Carolyn and Sparkles

You might remember the story of a cat so many worked so hard to rescue back in July.  If you have forgotten or haven't heard the story, you can read it here.  Our friend Carolyn from All C.A.T.S. called the shelter to pull the cat and was told the cat was being picked up that afternoon but there was a white cat on the euthanize list. Carolyn picked her up the next day and named her Sparkles after Sparkle the Designer Cat who worked tirelessly to rescue the other cat.

This is a short update on Sparkles from her September newsletter. When she can Carolyn plans to post some photos.

A couple of weeks ago, I took in a white cat and her 16-week-old kittens. I had homes waiting for the kittens but was worried about the mother’s reaction to them being gone. No problem. She immediately started cleaning and caring for Pawla (a kitten, not one of Sparkles') as though she was her own. We named the white cat Sparkles after another wonderful cat who helped bring us together. 

Sparkles was saved from a shelter that was going to put her down. But, after speaking with the man at the shelter, he held Sparkles for one extra day to give us time to get there. I didn't know about her kittens until I was ready to take Sparkles and leave and Sparkles kept going to the cage that held the kittens. When I asked the man about the kittens, he said they belonged to the white cat but were old enough to be kept there, hoping for another home. There was no way I was going to leave them there. It cost a lot of money, $60 for each of them; but I had to do it. They all have very good homes now and Sparkles is happy with Pawla, who now spends her days with Sparkles and her nights with Lucy (a dog). She is a very happy little cat. She should be, as we all love her very much.

And we'd also like to give you an update on Carolyn from her October newsletter.She's had some escapades and injuries over the years but we assume this one has got to be the worst.
 
I'm sure most of you remember Prissy. She is our very old Chihuahua. She is now losing her sight and hearing and only allowed out in the yard only when someone can be there with her. Well, that isn't good enough anymore. Now, she will have to be on a leash!


I had let her out and was sitting on the porch watching her. UPS came to deliver a package, and for not more than 30 seconds I took my eyes off her. When I looked back for her, she was across the road in the pasture with the cattle. To my horror, a bull was charging toward her. Prissy weighs about 3 lbs., the bull at least 1,200 lbs. I screamed her name and she stopped-- but she didn't turn around to come back. The fence is electrified and I knew I would get shocked, but I couldn't worry about that. Crawling under, my hair got tangled in the barbed wire. Grabbing that strand with both hands, I tore it out. Getting to my feet, I ran for Prissy. Scooping her up, we headed back for the fence. Just as I shove her under, the bull hits me, knocking me into the wire and even more shocks. The barbs catch my clothes, skin and even more hair. The stupidest thought passes through my mind, "You are going to be bald when this is over."


The UPS guy grabs Prissy and shouts at the bull. From my point of vision, I believe the bull took his shout as encouragement. It turned and trampled me as I tried to crawl under the fence. The UPS guy grabbed my arm and pulled me under the fence, getting a good jolt of electricity in the process. "My Lord, how did you stand getting electrocuted for that long?" he asked. Then he got a good look at me. "Don't move, I'm getting help," he said. I tried to tell him to put Prissy into the house, but I realized I couldn’t speak. I was spitting blood and teeth. I tried to point to the house but couldn’t raise my arm. "O.K., I'm hurt," I thought—but didn’t feel it yet. "Maybe it's not too bad." Wrong!


My cousin Terry arrived just before the ambulance. He took care of getting the dogs back where they belong and calling my son. Barry is so used to my escapades and assumes it’s a small thing. I heard Terry yelling over the phone at him, "There’s blood everywhere!”I looked down. Sure enough, blood everywhere and no shirt. I am still not feeling pain, just tiredness as though I needed to sleep for a long time. Then I heard the EMT telling me to stay calm and stay awake. "O.K., just give me a shirt," I thought. I heard Barry asking, “How is she?" as he comes around the ambulance. Then, I head him say, "Oh, Lord." Must be worse than I thought. So, why am I not hurting? I would regret that thought later. Even today, I don't know the order in which I received the injuries. The ones to my head must have been the first ones. My mouth is all cut inside from the breaking of my teeth. I have a concussion, separated ribs, bruised hip, broken wrist and collarbone. But, the most important thing, Prissy is safe. She will be walked on a leash from now on.


Barry says the same about me. Actually, I believe what he said was I need a keeper. I am improving improved and am told I will heal completely.


NOTE FROM PAT: Carolyn suffered a broken wrist and femur, severe concussion, contusions over 90% of her body and many cuts and scrapes. She also has burns from the electrified fence. Her recovery has been slow, and much extra labor required since she literally can do nothing to help care for the animals. A special donation to help with the extra cost would be VERY MUCH appreciated!!

Carolyn has improved since the newsletter was written but she won't heal overnight, so we're posting this to suggest if any of you would like to donate a few dollars to help with All C.A.T.S'. extra expenses during this time, it would definitely be appreciated.  You can make a donation here.

Oh, on a happier note, the UPS guy will be adopting a puppy from Carolyn.