Remember Me Thursday #LightForPets Because You Can
This is a revised post of a lost post and re-published.
We support Remember Me Thursday® #Lightforpets, a global awareness campaign to remember all shelter pets.
This year more than ever, we support Remember Me Thursday™ #Lightforpets, a global awareness campaign celebrated on the fourth Thursday of September to remember all shelter and homeless pets who died before finding a home. Mike Arms, President of the Helen Woodward Animal Center, created Remember Me Thursday. Millions of orphan pets die yearly mostly from euthansia. Many are healthy, wonderful cat and dogs and some never knew any home before they died. Each one deserves to be honored and remembered so their lives were not in vain.
By lighting a candle on Thursday, September 25, 2014, we honor those lost pets and bring awareness to the pets in need of forever homes.
Adopt or foster a shelter pet. This week is Adopt A Less Adoptable Pet Week. Old, blind, FIV+, black, one-eyed or just different means those pets are less likely to be adopted. I’d like to add: cats from hoarding situations. There is a prejudice that is unwarranted.
Click and Light a Remember Me Thursday™ candle now or create a ceremony of your own. We welcome your adoption stories and photos on our Cat Wisdom101 Facebook page.
We’re dedicating this day and candles to two gray boys: Our Angel cat Gris Gris and Angel Gray Boy. One found a home late in his life and the other never knew a real home. Gris Gris lived 10 years as a basement mouser, one year at a shelter and three happy years in our home before dying at age 15 in December, 2013. Gray Boy, 8, lived an unknown time caged in a horrific hoarding situation before being rescued In May, 2014 by the New Rochelle Humane Society. He lived in a cage in small, windowless room at the shelter and died before an opportunity to be adopted. He remains the inspiration and muse for our shelter volunteer adoption feature. I intended for him to come home with me when his health improved, but it never did. He had cancer. I regret not bringing him home to enjoy even a few days of sunshine and freedom like our beloved Radish.
Most recently, B.W. died, thankfully in a loving foster home.
We’re also pausing to remember the dozen or so other shelter cats I got to know in the past year who were euthanized because of illness. There was an contagion outbreak recently (resolved) and prior to that a new policy whereby only staff are allowed in the back rooms where I used to work. So that means less socialization, no Reiki, and little to no time out of cages for the cats. I’ll comment on that in another post. I don’t know when I’ll be able to go to the shelter and uncertain whether to continue our shelter cat feature. If you have suggestions, let me know.
Shelters are stop gap refuge but it breaks my heart to see cats grow up or grow old in a shelter setting.
Let’s shine the light of awareness to adopt shelter pets and not buy one from a pet shop. Please share this post and spread the word about Remember Me Thursday on Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels. Remember to use the hashtag #LIGHTFORPETS on Twitter or Facebook to share your thoughts and feelings about the importance of pet adoption and responsible pet ownership. One candle can light a thousand more. Be the light.
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020 thoughts on “Remember Me Thursday® #LightForPets Because You Can”
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It’s so important to honor the lost cats and others without forever homes. Every cat deserves one!
I wish I has seen this sooner, I am a nightowl and my usual day to make a special visit to ‘talk’ to Merlin.
I have done TNR out of pocket for well over 20 years. The cats who break my heart are those who were housecats who some person has left behind, turned out or not wanted. They want love so badly and most often arent fixed and start a slow decline on the streets,
I can barely tolerate shelters the main one here wont even release numbers and it is cheaper to destroy them then to adopt them. It falls onto the smaller shelters and people doing TNR to keep tings in check.
There are so many beautiful cats, beautiful souls out there who need homes whether it be short term or long term.
One of our most poignant was a cat we named Snowball. He was obvously someones cat – 4 paw declawed, nuetered, and found barely alive in my husband’s garage (he has a cat door into the garage and we heat it for those who need it) We took Snowball in and a few days after he went to the vet. Snowball was diagnosed with FIP the dry form. The vet didnt even have to test him as he recognized the cat and said the owner wanted the cat put down but the vet refused as the FIP hadnt progressed far enough to warrant being PTS.
