Group needs funds to keep helping cats
Our beautiful high country area and its residents — whether in towns or the “boonies” — is a stronghold for compassion and giving.
It is both rewarding and poignant to see the turnout for every emergency, be it a child in need, a worker hurt on the job, the food bank, or our precious animal population.
It is the latter of which I write today, with yet another plea for help. The LifeTime Friends Cat Sanctuary has nearly 150 cats, all rescued or taken in from the homes of people who have moved or perhaps passed away.
These cats (and often their kittens) are in many cases horribly abused, some by children, many by grown men who found it easier to throw an annoying kitten out the door against a tree rather than try to explain the litter box to it.
We who volunteer at the Sanctuary Seconds Thrift Shop (in the old Senior Thrift Shop location) work hard to bring in funds to provide the complex with its many needs: Cat food, litter, medicines and veterinary care, cleaning materials, electricity, water — ad infinitum. Michael Sowders, the amazing man who cares for these creatures and their surroundings, combines the compassion of St. Francis and the charisma of the Pied Piper, working daily in the several “cat houses” in the Blacktail Road compound.
He knows every cat by name (naming them himself if they were feral rescues) and is followed by a herd of fluffies as he walks from building to building, putting out food dishes and clean water, cleaning some 70 litter boxes a day, petting each kitty and assuring them they are loved.
Our dedicated thrift store volunteers are few and unpaid, since we have no “angels” or sponsors to keep us in funds for such extras. Often, we see that folks who have passed away have left monies or assets to other (deserving) shelters or rescue operations, but sadly, we are rarely among them.
I am hoping that somewhere “out there” is a club, school group or organization (perhaps containing a few avid cat-lovers), who will consider sponsoring some events to help us and our innocent charges. Even giving a couple of hours a month at the sanctuary visiting and grooming the kitties would be a wonderful gift. Drop by the Thrift Shop (806 Lake St in Sandpoint) weekdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.-3 p.m., or call Michael at the Sanctuary, 208-755-6298 (leave a message which he will return) or e-mail him at blesstheanimals@gotsky.com. You may also call me at 265-4688 (7 a.m.-7 p.m.) or Olivia Rue, 263-0330 (Noon-8 p.m.) for more information. Also, check our Web site at ltfas.org.
Please, let your “mews” inspire you to give us a hand! Thank you!
VALLE NOVAK
Sandpoint