September is "Happy Cat Month" so we should be doing things to make our cats happy. But one of the suggestions on the site
"Happy Cat Month" is to schedule a check-up at the vet, which is certainly not going to make any of my cats happy - at least not in the short term.
Today, I am more interested in what makes you happy!
The past week has been a bad week for me, but on Friday evening the Annual General Meeting for members of the animal charity for the year 2021 was held.
I was responsible for the presentation. Collecting data and photos was a mammoth task but the "ahs!" and "ohs!", the laughs and in one case the tears, and the applause at the end made me happy.
The "ahs" came when pictures of mother cats and their kittens at their foster homes were shown - the ginger kitten being bottle-fed producing the loudest response.
Spontaneous laughter greeted the video of rodents and flies sharing food with the cats at one of the feral feeding centres; the mother duck with her ducklings who, for the third year running, has insisted on settling in a back yard to lay her eggs and rear her babies. A plastic swimming pool and ramp have been put at their disposal. Chuckles greeted the picture of a kitten poking her tongue out.
Tears and applause came when a woman with a mental disorder told us about the elderly, incontinent, aggressive small dog, which she had accepted from the charity when she asked if we would let her take care of a challenging cat or dog with multiple problems. The dog had died a few months earlier - but had not only learnt to control his bladder but had become her soulmate and saviour in the three years they had spent together. She is not yet ready for a new friend but next time she asks us for a pet we will be more than willing to oblige.
Applause also greeted the woman who devotes much of her time helping cases of FIP, although medication is still not available here and has to be imported. The charity itself has only treated one case to see if it works. It was successful but, as it is a very expensive procedure, it will not be possible to repeat it on a regular basis.
The "ohs!" were the reaction to the horrendous amount of money spent on vet costs and medication - more than double the total amount received in donations! We will certainly not be able to be so generous in future.
But, the evening left me feeling good in spite of the fact that there's lots more work to do and things are certainly getting more difficult.
What has made you happy recently - or, alternatively - what do you do to feel good?
"Happy Cat Month" is to schedule a check-up at the vet, which is certainly not going to make any of my cats happy - at least not in the short term.
Today, I am more interested in what makes you happy!
The past week has been a bad week for me, but on Friday evening the Annual General Meeting for members of the animal charity for the year 2021 was held.
I was responsible for the presentation. Collecting data and photos was a mammoth task but the "ahs!" and "ohs!", the laughs and in one case the tears, and the applause at the end made me happy.
The "ahs" came when pictures of mother cats and their kittens at their foster homes were shown - the ginger kitten being bottle-fed producing the loudest response.
Spontaneous laughter greeted the video of rodents and flies sharing food with the cats at one of the feral feeding centres; the mother duck with her ducklings who, for the third year running, has insisted on settling in a back yard to lay her eggs and rear her babies. A plastic swimming pool and ramp have been put at their disposal. Chuckles greeted the picture of a kitten poking her tongue out.
Tears and applause came when a woman with a mental disorder told us about the elderly, incontinent, aggressive small dog, which she had accepted from the charity when she asked if we would let her take care of a challenging cat or dog with multiple problems. The dog had died a few months earlier - but had not only learnt to control his bladder but had become her soulmate and saviour in the three years they had spent together. She is not yet ready for a new friend but next time she asks us for a pet we will be more than willing to oblige.
Applause also greeted the woman who devotes much of her time helping cases of FIP, although medication is still not available here and has to be imported. The charity itself has only treated one case to see if it works. It was successful but, as it is a very expensive procedure, it will not be possible to repeat it on a regular basis.
The "ohs!" were the reaction to the horrendous amount of money spent on vet costs and medication - more than double the total amount received in donations! We will certainly not be able to be so generous in future.
But, the evening left me feeling good in spite of the fact that there's lots more work to do and things are certainly getting more difficult.
What has made you happy recently - or, alternatively - what do you do to feel good?