We made a bed for Snowball upstairs by my husbands computer and they spent many hours together away from the other cats who might have stressed him.. David would feed Snowwball treats , watch the birds through the window, and we would both fuss over him. Snowball lasted over a year until he passed quietly in his sleep.
He was loved again in the end. I always thought his ‘owners’ lost out he was a beautiful animal.
I wish they all had homes, and I applaud anyone who volunteers in the shelters,
We’ve been lighting candles every day since Kit is gone. We adopted him the day he passed away because we really didn’t want him to be homeless even though he wasn’t here any more. Though, I really wish we could find him home and he would enjoy a long happy life. Purrs and prayers to all the orphan animals who lost their precious lives.
Thank you for remembering Gris Gris and Gray Boy.
We purr and pray every day for shelter cats. There’s no easy solution. We know that we can at least make a difference in the lives of the cats at the shelter where we volunteer, and there’s some encouragement in that. Hugs to you, Layla.
I don’t post on Thursday and was shocked to only see 2 or 3 blogs about Remember Me Thursday. I guess people don’t want to remember that pets often die in shelters and on the streets without forever homes. Beautiful post.
We pray everyday that those in need in any way receive the blessings that will help them.
There is no easy answer. There are millions that suffer every day in some way. We can only keep taking every step that we can to try to solve the problem. SPAY & NEUTER STEP #1!!!!!!!!
We give thanks for every living being and pray that the ones that are supposed to be the “smart” ones finally work to find and implement the lifesaving soulutions that we know exist.
Purrs and Prayers of hope and rememberance
Luvs
Skeeter and Izzy and the Feral Gang + Twig & Peanut & Romeo and the Angels >^..^^..^<~
Weez purray fur all those less furtunate than us everyday. We wish there was no need fur shelters at all.
Luv ya’
Dezi and Lexi
I don’t know what to say. I know the idea of a shelter is not ideal, at least most shelters, but know of no other solution to the massive problem. Whatever the true rate of adoption is, at least those animals find homes. I am deeply sadden when an animals time ‘expires’ and they PTSD. But in their defense I am not sure what they can do? Unless you are strictly no kill, then you can’t accept any more in until there is an opening. It’s a hard world, and those that work within it I can easily understand the burnout.
Remembering all the lives lost….
Even though I spend a lot of my spare time volunteering at the local animal shelter, neither of my cats came from PAWS. I adopted them 5 years apart. Rufus and Mickey were both living – and not doing at all well – on the streets. When they were trapped for TNR they were not feral cats – both were starving and full of parasites.
It’s very sad when a cat dies at the shelter without ever having a real loving home and the kind of life every cat deserves. Still, as another harsh New England Winter approaches, I give thanks for good shelters and the people who give their time there. I hear your frustration, Layla, and I’m sorry you have had a bad experience. But I know you brought comfort to the homeless cats you visited.
Thank you for the post. I have a permanent reminder to do this every day in my sidebar. My heart breaks that we can’t help every precious little one.
my candle two day is for Allee….him noez why ~~~~ ♥♥♥
love frum…tuna
I blogged about this last year but couldn’t today because of a sponsored post. I will be lighting a candle for my angel Truffles though.
Wonderful post for that special day, and lovely tribute to Angel Gris Gris and Angel Gray Boy. Purrs
Super important day! We purrticipated last year but this year we found out too late. We tweeted!
xoxo
I will place a candle in my window tonight (battery operated of course lol) to remember all the homeless pets… and I hope for a chance for all who need a home…
We’re purring for all the shelter cats today…’specially those that have been there for too long. Purrs….
Volunteers aren’t allowed out back any more? Perhaps that policy will change. I’m purring that it will.
Purrs,
Seville
We are sorry to hear about the outbreak and changes at your shelter. Today is important for the cats who will be seen less because of policies like those and loses chances at forever homes. We’re purring that there will be less of them to remember next year.
We hope that one day all pets will get love and the attention they need.
Purrs and love Hannah and Lucy xx xx