Letters from Ascension Hermitage and Sanctuary

Ordinarily, a snow day would be cause for excitement and enthusiasm here, but today we are sad because our cat Tiger left us for the Rainbow Bridge. Tiger was our oldest cat - 15 or 16 years old. A very beautiful Maine Coon cat, Tiger was born in Florida  but moved to Crisfield, Maryland, when she was about two or three years old. Unfortunately, shortly after the move, her person died, and Tiger was just left in the yard until a relative brought her to Sanctuary House. When she came, we already had a cat named Tiger, so she became Tiger of Crisfield. Tiger was aloof and unfriendly when she came to live with us, she was interested in watching the dogs, but had no interest whatsoever in being with other cats!  Fortunately, she gradually warmed to the other cats, especially when they acknowledged her as the alpha feline. She tolerated humans - sometimes and primarily because a human delivered her food - mostly she lived up to her name! I knew she was dying last night because she did not o

"A snow day?" asked George and Janie, "No, it's a good nap day! We'll get up when the sun is shining, and the cold wind isn't blowing." The little birds, however, waste no time on naps!  

It is with great sadness that we said good-bye to Marla this morning. She was definitely a senior girl, but until recently had been in good health. Last month she developed a severe upper respiratory infection but after treatment with Baytril, she improved. She never lost her appetite and yesterday ate a whole can of Friskies turkey shreds and cheese, one of her all-time favorites. Last night she walked among her cat friends, bumping heads with Owen and Louie, and surprised me by jumping onto a low bench. I kissed her goodnight and she went to bed on her own. This morning, however, she was fairly unresponsive and turned away from breakfast. When I went back to check on her an hour later, she was gone. This is part of her story in  More Cats of Sanctuary House :       Cats come to Sanctuary House from many beginnings and through the help of many people. When one of our veterinarian friends called to ask if we would take a black, blind kitten, we didn’t hesitate for a minute to say yes!

I knew today was going to be a great day - sunny and COLD (the only better thing would be SNOWY and COLD), so I woke everyone up early, at 4:30 to be exact! We had breakfast and then I thought Mom and I would play ball. But that only lasted for a few minutes, because she had to do laundry . . . well, I can help with that, too! Mom might write later, but she's still doing morning chores - feeding cats and horses and chickens and ducks; cleaning up; washing our dishes; washing and drying our blankets; filling the bird feeders. She has a lot of morning chores, so I'm sending this message. We hope you are having a great day. . . if you like the cold as much as I do, I hope your day is a chilly one!  

Oh, yes, it's a very cold and windy day . . . but no complaints from the chicken yard because the sun is out! No bugs, though . . . it would really make our day if we had some dried mealworms. Want to make a whole flock of chickens happy?  Our  Wish List  includes mealworms and fly grubs! For sure, the ducks in our flock would be thrilled, too.  

It is with much sadness that we report that our cat Smoky has departed for the Rainbow Bridge. Smoky came to Sanctuary House as an adult - he was actually found in a graveyard - so we were never sure of his exact age. He was a large, very fluffy, extremely friendly cat, who was a favorite with his many cat friends. Smoky's "real" name was Clement since he first mysteriously appeared   on St. Clement's Day - but he looked like a cloud of smoke, so he quickly became Smoky. Smoky's best friend Sava is missing him - really all of us are missing him! See you at the Bridge, Smoky.  

It came as a complete surprise to discover this morning that our kitty Yanah had departed for the Rainbow Bridge. Yanah was young, and from all appearances, quite healthy - she loved canned cat food and she was always energetic - running, jumping, and playing in Chewy boxes. Yanah came to Sanctuary House as a very feral kitten - she did not like people, but she loved other cats. In the few years that she lived here, she had decided that she would touch my hand, but God forbid that I touch her! Nevertheless, we had our routines: every morning when I fed the cats I put some aside especially for her . . . and we often discussed the possibility of her letting me pet her. . . . maybe when we next meet at the Bridge, Yanah!