My Dear Human

 

My dear human,

I see that you are crying, for it is my moment to leave. Don't cry, please. I want to explain some things to you.

You're sad because I left, but I'm glad I met you.

How many dogs like me die daily without meeting someone special like you?

I know it saddens you my departure, but I had to go now.

I want to ask you not to blame yourself for anything. I heard you sobbing that you should have done something else for me. Don't say that, you've done a lot for me! Without you I would have known nothing of the beauty I carry with me today.

You must know that we animals live the present intensely and we are very wise: we enjoy every little thing every day, and forget the bad past quickly. Our lives begin when we know love, the same love you gave me, my angel without wings and two legs.

Know that even if you find an animal that is seriously injured, and that you only have a little bit of time in this world, you provide a huge service by accompanying you in your final transition.

None of us likes to be alone, except when we realize it's time to leave.

Maybe for you it's not so important that one of you is next to us caressing us and holding our paw, helps us go in peace.

No more crying, please. I'll be happy. I have in memory the name you gave me, the warmth of your house that in this time became mine. I take the sound of your voice talking to me, even though I don't always understand what you were saying to me.

I carry in my heart every caress you gave me.

Everything you did was very valuable to me and I thank you endlessly, I don't know how to tell you, because I don't speak your language, but surely in my eyes you could see my gratitude.

I'm just gonna ask for two favors. Wash your face and start smiling.

Remember how good we live together these moments, remember the antics I made to cheer you up.

Relive like me all the good we share in this time.

And do not say you will not adopt another animal, because you have suffered a lot from my departure. Without you I would not live the beauties I lived.

Please don't do this! There are many like me waiting for someone like you.

Give them what you gave me, please, they need it just like I needed you.

Don't keep the love you have to give, for fear of suffering.

Follow my advice, cherish the good you share with each of us, recognizing that you are an angel to us animals, and that without people like you our life would be harder than sometimes it is.

Follow your noble task, now it's up to me to be your angel.

I will accompany you in your path and help you help others like me.

I will talk to other animals who are here with me, I will tell you everything you have done for me and I will point and say proudly: "that's my family".

Tonight, when you look at the sky and see a blinking star I want you to know that it's me flashing an eye; warning you that I arrived well and telling you "thank you for the love you gave me".

I say goodbye now not saying " goodbye ", but " see you later ".

There is a special sky for people like you, the sky where we go and life reward us by making us meet there.

I'll be waiting for you!"

Mr. Mau's Story

In August 2018 I was gardening in the pollinator garden, digging a hole for a new flowering shrub. I got a few minutes break and was stretching my back when I felt sad again about Tommy. He was my best Ginger cat who had lost his battle with cancer just a little more than a year ago. I looked up at the sky and was asking out loud; "Where are you Tommy?" Since I have always believed in signs of a Spirit, I was hoping that one day I would get a message from him. As soon as I was ready to continue to dig a little deeper I heard a gentle meow.

I could not believed what I was seeing and had to blink. There was a skinny white-ginger cat just a few feet away, continuing this gentle greeting. At first he was shy but that only lasted for few minutes. He came closer to me, rubbed himself against my legs and looked into my eyes with a happy little hope. It was immediately obvious that he was a mature male cat.

My excitement grew and I went towards the house to let my husband know we had a new arrival. I asked him to bring out a can of cat food as I kept asking the kitty; Where you came from? Who are you? He answered: Mau. I asked him is that your name Mau? He said Mau. haha. That sounded silly but for me it was such a gentle and loving introduction.
Mr. Mau finished two cans of food in the first five to ten minutes.

Hubby stayed outside with us and he already adopted Mau. He held him, hugged him and kissed him. That was the moment I saw some worms just "jump" out from his little butt. I gave him dewormer immediately as well as sending my husband to our local vet to get something a bit more extensive since I had seen at least two or three different kinds of worms in him. The poor thing was so infested with parasitic worms that his anus and surrounding area was swollen.

