Rescued is my favorite breed

Somehow in my attempt to rescue animals, I've become "that girl who takes special needs cats." The truth of the matter is - I kind of love that. The phone calls in the evening telling me that there's a cat who has no potential adopter, who will probably end up at a shelter, who will likely be put to sleep because she's a little bit different. I'm at the point where I just can't possibly take on anything else. I live paycheck-to-paycheck, and vet bills aren't cheap when your pets are healthy and normal - amplify that by a bit to understand what it's like to have feline leukemia positive cats. Add to that the fact that one is consistently ill with what seems to be a pretty rotten respiratory issue... add to it that one of them is deaf (and while that doesn't actually seem to affect him health-wise at all, it's just one more thing to try to understand), and now add to it that one kitten appears to have cerebellar hypoplasia (we're still working on research on that one, and she'll be seen by a vet later this week for a confirmation of that diagnosis). Add all of that to the fact that I have three small dogs, who are all generally healthy (other than the fact that they're getting older - a fact I hate to admit - and that I've started to supplement in some joint care products, and the fact that I occasionally have to deal with issues, like when Madden broke a toenail).

It's not even so much the expense of it all, though cat and dog food add up, as do toys (they have to have toys, right?!), cat condos, beds, blankets, litter and litter boxes, medications, and the ever-dreadful vet bills... but it's time consuming. I wake at 4:30 every morning to give myself time to take the dogs out, feed the cats, clean the litter boxes, medicate anyone who might need it (at this point it's just Stella... but it's been Stella for months). I leave for work at about 6:20 in the morning, and get home somewhere around 4:45 in the afternoon on a good day (I spend all day at work on my feet, so I come home tired and occasionally sore - I average about 13,000 steps during the work day). The dogs get taken out again and get fed. The cats get fed, litter boxes cleaned (usually once before they eat and once after), dogs fed (and now we're adding cooked chicken to their meals, so occasionally having to cook that and/or rice), dogs taken out at least two more times before the night is through. Everyone played with and petted so they don't think I'm being a bad mommy. And of course, because of my early morning alarm, I'm usually in bed by at 9:00. There are some days that I'm crawling into bed around 7:30 (not so much now that it's finally light out in the evening - but the winter was killing me!).

The thing is, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love that there are sweet little animals that need me. I love that Leroy spends time on my lap every single morning when I take my time to blog, or browse Facebook, or shop on Amazon for pet supplies I need. I love that after all of these years, Madden still seems to need me, and spends most nights curled up behind the bend of my knee while I sleep. I love that I can see progress with Stella when I'm medicating her (the last few days and a friend getting us some clavamox have made a world of difference! We're so grateful!). I love watching Gabby make progress socially - she actually solicits petting at this point! So many moments are so rewarding, and they make the hard, hectic times so worth it.

I wish money was more readily available, but we've learned to bargain shop, and we've found cheaper alternatives when it comes to things like litter box solutions. I wish time was more readily available. I wish I had more time to give everyone loads of individualized attention, but there just aren't enough hours in the day. Everyone gets loved on every day - thankfully my boyfriend is here to help with some of that load, and Harlow, Champ and Tucker seem to lean a lot toward him, so it sort of offsets things. I wish it was easier to get medications for pets when people know what they're doing (having to spend fifty dollars to be told "your cat needs antibiotics!" when I told them that when I called is incredibly frustrating). I wish I had an endless supply of things like clavamox, eye ointments, and ear treatments. But this is the life I have chosen, and we always find a way to make it work - a lot of times it means doing without something silly that I might have liked to have, because one of the pets needs something. We've had amazing support from friends who've stepped in to help with vet bills when things have gotten extremely tough in the past. We are so grateful that people help us out when we need it.

I need to go cuddle a cat now... and be grateful that though my guys don't get a long life (average life expectancy with feline leukemia is two to three years), that they get a good life, and they are shown so much love while they're here with me.