10/30/2026
October has been a really hard month in so many ways. 💔
I don't even know where to begin. This month has taken an emotional and financial toll on our little rescue.
Our thrift shop sales have been less than half of what we have done in previous months. That leaves me worried about whether we will be able to pay our rent on time this month. The bills don't stop just because sales are down. The cats still need food, litter, cleaning supplies, and, most importantly, medical care.
And then there is the heartbreak.
Today we said goodbye to Popeye (Poppy). After having her eye removed, the area began swelling again. We sent the mass off to pathology, hoping for better news, but it came back as cancer. An extremely aggressive cancer. Her face had become so swollen, and I had to make the heartbreaking decision that I could not let her continue to suffer in pain. We fought so hard for her, and letting her go was devastating.
We also had to say goodbye to Molly. Our felv kitty who came to us jaundiced.
Yesterday, we lost our little trooper, the sweet little
Boy with the damaged eye who came to us too late. And Silke who had complications duiring her spay. When she was under anesthesia for her spay, her heart stopped on the table. We lost her, too.
Rescue is hard. Anyone who does this work knows that. But some months seem to take more from you than you think you have left to give.
We have had so many sick cats needing veterinary attention this month. So many tiny kittens have arrived barely clinging to life. We have spent countless hours trying to stabilize, treat, comfort, and save them.
And today, five more kittens were brought to us after being dumped alone and hungry.
Five more little lives that someone walked away from. Five more mouths to feed, five more lives to protect, and five more responsibilities added to an already overwhelmed rescue.
Tonight, I am grieving.
I am grieving Popeye. I am grieving Molly and Silke. I am grieving all the little ones we fought so hard to save but couldn't. I think about every one of them, and I wish so badly that the ending could have been different.
People see the happy adoption pictures, the kittens playing, and the success stories. What they don't always see are the losses, the veterinary bills, the sleepless nights, the fear of not having enough money to keep the doors open, and the heartbreak that comes with loving animals who sometimes don't make it.
We do this because their lives matter. Every single one.
I wish October had been kinder to us. I wish I could have saved them all. And I wish people understood just how much it takes to keep a small rescue going.
Please remember FCAT during these difficult times. If you can donate, shop at our thrift store, purchase something from our wish list, or simply share our posts, every little bit helps.
We still have so many lives depending on us. And tomorrow, we will get up and do it all again.
Tonight, though, I just need a moment to grieve the ones we couldn't save. 💔🐾
Rest peacefully, Poppy and all those who went before her. You all mattered and you were all loved.
Thank you to all the staff at Countryside Veterinary Service who always do everything they can to help us save these poor soles.
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From all of us who give our hearts to help these furry little babies.
