Family Members, Donors, Volunteers, and Sponsors are invited to join us TODAY October 13, 2018 from noon – 4 pm at our Vincent D. Cat Memorial Life Center to celebrate our birthday and see the good work that YOU have done and visit the animals that YOU have saved ! And if you can’t make it, but would love to give the animal a birthday gift, click right here!
In case you missed it, here is the story from our founder, Kerry Hilliard, on how Rikki’s Refuge began……………
Why have I chosen to do what I do?
Because I believe everyone deserves life Everyone deserves love. Everyone deserves respect. Everyone deserves trust. Everyone deserves a home. Everyone deserves to be important simply for who they are.
Everyone means the elderly, the differently abled be it mentally or physically, the ill, everyone, without exception, no matter how many legs they may have or how long their ears are.
Over 40 years ago I first looked into the eyes of an animal that had been abandoned by everyone he loved, everyone he trusted, discarded from the only world, the only family, he had ever known, and now knew he was about to be killed and tossed in the trash simply because there was no one else to care, no one else to love him, no one else to let him live.
No one should feel that kind of pain, that kind of loss, that kind of hopelessness of losing the one they love, being betrayed by the one they so fully trusted, losing their whole world, and now their life, all at once; all because nobody cared. Trust, respect, love; these are things we, every living being on this earth, want and live for.
Absolute breach of trust is a horribly devastating thing. I knew I wanted to make those broken hearted, betrayed, untrusting, lost and scared souls once again find trust, love and a happy place.
Since looking in those hurt, untrusting, unloved, abandoned eyes that day, all I’ve wanted to do with my life is see eyes like that become happy, trusting and joyful again. His eyes became the driving force in my life and what I have lived every day for ever since.
His name was Justin, by the way, and he didn’t die that day. He was a little tabby cat and he came home with me that day and lived with me for the rest of his life, a little over 16 years.
Now, over 40 years later, there have been thousands, almost ten thousand, eyes like his I’ve looked into and helped to change from untrusting, sad, fearful and unloved, to trusting, happy, loving, and joyful and given them a home where they are appreciated for who they are.
What more can anyone want in life?
What makes Rikki’s Refuge special?
Rikki’s Refuge, and all the humans who have made it happen, the donors, the volunteers, the staff, are very, very special. Yet they are no more special that everyone working towards the same goals everywhere. None of us can do it all. Yet we can all do enough to count. When everyone chooses to help, then together, we will do it all, and no one will be left to suffer and die for lack of love and a home.
Rikki’s Refuge is no more special than the adoption agencies who find new loving and caring homes for those abandoned and born on the street. No more special than those who rescue the abused. No more special than those who work to make speutering available to everyone. No more special than those who educate the masses.
Rikki’s Refuge is different, in that we can offer life long homes and care.
We are blessed to have the land, the volunteers and the staff to help us build and maintain housing and to care for everyone every day; to care for them as in feeding and cleaning and giving medications. And, just as important, to care for them as in loving and treating them all as beloved family, no matter what.
That is what sets Rikki’s Refuge aside from most other animal organizations: the ability wonderful donors and volunteers have given us to provide caring, loving, forever, life long, family environment homes to all the different creatures who inhabit our many neighborhoods; Feline Fields, Doggy Downs, Piggy Paradise, Horsey Haven, Chicken City, Ducky Digs, Goosey Gardens, Ramsey Residence, Capri Corners, Pigeon Palace …. and all the other areas designed just for the happiness and comfort of their residents.
This is Betty – if you have been out to Rikki’s for a visit, you for sure have met this lovely lady. She likes to supervise her area of the tour! Betty came to us from New York City. She was roaming the streets and a call went out for Animal Control to pick up this poor lost kitty. Well Betty was not impressed. She snarled and tried to elude the officer. She was finally caught on the end of a rabies pole. That’s a long handle with a nose on the end that you can get around an animals neck, keep them secure and keep them at a distance so they can’t bite you. It’s used as a last resort when catching an animal, or when one fears the animal will bite. Well …. Betty, once again, wasn’t impressed. When the officer got her into a cage and was attempting to remove the noose … Betty bit. That’s called a provoked bite in the animal biz. I mean, really, come on, if the aliens dropped in, chased you down, noosed you, tried to put you in a cage ….. would you fight for your life? Would you bite? At any rate, the rules are the rules and any animal that bites may not be adopted back out into the city. It may be taken by a rescue organization that is out of state. But it will not be allowed to live in the state.
She will only come in the 9th Life Center a couple nights a year when it’s really cold … like below zero. Other than that, she says “thank you but no thank you, I’ve got a purrfectly fine and beautiful thick coat and I’m happy right here !!”
The compound was not an animal friendly one, so even though he was safe from other cats beating him up, his life was threatened with human abuses including food poisoning. {shudder} For his own safety, he was moved to the Paws Rescue Qatar retreat living in the friendlies’ communal room with other friendly cats and the retreat’s resident rabbit. Despite his former life as a street cat, Scarface is now incredibly sociable and is always the first one to run up to people for cuddles. Scarface tolerates other cats and is never aggressive with them. He lives happily with them but keeps his distance. He isn’t one to curl up with them but is happy to be around them. He will tell them when they are too close and the worst he does is the odd tap to the head. LOL – scary right? Here at Rikki’s Refuge, Scarface is a favorite of the staff and is just a really pleasant dude!