Sunday, August 24, 2008

One of my crazy dreams

This isn't a dream I've had while sleeping, but a dream of something I wish I could do someday.

I've always been a cat-lover. Growing up, we took in many stray cats because we just couldn't turn them away. I adopted a cat, Melodie, a few years ago. My cat is the sweetest cat I have ever had. I don't know how someone could have dumped her on the side of a road. It just breaks my heart when I see all the poor animals that have been abandoned. I do donate to the MO Humane Society. I would volunteer, but with 2 jobs (teaching and harp), unfortunately, I have extremely little free time, and my schedule is so random I couldn't stick to a volunteer schedule.

Oh, I do like dogs, too. I've just never had one. Eventually, probably sometime after we have kids, I'd like to get a dog, too.

I've always wished I had a ton of money so I could create what I call a "kitty and puppy farm." It would be a place with a lot of land, where I could keep cats and dogs that needed a home. Since I would have a ton of money, I would be able to either pay some people to help with clean-up or have volunteer. On a blog I read, I saw a lady who did something similar. (No...she's not a crazy cat lady, either. She just wants to help animals.)

She had 6 acres (I think that's what the video said) and was divorced. She'd always wanted a kitten growing up, but her mom always said no. The lady started slowly by helping a few cats. The number has grown over the years, and there are 500-700 cats at any given time on the property. She has helped save the lives of over 16,000 cats over the years. All the cats (and there are a few dogs) are up for adoption. Many are adopted. Those that aren't, though, have a safe home. They're not up to be killed. They're not stuck in a cage all day, either. They get to roam around the house and the acres, living the regular life of a cat.

I think what this lady does is very admirable. She has devoted her live to helping animals. Here's the link to the blog. There's a YouTube video about her.

Here's a cute picture of Mel snuggling with Clifford. (I bought the stuffed Clifford from a book fair for my classroom. Apparently Mel thought it looked comfy to snuggle with!)

5 comments:

Trisha said...

That is a great dream! I wouldn't mind doing something like that myself! SO, when you fulfill your dream, you can call on me for some help, to come love on all the kitties.

I have two that I absolutely ADORE! =)

P.S. Mel is SO CUTE!

Aimee said...

Thanks, Trisha! She has white on her tummy, too, as well as her feet. I love her "milk mustache." :-)

Her full name is Melodie. I thought it was appropriate since it's a musical name, French, and a little different with an ie at the end since my name is spelled differently.

LucyinStLou said...

Your kitty is adorable! I share your dream. I would love to be able to take in every abandoned animal. It's just so heartbreaking.

Anna said...

Would you have to pay to get them all spayed and neutered? That is a lot of money! I would definitely come play with puppies!

Anna said...

Check out this website. Looks like it may be similar to your dream!
http://www.cathouseonthekings.com/index.php

Oh, and I wrote you an email back!