January 12-13, 2026

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟐 & 𝟏𝟑: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 (𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐉𝐨𝐲)

Sometimes rescue work leaves you so depleted that even finding words feels impossible. Monday was one of those days—the kind that reminds you why they invented coffee and why we do this work in the first place.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲

We accomplished what felt like a week's worth of procedures in a single day: 3 neuters, 1 spay, 1 dental, a deobstipation, a sedated groom, and a laryngeal exam. Oh, and 36 regular exams on top of all that. My Apple Watch was very proud of my step count. My body was less enthusiastic.

Our FeLV+ girl finally got her much-needed dental. Thelatha actually needed it more urgently than she did, but Gretchen now has good pain management on board and she's officially on the dental schedule. It's always a balancing act—who needs what most urgently, who's stable enough to wait just a little longer.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐧

The sedated groom was for one of our most special cats—Tukituki. Most people at the shelter don't even know he exists. A few volunteers met him briefly when he was in the kitten room, but he's lived most of his life here in a carefully managed foster home.

Tukituki came to us with his two brothers from what was labeled a "stray" situation, though the reality was someone overwhelmed by too many cats in their home. Tragically, one brother was euthanized shortly after arrival. Tukituki lived with his other brother for a while, but he kept showing up with new broken bones on x-ray. It took time to piece together the puzzle: he has conditions similar to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Brittle Bone Disease. His brother simply playing with him was breaking his bones.

Now he lives alone in foster care where he's the only animal and his humans talk to him but respect his boundaries—because Tukituki does not allow humans to touch him. He's quirky, he sits in the weirdest positions due to the laxity in all his joints, and he will absolutely bite if you try.

Every four months or so, he comes in for nail trims and grooming under sedation. His skin is so thin that we have to be extraordinarily careful—we've had to repair wounds more than once when his skin would tear during grooming. We call him our glass kitty with paper skin. But he's living happily, and that's what matters.

𝐀 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞

We also welcomed a new arrival who had no business being in a feral colony. He was keeping other cats from entering the feeding structure, and when our wonderful trapper friend scanned him, she found a friendly boy who just wanted to come inside. She had to drop him off quickly to continue her work, but he cried for two solid hours in the trap. Now? He's sweet, settled, and most importantly—neutered. His baby-making days are officially over.

The best part? All our procedures went perfectly. Every cat recovered beautifully. We didn't have to say goodbye to anyone. Any Monday that doesn't end in heartbreak is a win in my book.

𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

Tuesday felt like a gift after Monday's marathon. We accomplished a lot with far less chaos. One of our intake of 9 seniors is losing weight, so she's back under observation, but otherwise we're not managing any new major medical cases—just the typical kitty colds that come with shelter life.

And then the joy: FIVE kitten adoptions in one day. Five notifications sent to foster families. Five celebrations. Five little lives moving forward to their forever homes.

These are the days that fill your tank back up after the ones that drain you completely.