Ark Animal Sanctuary

By Mary Peabody
    We continue to be amazed and gratified with the generosity of our townspeople. The support from so many is absolutely wonderful. I feel that I probably sound like a broken record. Most every time I go into the Hollywood Pet Salon, Lorraine tells me of more local people who are willing to donate their time and particular talent to help out in what ever way they can to promote our cause. It is just great. This is a big project and so worthwhile. The saying “Many hands make light the work” is so true.
Contributed photo
Hector has finally found his home.
    A huge thanks go to the Hot Shots who did a controlled burn on the recently purchased AAS land. We appreciate all they did. Thanks also to those people who gave their time and energy for the AAS community cleanup. The land is really shaping up. We again had great success at the recent fundraisers, and we want to thank those who attended. The continued support by all is appreciated greatly.
    Please check our website for our calendar of events for the summer. It will also be posted at The Hollywood Pet Salon in the near future. We will again be doing our pulled pork sandwiches on June 5 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Our Peace, Love, and Pets pot roast dinner will be held at the Elks Club from 5-8 p.m. on June 12.
    The Ark took in one dog and adopted one dog. At this time we have no dogs. Thirteen cats were taken in, and five were adopted. We have 58 cats presently, all are in foster care. We are so anxious to get our AAS building up and running.
    We took in $165 in donations, while our fundraisers netted $1,129 for a total of $1,294. Our expenses were $711.94.
The Wrong Side of the Door
By Lorraine Monfils
    Hector is a big beautiful black and white cat. We were told that for years he lived outside as a stray in someone’s yard. For some unknown reason the people were either afraid of him or just didn’t like cats. They would make his life unpleasant if he came near usually with a kick if he came too close.
    Hector lived like this for years only receiving food occasionally. Animals are loyal companions and also territorial. This was Hector’s territory and he was not going to leave, even though at times he was not treated very well. The people did not consider Hector their  cat, but Hector considered them his humans.
    Year after year Hector remained outside waiting patiently for the day that the people might have a change of heart, opening their door, maybe calling to him, and finally allowing him into their house for food and shelter. Surely that day would come and he‘d get those head scratches and some love.
    Then one day it happened. They came to him, put him in a carrier and took him to a veterinary clinic. How could he know that they were not taking him to their home. They told the veterinarian that they wanted him euthanized, as they no longer wanted him. The suggestion that this cat be put down for no good reason, other than he was unwanted, was not one that the veterinarian liked. He said they would take Hector, would take care of his medical needs at their expense, and try to find him a home. That was a big kindness on the doctor’s part as by this time Hector was in pretty rough shape. He was matted and dirty, his legs had wounds on them, and it was also found that he had parasites. He was neutered and his wounds treated, but unfortunately he tested positive for FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus). Just Hector’s luck!
    He was finally rescued but now faced the dilemma of having FIV (check FIV on line at PetMD.com or cats.about.com for more info). The Ark received a phone call explaining Hector’s situation. Without hesitation, the Ark welcomed Hector to be part of our family.
    A previously abused animal will often crouch and watch your feet with apprehension. Hector did this and would sometimes swat at our feet when we would walk by, no doubt hoping to prevent a kick from us. He would also sit at the food dish, then lay down and wrap his paws around it, and proceed to move all the food piece by piece onto the floor. Every time this happened we would pick the food back up and return it to the dish. Finally hector realized that this was his dish, and that it was OK to eat out of it.
    Hector eventually stopped batting at our feet and legs also . He realized we were no threat and were not going to kick him. With the FIV under control, now Hector developed a limp. After a thorough examination by the same wonderful veterinarian, it was determined that Hector had developed arthritis in his legs largely due to his previous abuse. This was still another obstacle to overcome. Hector has good days and bad days, but not because of the FIV. The arthritis is painful, but on those arthritic days he is pampered with a soft bed, warm heating pad, and needed medication. The good days far outweigh the bad.
    Everyday when the door opens the first cat to greet us is Hector! No matter where he is he limps over and waits to be held and scratched. You could open the door 20 times a day and he will always be there to greet you and to love you. Hector loves his new home. No more cold winters trying to find food and avoid the pain of those human feet coming at him! Now there is warm safe place where there is always plenty of food and water and love.
    Hector no longer sits on the wrong side of the door looking in and wanting to be part of a family. He now has found his home and what is on the other side of the door is all he had ever hoped for. Despite all the obstacles in his way, Hector never gave up. Maybe he knew all along that “Good things come to those who wait!”
    In closing, I want to add that we are thinking of all the citizens living in our Gulf States, their livelihood endangered. We, as animal lovers, also are thinking of all the wildlife that is seriously threatened in those oil soaked marches. It is tragic, and our thoughts and prayers are with them all. Thank you again for your support and for reading our column.