Today is the last day of 2020. I have lost track of the times I have heard/read the phrase “a year like no other”, or something similar. It is a statement that frames our new reality. The COVID-19 pandemic affected the way we live world-wide. Actions we took for granted – going to the office, celebrating milestones (good and not-so-good ones), traveling together – all of them changed. We miss meeting friends and family face-to-face. And too many families have lost loved ones.
So far we’ve been lucky: all in my immediate and extended family are still alive. Plans changed, but we still live in our “bubbles”, and hope to gather again “soon”. Technology helps us stay in touch, and lets me work from home. We remember to count our blessings, and try to see the silver lining in our lives.
We knew Patches’ time was running short. When he was diagnosed with a heart murmur in March 2016, we were told the mean life expectancy was between 2-5 years. His heart failure crisis in March of 2018 had shown us how quickly things could deteriorate. He managed to recover, and his quality of life was back to normal. We enjoyed a great year, but on March 22, 2019 he suddenly lost movement of his right hind leg. We rushed him to our vet, and we were told blood clots had developed, and that his condition would not improve. Letting him go peacefully was the hardest things we’ve done in a long time. Learning to move on was the next one.
We wondered how Socks would react to being a single cat. He had always been the independent one, but wondered if he would like being alone. Not only did he adapt, he never gave any signs of missing his brother. That angered me at times, because they had been together all of their lives. But he was happy, enjoying having a choice of laps at the end of the day, and we moved on… until a week ago. On December 22, nine months after losing Patches, Socks crossed the rainbow bridge. He had a good morning: breakfast was served on time, and he enjoyed a long brushing. Then, as we were getting ready for our breakfast, we hear a loud thump in the bathroom. Socks had collapsed, and did not respond to his name. We drove him to the emergency vet, and we were told that he was gone. He probably had a heart attack, or a blood clot, but we’ll never know.
We never have enough time with our loved ones, humans or otherwise. But while we always want “more time”, that is not up to us. The best we can do is not take our family for granted, pay attention to the moments we have together, and build memories for the time when we will not be together. I’ve been a pet photographer for years, and always advocate to take portraits on a regular basis. I am glad that I took candids of our everyday life, especially now when our routines are gone. But I still wish I had captured some of their quirks better. Patches was always ready for the camera, and I have more images of him than of his brother. Socks barely tolerated my attempts, so I tried to let him be, and did not “pester” him with the lens. I’m glad I did continue to photograph him despite his preferences, but I wish I had photographed him more.
Our condo is too quiet these days. The familiar meows or pounding runs upstairs are missed. Friends have asked us if we’ll get more cats soon. But while there are thousands of felines in need of good homes, we need time to grieve, and let our hearts heal. We miss our boys, and they cant’ be replaced. In time, I hope we’ll be ready to love again. We made a donation after Patches’ death to Friends of Rescue, so that a feline could be sponsored into their program. We intend to make a similar donation in Socks’ name after the holidays to a second homeless pet group.
This last image was taken on December 2017. I walked in the bedroom, and found them on J’s lap. Surprised not to have them rush out of bed for their evening treat, I took several candids with my iPhone. This was the best of the series. We’ll miss them forever, but are glad that they were a part of our lives.
Give your pets a hug while you can. I wish I could.
December, the last month of the year. 2018 is almost gone. It has been a busy year, but my blog was not updated. Here is a summary of what went on:
The time I dedicated to photographing fosters with FOR was reduced. But this non-profit continues to save lives, and makes a big difference for animals and humans alike. There are still too many dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens that need help. It is heartbreaking to know that so many are still euthanized, but every life saved deserves to be celebrated. FOR volunteers are amazing!
My husband and I teamed up with FOR to work with feral cats. As a result, three young feral sisters were spayed, and brought to their new home in January. They spent a month in a cage, being fed and taken care of by a single caretaker so they could get used to their new territory, and (hopefully) start trusting the human that took care of them. They were released in early February, and a small group of volunteers continues to take turns providing food, and water, and keeping watch for sightings of the newly released members of the community. These days we have daily interactions with two of the original three cats, and hope the third one is still in the area (just not willing to interact with us). A separate entry will chronicle the evolution of this part of our lives, and the ups and downs of this rewarding experience.
