Tales, T-shirts, and Thanks

By Published On: 9 March 2012Last Updated: 17 January 2017

From great sadness and tragedy comes compassion and kindness.

What's in this post

“Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.” ~ Hermann Hesse

Last month, with a heavy heart, I told you about the loss of my soul-dog Olli.  The past 36 days have been filled with great sadness, it’s still so hard to believe that she’s never coming home.  And even though I know it will get better with time, life still seems a little lonelier without her here.

I’ve gotten so many emails, tweets, and cards from people all over.  Some of you have shared your own story of loss, some of you are experiencing loss with me right now.  Those conversations are so precious to me, they help to smooth the ragged edges of my grief.  Thank you for each one.

I also introduced you to Lakini the polydactyl and her medical issues.  Since then, Lakini has seen an internal specialist.  After an ultrasound it has been determined that the her liver is enlarged, with a large cancerous mass growing on it.  They believe that that the mass is not surgically excisable and that there is little they can do to medically treat her condition.  As the mass grows, she will continue to deteriorate.  For now, her symptoms are minimal- the most noticeable is the weight loss.  She’s a mere 6 pounds now.  Still, she seems happy- I’m going to do my best to ensure she remains comfortable and happy for as long we have.  And bombard her with extra love, you know.

Now 11 days after Lakini’s diagnosis my eldest, Gypsy, is sick.  She has been diagnosed with 75% loss of her renal function and now requires weekly fluid treatment.  I don’t know how old Gypsy is, she was found on the streets as an older cat.  The vet estimated that she was around 6-8 years old when I found her, it’s been 12 years now she’s lived with me.  With luck, her weekly fluid treatments will keep her comfortable and stable for many more months (and years) to come.  Fingers crossed.

It’s easy to keep questioning yourself over an over again about every decision you made for the health of those animals when things like this happen, particularly all one on top of another.  I am cautious and careful to provide the proper (and excellent) nutrition to all the girls, as well as providing preventative health care and medical treatment when necessary.  Both my normal veterinarian and the internal specialist have assured me these incidents are tragically random, and I know they’re right, it’s just hard.

Caring for two senior cats who are sick is a (an emotional) challenge, one made worse by the burden of an ever-growing vet tab.  Last month I introduced the YDV Souvenir Shop, our little online t-shirt shop.  I’m selling t-shirts to help raise money.  Perhaps you want to buy one?  I recently added two new designs:

Also, you can feel extra good about purchasing a shirt because I give back!  Each month I’ll select a new charity, rescue group, or sanctuary that cares for the lives of animals to donate to.  I heart fundraising for animals.


 

 

 

 

This month’s group is We Are Family Animal Rescue and her sister organization, Lasa Sanctuary, both run by Joy Smetzer.

I am a lifelong animal devotee who believes that our loving relationships with them bring out our greatest human potential. I recognize the connectedness of all life and hope to bring this awareness to the forefront of holistic healing and authentic living. I began my animal advocacy at the age of 12, giving speeches on animal testing issues. At 30, I graduated with my BA in Education and went on to found We Are Family Animal Rescue, Inc which continues to work to rescue and adopt companion animals into forever homes. I am currently pursuing my graduate degree in Community Counseling and plan to implement eco-therapeutic programming and experiences into the Sanctuary. Now, a fully committed vegan and advocate for all life, I seek to reach out the arm of compassion and welcome all to experience the ultimate unity of life, love, and joy.

Pretty kick butt, right?  I thought so too.  So, buy a shirt?

Finally, I want to say a special thank you to the 35 people who donated to the FundRazr account.  I am blown away by your generosity, thank you for your kindness.  Thank you to those people who didn’t donate but shared the donation link with other people, I appreciate it.  Thank you all for your compassion and sympathy, you are all wonderful.  So wonderful.

And for those who have asked, the FundRazr will run until March 31, 2012 or until we hit our goal- and thanks to some awesome people, we’re halfway there.

Give

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HELLO! I'm KD Angle-Traegner.

Writer, activist, and founder of Four Urban Paws Sanctuary. I’m on a mission to help people live a vegan life. Read more about KD…

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