rikki’s.

Did YOU know we have a thrift shop to help raise money for Rikki’s?
Yup, Re-Tail at 3502 Lafayette Blvd, Fredericksburg VA, USA
We’re open 9-5 every Wed-Sun and we accept your donations of gently used household items, furniture and clothing from noon – 4 pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Come by and check us out !!!
When you’re checking out, telling the Cashiers, “Timmy, Rikki’s Official Spokes Cat Sent me” will get you a 10% discount on your entire purchase from January 20th thru January 24th !!!

Bonnie drives out from Charlottesville to bring donations collected at Pet Supplies Plus.

THANK YOU Bonnie !!!

And pressies delivered by the nice box bringing hoomans today too !!!!

WOW this has been a wonderful day. All the canned food for the cats and dogs were donated and everyone is happy. Tonight we’ll dream of what tomorrow will bring !!!!

We try to never worry about where our next meal comes from cus we know we can rely on YOU !!!!

Thank you for caring about us !!!

Pressie can be delivered to Rikki’s Refuge, 10910 Barr Ln, Rapidan VA 22733 by USPS, UPS, FedEx or YOU, at the end of the road, just before our gate, is a Donation Station! Thank you !!

So thankful for growing grass!!!

FREE nums for so many of our friends !!

There’s that car thief gang, huddled up planning their next move !!

Freckles – the cow with the most magnificent horns

just look at how fuzzy he gets in the winter !!!
Fuzzy and warm !!
Did you know that cows and horses and goats and pigs all get thicker fur and hair in the winter too ???

The sun goes down over a refuge without snow ….

but with puddles and more mud !!!

Everybody Lives HAPPILY EVER AFTER at Rikki’s Refuge.

With YOUR help we provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each and every day !!!!
Animals who had nowhere else on earth to go.

Thank YOU for making it all possible.
www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

January 16, 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 )

Colleen transported Archie to Rikki’s Refuge yesterday. I’ll have some pictures of him for you soon. He’s doing great. He’s going to be fine !!! Thank you to those who contributed towards his initial check up. He needs a little wound cleaning, ear mite treatment, worming, and a whole lot of food and love. HELP ARCHIE hurry and get out of quarantine !! www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

So this morning Colleen shared her facebook memory of seven years ago

and said, “Ok….so I have to laugh. This came up in my memories from 7 years ago….today.”

Our beloved Riley!! Gee she’s been here almost 7 years already? Time does fly when we’re having so much fun at Rikki’s Refuge.

Lauren, Rikki’s medical officer replied, “SHE may have been saved, but we were all sentenced to death by Riley!”

You see, Riley is a psycho kitty, as Colleen found out after inviting her into her home !!! Psycho kitties have trouble deciding if they want to rub on you and be petted, or if they want to taste your blood !!! They are very challenging to live with !!! We love them at Rikki’s, but they aren’t for your typical household !!!

The day started out beautifully with bright sun and blue blue skies.

In the afternoon dark clouds covered the Refuge and the air had that oh-no-snow feeling.

The kitties don’t like the snow much, and begged for their dinner early.

The kitties are asking – Who belongs to SAMS CLUB ?
Cus they’ve heard of a really great deal.

https://www.samsclub.com/p/mm-cat-variety-pack-32-5-5-oz-cans/prod22884479
Drop off at the collection shed outside out gate or send to
Rikki’s Refuge
10910 Barr Ln
Rapidan VA 22733

The amount of canned food the cats want … well maybe I should say get … is directly related to the temperature in the morning and the evening. In the summer it’s 11 cases for a meal. On really cold days it takes 22 cases … twice a day !!! It’s a lot of cat !!

By 4:30 pm the snow was falling, and falling fast

The pigs hate the snow

And started to head in and take cover

I’ve seen them stay in for days at a time to avoid walking in snow

Soon everyone was snuggled up for the night

and until the snow goes away !!!

All around the Refuge, everyone is taking cover

One lone cat braves the snow for a while

The geese are happy

it’s WET that’s all that matters !!!

One lone emu stayed out when Piggy Paradise & Emu Estates were empty

But soon even Peepers went in

Ending this snowy day with a beautiful Sunset

The cows don’t mind the snow, not until it’s too deep to keep eating grass. Then they kick it away as long as they can. Tonight it won’t get too deep to miss any eating time !!!

Not expected to be bad, but everyone will have to spend the night

keeping an eye on the animals and making sure all is well. Always have to think ahead. Cus what if it kept snowing and it got deep and the roads got slick. I can’t come to work cus of snow is never an excuse to let an animal be hungry or without water or without their meds !!!

Everybody Lives HAPPILY EVER AFTER at Rikki’s Refuge.

