PAWS TO PONDER

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By Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc. 

Did you know, I actually took a two-week vacation with my husband and dog and, oh, five young kittens too?  Thankfully, the staff divided up the eleven of the sixteen little kittens that I had been fostering for several weeks, lugging them to and from the shelter every day for nighttime feedings and extra care. 

One Animal Control Officer took a litter of three, another took the second litter of three and yet another took the two special needs Hydrocephalus kittens. And a trusted volunteer is fostering yet another litter of three. 

Unfortunately, the five that came on vacation with me were not one litter. I had a trio and two singles, one being completely blind due to untreated, ulcerated and infected eyes.   This kitten requires thrice daily medications.  

It was a puzzle to fit three cages, my dog, two large suitcases and all of the related supplies into our vehicle.  My husband was skeptical, but we made it work.   All of the animals did well on the five-hour journey to our destination.  

 Upon arrival, unpacking was a lot less difficult.  I used one bedroom for the kittens and set up their cages.  The kittens were kept to their routines and although I didn’t get a break from feeding schedules and cleaning litterboxes, I did rest and relax in between.  Especially my mind.  Away from all the decision making, bill paying, supply ordering, mail opening, phone calls, emails, staff handling, problem solving, etc. Preparing to go on vacation is exhausting in and of itself having to arrange daily mail pickup and staff schedules, make sure cleaning and medication supplies were on hand, and bills paid, emails and phone calls responded to and the list goes on.  

Of course, my cell phone is always fully charged in case the staff needs to reach me, which I will say was rather infrequent this time around.  There were a few crises including a sick rooster and calls from our veterinarians that I was able to handle from afar.  I did receive a call from our Police about a stray dog though!  Obviously, not being in the area, I notified the on-call Animal Control Officer to handle the call.  

Two weeks of wonderful weather, and the ability to read three books and get a tan is now just a memory.  Because it’s back in the saddle.  The first day back I was cleaning and moving the cats around due to the large intake of stray animals during my absence including three mother cats and their litter and a cockatiel!  I’ve managed to open the bundles of mail, separated the bills, answered some emails and am getting back into the groove of shelter chaos. The building is still standing, and the pets were well taken care of while I was away.  I cannot ask for anything more. Except maybe another vacation in the not-too-distant future. 

PET of the Week