Beth’s Blog

April is the cruelest month, the poet says. But for us, the most emotional month we’ve had in a long time was March. While our fosters bring us tremendous joy, they sometimes break our hearts too. In March, with our hospice foster Dignity and our beautiful Mama Cherry Blossom, the great circle of life played out in detail and drama right before our eyes.

Twelve months ago, few of us even thought about words like lockdown, quarantine, face mask, self-isolation, and social distancing. Today, of course, they’re part of our everyday conversations. The global pandemic has changed so much in our world, some things for the better and other things, well, not so much. For me — on the bright side — being home has given me more time to bond with our resident cats, plus I’m able to spend lots of quality time with my fosters. For that, I’m grateful.

I always say they have my heart. All of my sweet nuggets, no matter their age, their stories, or their quirky personalities — each one of them captures my heart in a unique way, and when they fly to their forever homes, they always take a piece of my heart with them.

People say that 2020 is the year we all want to forget...but will always remember. It’s true: 2020 was tough. But despite the challenges, I find myself remembering many of the year’s surprising silver linings, like the people who decided to make working from home truly meaningful by fostering homeless pets. And then there were all those great adoptions.

His name is Rudy. He’s technically homeless, but he eats several meals a day, usually beginning early at our house and then sauntering next door for another meal. He’s no dummy, and he seems content with his life. Still, whenever I walk by our mudroom door and see a big orange head looking in, I open the door and ask him to join our indoor family. He always refuses, but I’ll always keep asking!

It began with an English Bulldog named Bianca, the most charming dog ever. When she died on July 17, 2012, our hearts were shattered, and we wondered if we could ever heal. When Bianca died, we also had three rescue cats in our home, Walter, Apple, and Leon Bear. They were Bianca’s original furry friends. I admired their unique relationship so much that I felt inspired to do something in Bianca’s name for homeless cats and kittens.

If you think about it, all of my fosters have the same special need: the need for a loving home. But some face extra challenges too. By most standards, these cats and kittens are not “normal.” Something is “wrong.” Amazingly, they don’t seem to notice their differences.

Everyone who does animal rescue sooner or later encounters animal abuse. The horror and heartbreak are sickening. But we should not feel helpless in the face of it. Instead, we must speak up for the voiceless animals who suffer at the hands of sadists and monsters.

I am a very lucky person in more ways than I can count. And among the luckiest things in my life is my wonderful family, which always included animals. In fact, my parents firstborn was a Collie mix named Suzie-Dog, and we treated her as a member of our family — because that’s what she was.

It’s still kitten season, of course, and my house is filled with adorable nuggets who need loving homes, and my Instagram is filled with beautiful kitten adoptions. But this month, I decided to dedicate my blog to my adult fosters whose resilience always moves me so deeply.