With YOUR help we provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each and every day !!!!
Animals who had nowhere else on earth to go.

Thank YOU for making it all possible.
www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

January 15, 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 )

Good Morning Hooman

Puffster. A rather fitting name, don’t you think?

Tish learning to get snuggles

Tish has been with us a few months. Terrified, especially of other cats when she came. Now making friends and learning abut snuggles and love from cat and hoomans !!! We love to see them get happy !!!

Isn’t she beautiful ?

The cats are admiring her as she struts past.

Wanna make a bet?
Who’s got a coin to flip?
Upppsss no coins around here at Rikki’s Refuge
all our coins go to buy food for the critters !!!
We just ask Mr Peacock !!!

HEADS

TAILS
Isn’t their construction beautifully wonderful and complex?

Pigs are the cutest !!!

I never really knew pigs till they came to live to Rikki’s.

Oh my gosh!!!

They’re just adorable!!

Cuddly, loving, playful, smart !!!
Ohhh to curl up in a pile of straw, surrounded by piggies, is so wonderful !!!

ALWAYS excited at canned food time !!!

Despite having unlimited dry ….. they know when it’s time for canned !!!!

And everybody gets excited !!!

Hey everybody !!! LOOK at this deal our friend Brenda found !!!! Help us wipe amazon out !!!!!

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01LXUPB98/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_fabc_uL-aGb8BH3SAD
Feed the kitties at Rikki’s Refuge No-Kill Life-Care Multi-Species Sanctuary.
With almost 600 cats, we need 11 and a half CASES for one small meal for everyone !!!
In the winter we need that twice a day.
Please help us !!!


If YOU have prime, it’s free shipping, and that makes it a wonderful deal.
BUT WAIT …. do THIS before you ever shop AMAZON again !!!
Sign up for Amazon Smile and choose LIFE UNLIMITED OF VIRGINIA INC (that’s us!) as your charity of choice. For every purchase you make afterwards, a donation will be sent to Rikki’s (at NO cost to you!). Just another easy way to help the animals of Rikki’s Refuge!
Just click: https://Smile.Amazon.com/ch/54-1911042

Do YOU know what helps us the most? If you sign up for an automatic shipment of cat food from Chewy or Amazon !! Just pick the day of the month or week you’d like to feed some kitties, and send a case or two !!!
Thank YOU !!!

Send to
Kitties of
Rikki’s Refuge
10910 Barr Ln
Rapidan VA 22733
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01LXUPB98/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_fabc_uL-aGb8BH3SAD

A foreign visitor stops in

Goose Goose …. CAT ?

Catouflage

Everybody Lives HAPPILY EVER AFTER at Rikki’s Refuge.
With YOUR help we provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each and every day !!!!
Animals who had nowhere else on earth to go.

Thank YOU for making it all possible.
www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

January 14, 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 )

Full Bellies and Blue Skies

Good Morning, welcome to Feline Fields today !!

Splish Splash I Was Takin A Bath …

It must be National Dump Your Food To Eat It Day !


ever have one of those days at YOUR house?

Wanda’s having a picnic

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe

Hey Hooman! We got any silverware around this place ?

Sun is starting to set over cows as Clarence finishes up there

Tina says what more could you possibly want in a job

than to be able to watch the sun come up and
the sun go down and the moon and come out !!!

Everybody Lives HAPPILY EVER AFTER at Rikki’s Refuge.

With YOUR help we provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each and every day !!!!
Animals who had nowhere else on earth to go.

Thank YOU for making it all possible.
www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

January 13, 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 )

From sunrise

to sunset

it was a beautiful day.

Warming up on the hood of Doug’s car

before the sun had warmed up the day.

Wanda is so happy to see Doug this morning

Howler lives up to his name

as he follows Doug around while they check up on all the animals.

A morning medley of animals

Something isn’t right here ….

Lucky the black cow

Do you see his best friend, Eddie the miniature horse behind him?

Riley loves living on the edge !!

Ben reaches out to grab his nums

Crybaby gives it a roll

Everybody Lives HAPPILY EVER AFTER at Rikki’s Refuge.

With YOUR help we provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each and every day !!!!
Animals who had nowhere else on earth to go.

Thank YOU for making it all possible.
www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

January 12, 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 )

OH !!! Hi there …. Good Morning

Ummm Excuse me

Could YOU open that door please?
The wall of all rooms that face the hallway in the 9th Life Center were replaced with fencing so everybody can keep an eye on what’s going all over the place all the time.

We just want to come out and meet the new residents …..

they look VERY interesting !!!!!

Look who just arrived !!!

Do you know what kind of birds these are?

They’re baby quail.