We let Mau get used to us before attempting to bring him inside. We kept the garage door open for him at night time as well as the truck windows. We caught him sleeping inside of the truck many times, especially during heavy rain and storms.

One morning I saw him eating rodents and then a roadside squirrel. I told myself THAT's IT! No more disgusting food for him. I was upset that his continued wild diet would negate the dewormer and keep him in a cycle of infestation and then dewormer medicines. Since he was so nice and kind he let me to trim his claws and took him inside the shower. I gave him shower and we provided him an isolation room upstairs.
In the meanwhile we scheduled an appointment with the vet and started a Fundraiser for him. Through the kind donations of his new fans, more than enough for his first veterinary appointment and neuter operation was achieved. Mr. Mau was isolated for four weeks until he was cleared from worms, parasites and ear mites. Don't worry that we left him all alone. Hubby stayed with him all that time and they made friends.
I took him outside with a harness so he was easier to adjust to his new life. It did not take too long for him to get used to the clean, warm house with food, treats and other pets. He easily made friends with Kahili, the only other male cat here. They have became best buddies, but Mr. Mau is such a gentle cat, that he friends with all the pets here.

One year after we rescued him, a tiny black kitten (Augustina) found us as well. Mr. Mau loved this tiny kitten as well and they became friends. One day I caught Mau and Augustina on the window bed looking outside and he had one paw hugging her. Probably he was just telling the story to her of how he had arrived here and was now fat and happy and that she had come to the right house.

Lucy's Story

     Lucy was an 8th Anniversary gift from my husband in 2014. She was born in a barn in Benson, Minnesota, amongst two other siblings. One white, one black and little fuzzy grey Lucy. Rosegate did not yet exist but we had our three original rescue pets who already where seniors. Two cats and a dog; CeeCee, Tommy and Rosie. I thought it was a bad idea to bring a kitten home amongst these furry retirees. She needed a home and was way too cute so we accepted her in with open arms and melting hearts. She was tiny and her fur looked more silverish blue then just gray. We though she looked like a Russian Blue breed which would be astonishing due to breeders protocol. She definitely was full of energy and was a troublemaker so she might just be. 

     A few days after she was living with us, we almost took her to a cat rescue place, since she was constantly was bothering the older pets and we anguished at our stupidity. We had been too naive and did not realized that Tommy was so very sick already with cancer and he was very irritated with the kitten. He even sprayed in a show of dominance and territorial marking twice upon Lucy's arrival. Somehow we went through the hardest kitten time with her but she was so cute and she loved Rosie the old dog. She always slept with her and she even tried to get milk from her when she first got here. The morning when Rosie got sick, Lucy was softening her chest and snuggled up with her. That was their last time together because old Rosie dog died. Lucy lost her first true friend at the young age of one and we feel it was a tough time for all of us. 

     Even though Lucy was missing her doggie friend, we took a break after Rosie's passing and held off bringing another dog in. Unfortunately, Lucy got bored and was bugging the other two cats. Tommy's condition worsened and as Lucy grow older and more serious, she loved comforting Tommy. Snuggled with him and keeping him warm. Tommy had no choice but accepting the little love bug. Lucy was three years old when she lost her second fur friend Tommy. 

The next morning I found her curled up and sleeping alone on Tommy's blanket. 

     That broke my heart to see so I laid beside her and tried to comfort her. I could tell she was annoyed and she then left me. I felt she was blaming me for the passing of Rosie and Tommy. Lucy was never the same after she lost her two best friends. Now only CeeCee and her were left and with the house so very quiet, we decided to get a kitten for Lucy. That is how we adopted Kāhili, the little Ginger Cat from New Ulm Humane Society, MN. 

    These two had great times together and the little kitten kept Lucy busy and exercised. It helped her back away from her depression. 

Lucy always has been an active cat and since she was 6 months old we took her outside with her harness to walk and smell nature, otherwise she would drives us crazy with her never ending curiosity and boredom. She was pretty trustworthy around the age of three to go outside alone and whenever we called her name, she came back running to us. 