Patches, one of my two indoor cats, had a medical crisis. He was diagnosed with heart disease in 2016. In March he had severe complications that descended into “heart failure“. His lungs accumulated fluid, making it difficult to breathe. Our vet contacted a specialist in Nashville, TN, and after removing part of the fluid we drove north late in the afternoon. Patches spent 36 hours in an “oxygen tent”, and the vet clinic’s staff stabilized him and saved his life. Almost nine months later, he has a “new normal” life. Medications keep him going, and we drive him to Nashville every three months for evaluation.
It’s time to look back, be thankful for our experiences, mourn our losses, and look forward to the next year. I intend to write about this in the next three weeks. I hope you will find it useful!
Two weeks ago, a Friends of Rescue’s foster parent asked me to photograph one of her foster kitties. She was very shy, and kept moving from one hiding place to another. This behavior was making it very difficult to photograph her to show her to potential adopters. I told her we would do our best… because in these cases I deploy a secret weapon: my husband. J is very patient, and is definitely a cat person. And he would be able to pay attention to this cat while I photographed other fosters that would visit the FOR office for their imaging sessions.
Our shy cat’s name is Brea, and true to the previous description, she was hiding when we arrived. As we approached her hiding place, we saw a gray/white streak run away from the area. After following her to a second room, we had our first good look at her,just as she ran under a chair.
She was curious about us, but not used to dealing with strangers.
By then my scheduled foster arrived, and I had to leave the room. But every few minutes I would sneak back into the room where J and Brea were getting to know each other. It was fun to see the transformation: from tentative appreciation,
to enjoying the attention,
then leaning into J’s hand.
By the end of my other session, Brea was thoroughly enjoying her time with her new friend.
And I was finally able to capture a relaxed image that shows her pretty self.
Mission accomplished!
If you are interested in meeting Brea, or any of FOR’s fosters, please visit their website or email them at info@forrescue.net.
Most of the time when I work with Friends of Rescue I get one chance to photograph a foster. I see them once, photograph them, deliver the images… and I never see them again. And most of the time that is good, because it means they get adopted! But earlier this month I had the chance to see two brothers 8 days apart. The tan and white one is called Macaroni; the other one is Ace. It is always amazing to see how much they can grow in just eight days. For more information on these two adorable fosters, please contact info@forrescue.net.
Another year gone… 2016 is part of our past. It’s been several months since I posted entries in this blog. Life is complicated, and the best intentions won’t keep us on the path we thought we wanted to follow…
Fortunately, while I did not manage to keep up with my writing, I did find time to photograph more of Friends of Rescue’s fosters. I am happy to report that I worked with 182 felines, 70 canines, and one mini horse. But this was just a fraction of the animals FOR rescued. By year’s end FOR reported that they had rescued 1,004 animals… and then in the last week of the year they saved 30 more. Bravo!
These are some of the faces I met in 2016. Some were adopted locally, some moved out of the TN Valley, and some did not make it… but will be remembered with love forever.
Every New Year presents us with a brand new calendar. Resolutions are written, plans are made. And as the weeks go by life intervenes, and we let goals fall to the side. Know your limits, choose wisely, and don’t give up!
Thanksgiving is celebrated this Thursday, November 26th, in the United States. It is a day for family gatherings. There will be several Friends of Rescue (FOR) foster animals that have a home of their own. Many others will still be with foster families, receiving the care and love that they all deserve. We want to thank all the FOR volunteers that open their hearts, and homes to give dogs and cats of all ages the opportunity to live better lives.
Humans keep track of events to mark important points in life. Birthdays, graduations, weddings, retirement… all are unique experiences. Everyday moments are not seen in that light because we are used to them… until they stop. And when they do not happen again we look back, trying to remember what we took as “normal”. Take time to appreciate life: a look, a touch, a voice. Each moment is a “once in a lifetime” experience.
This is Patches, one of the two cats that own our home. He likes to supervise everything I do, but his description for this task includes long naps near me. It is a good arrangement, and the hours pass quickly while I work and he naps. It would be easy to think that this will be the way it will always be. But no one lives forever, and no one should be taken for granted. This is why I took the time to capture this quiet moment. I will be able to remember it for as long as I live.
just as she ran under a chair.
She was curious about us, but not used to dealing with strangers.
By then my scheduled foster arrived, and I had to leave the room. But every few minutes I would sneak back into the room where J and Brea were getting to know each other. It was fun to see the transformation: from tentative appreciation,
to enjoying the attention,
By the end of my other session, Brea was thoroughly enjoying her time with her new friend.
And I was finally able to capture a relaxed image that shows her pretty self.
Mission accomplished!