They’re raised for both “game” and food.

These babies were advertised on craigs list to be bough, kept a month or two, killed and eaten.

One of our supporters saw this ad and rushed out to buy them and save their lives.

Then started wondering how they were going to care for them properly in their home. Soon they ended up at Rikki’s where, when they get a little bigger, they’ll be able to live happily in one of our aviaries.

Did I have any idea some of the species that would need to call Rikki’s Refuge home when I started the sanctuary? NO WAY !!!! But I love everybody and they’re welcome to live in peace with us, away from the worry that they’ll be eaten. And no, they won’t get to meet the cats up close !

Running the gauntlet when the dinner bell rings ….

STOP!! HONK !!! STOP !!!

HOLD IT RIGHT THERE HOOMAN !!!!
QUALITY CONTROL CHECK

the quantity of food coming out must be examined for accuracy …. and taste !!!

Wanda says, THANK YOU

For the pressies !!!

Just look at all that dog food.
The dogs are always in need of your help. So many more people send cat food and make cat specific donations. Us doggies like to eat too !!! Forget them flea drops. We hate those. You can give those to the cats. But please think about us more often!

Good camouflage ….

the emus blend very well into their habitat

Afternoon nap time

Somebody’s about to get jumped !

Everybody’s HAPPY at Rikki’s Refuge.

With YOUR help we provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each and every day !!!!
Animals who had nowhere else on earth to go.

Thank YOU for making it all possible.
www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

January 11, 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 )

Hi!! Am I cute?

Breakfast time

and somebody is missing …..

Miss Piggy !!!!!!

Are you out AGAIN?

Get back in here !!!

An after breakfast roll in the mud

Emily Emu takes a break in the shade

Ducks take a swim

Titan gets ready to take a “sip”

a cow sip is gallons !!!!

Oh no the Car Theft Gang is at it again !!!

Pretty Tabby, Flipper and Batman sit around looking all innocent till you’re not looking, then quickly hotwire the car and take off ….

Oh LOOK pressies !!!!

It makes our day when the mail hooman brings us nums !!!!

YOU can send food to the cats, or anybody else, at
Rikki’s Refuge
10910 Barr Ln
Rapidan VA 22733

They’ll bring it right to our gate !!!!!

Right now the best price we can find is Chewy’s 9-Lives. Last time I checked Amazon was out.

BUT WAIT …. do THIS before you ever shop AMAZON again !!!
Sign up for Amazon Smile and choose LIFE UNLIMITED OF VIRGINIA INC (that’s us!) as your charity of choice. For every purchase you make afterwards, a donation will be sent to Rikki’s (at NO cost to you!). Just another easy way to help the animals of Rikki’s Refuge!
Just click: https://Smile.Amazon.com/ch/54-1911042

Do YOU know what helps us the most? If you sign up for an automatic shipment of cat food from Chewy or Amazon !! Just pick the day of the month or week you’d like to feed some kitties, and send a case or two !!!
Thank YOU !!!

All day long, everybody is strolling all around

Who’s in there?

Awww guys, don’t be scared

the hoomans don’t hurt us here, they FEED us !!!
The ferals get a lot of reassurance from seeing other kitties interact safely with the hoomans. Getting used to seeing that, takes a while.

Yeah, the hoomans here are pretty cool !!!

Most ferals will eventually loose the worst of the fear and start to hang around the legs that feed them.

Hanging out in a safe outdoor play area

Or on perches inside

By for now !!!

With YOUR help we provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each and every day !!!!
Animals who had nowhere else on earth to go.

Thank YOU for making it all possible.
www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate

January 10, 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 )

Houseplant Appreciation Day? What can you do with that at an animal sanctuary? Can you imagine nearly 600 cats AND houseplants? I suggested our wonderful photographers kept their eyes open for any plants.

Then Tony said, “LOOK what I found !!!” It’s Theresa’s mural at the Life Center. When finished it will be our Tree of Life with memorial pictures of past residents of Rikki’s Refuge !!!

Panda loves being snuggled

The ferals love their hammocks

The pigs love napping in the sun

The cows love each other

Who can resist just hanging out and resting in the sun?

Eddie gets up to come get a pat and treat

Goose and Peacock are taking a stroll

There’s always time for a laugh

Meow

Friends love hanging around together … no matter the species

Everybody is having a lazy sunny day …. except the hoomans … but they love working on nice sunny dry days too !!

And everyone lives HAPPILY EVER AFTER at Rikki’s Refuge.

With YOUR help we provide life long homes to well over 1,000 animals each and every day !!!!
Animals who had nowhere else on earth to go.

Thank YOU for making it all possible.
www.RikkisRefuge.org/Donate