     At the time we had a new senior dog GiGi and sometimes we went for a walk, all three of us in a little parade fashion. It was fun and Lucy behaved nice. Although we saw her killing snakes, a ground squirrel and a bird. She never ate them, because she was not allowed. Then one day she did not came back. It was end of Summer. She was not answering when we called her name. Her disappearance made us more and more nervous and and then racked with guilt and fear. We were looking for her for days on end and losing hope. The neighbor farmer had about 900 acres of cornfield and Lucy must have been lost in there. I connected with my animal communicator group on Facebook in an attempt to do everything we could. Unfortunately they were unable to come to a unified conclusion and all were telling us different stories with clues we were to decipher as to her whereabouts. We followed all leeds blindly but with no positive answer or outcome.We were calling her and walking into the cornfield like a search and rescue party. Driving around the blocks aimlessly, making noises with her food bowls. We went outside at night time with flashlights feeling wretched with ourselves thinking she could be alive and scared or worse. Slogging through flooded drainage ditches and poking into buries drain pipes and decaying old barns. Examining roadkills like forensic detectives judging teeth and fur just to be sure she had not gotten into an accident. One day we moved her litter box outside near the wood area close to the corn fields, since we heard that could help her to find her way back home.... Nothing but broken hearted despair with the ever growing thought that we had failed her and she was not coming home. 

     One morning GiGi and I took a walk and I kept calling Lucy out of mechanical desperation and finally I heard a scared and meek meow. I did not believe it at first until a second scared and pathetic meow came. I was so happy but still scared too since I could not see her and had to be holding her for assurance that she made it home. I called my husband and he located her in the field. He had a dickens of a time getting her to come to him and she even wrenched herself free from him. He had to grab her again and hold her in a bear hug until they got back inside. The poor thing was so frightened and scared that she was almost wild from her ordeal. 

     In those four days we had thunderstorms complete with winds and lighting. The corn was dry and muffled sounds but for its rustling leaves in all directions. The corn would have brought out many other wild critters too and some of them would have been happy to prey on little Lucy. 

     Since then she does not go too far, from the door and likes the assurance of her strict supervision. Lucy has become very smart and now she has settled down nicely as a house cat. She will be six years old this summer of 2020. 

LuciFur the beautiful Benson Russian Blue barn cat, born in the summer 2014 that needed a home and all she got was us and some other fur friends... and one hell of a lifetime adventure story to tell about the devil and the dry corn field. She tells that story to every new kitten and they look at her in amazement and wonder. :)

When one door closes another opens...

UPDATE: Ever since Rosie passed, we had our eyes on the neighbors property that has three great buildings on two acres so as to create Rosegate. We've been excited about creating something good and big for senior pets that can give home for a couple dozen dogs or so and many more cats. We saved our money, opened up some donation pages, got the 501(c)3 status and even an old friend told us that she will help us out with a big chunk of money which didn't happened either. Only the owner of that property, an old farmer who didn't seem like he cared anything about this dream. We tried to get closer by being friendly with him and see if he had any interest but he was only going to talk about farming; corn, soy and spraying said crops. Some complaining about the industry and equipment but no other topics held his considerations.

The dream was shattered in pieces. Our big dream was gone. Well, at least the big part of it.
Maybe he will never sell his property to us or he could live longer than us but there's no time to waste. So, we decided to stop dreaming and start doing. We saved money to install the fence on our own 3 acres of property. We are small and limited to the number of animals we can take in.

Not only do we have to make sure that all the animals can get along
but we also have to share our living space with them and thus, keeping our own sanity. Unfortunately we had to refuse a few potential residents due to this reason. We just can not hoard them all up in our small home.

We are still hoping that we can inspire some people around the world. If they have some property and an extra building, then that and a desire to give senior pets a forever home, is all that is required. Big or small dreams... helping those who need it is a great feelings...........