Halfway Home Pet Rescue is having a blast

14 years ago

To the editor:

So time flies when you are having fun. Well, Halfway Home Pet Rescue is having a blast. I barely get a chance to blink and each day has flown by. We adopted so many kittens and cats lately that I am reviewing adoption applications in my sleep. All of the T and D litter got adopted and a half dozen adult cats. Our volunteer, Helen, used to pray over each cat at adoption time. I have continued Helen spirit with a quiet kiss and a prayer, “Go with God, little one, and have a great life.” It is difficult to say good-bye, but I have learned my place is the “halfway home of love and safety” until the permanent home is found. The J and M litters are now old enough for adoption, and we have 15 more babies that will be ready in a few weeks. We also have 19 adult cats available for adoption including five ferals for as barn cats.

As volunteers, we know this work is not a choice (Of course, I don’t want to be on a beach in Florida enjoying time with my sister, Claudia — no, that would be so boring). We are driven, driven! There is no way we can turn our head when we see an animal in trouble. I think of Danielle, a cat downstairs who is now nursing eight kittens, yes eight! She was here only 10 hours before she started popping those babies out. How great that Gladys, another cat lover, saw her in the road in the pouring rain and brought her to us. We are a team and we recently received the “Spirit of Caribou” award at the Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. Yes, that is who we are — a team of responsible cat lovers. Thank you CCC for acknowledging this of us.

I worried desperately of how we would pay a current $1442.00 vet bill again. But when I walked in the vet office with supplies for the free pet food pantry, I was told that a kind citizen of Caribou had come in and paid the full $1,442. Again, thank you, God, for answering our prayers.

HHPR will participate in the Caribou City-Wide Yard Sale. We plan to hold it at two locations — at Judy Robertson’s at 8 Pleasant St., and at 11 Pioneer Ave. You may drop nicely-used donations at either home. Oh, and we really need workers – please volunteer.

If you are low-income, there is help for spaying and neutering, contact Help Fix ME at 1-800-367-1317. They are currently fixing all pit bulls and pit bull mixes and all cats. This is because these animals are the most likely to be euthanized in animal shelters. This can be prevented by spay/neuter programs.

Our HHPR Building Fund $1 for $1,000 Challenge has now reached slightly over $4000.Thank you for sending all the $1 bills. It adds up to a house full of love for our cats. We currently have a lovely display table featuring our programs and our building account status at the County Federal Credit Union on Bennett Drive. County Federal Credit and Ken Hensler have been so very good to us, and we are pleased they gave us lobby space for you to see the work we do. Take time to stop by, and while you are at it, you might want to take your returnable bottles right next door to 88 Bennett Drive Redemption. Hey, put bottle change into our little piggy bank on the display table at the credit union and then you can watch us build our building. Help yourself to a free cat bookmark while you are there.

Halfway Home Pet Rescue is a 501c3 non-profit, state licensed animal shelter at 11 Pioneer Ave in Caribou. Our mailing address is PO Box 488, our website is www.halfwayhomepetrescue.org My e-mail address is norma@halfwayhomepetrescue.org and our telephone is 492-1722.

Norma Milton, president