Clowder 9 Ranch (2026)

02/09/2026

Ten days ago, I shared a post about success, happy tears, answered prayers, and a really good start to the school year.

And then things got hard again.

Griselda began struggling to eat, and her throat and gums became horribly inflamed. We started a new, somewhat unconventional treatment, and after just four days, we are cautiously hopeful that it is helping.

Then an injured Great Horned Owl appeared on our property—in a place I couldn't reach him. Calls for help left us with little more than, "let nature take its course." So for two days, I watched this magnificent bird slowly die, knowing that if I could have reached him, I could have at least tried to help or lessen his suffering.

That one hurt.

And then there's school.

It's GOOD. But it is HARD. Almost everything I'm learning right now is new, and some days it feels like my brain is oozing out through my ears. 😂 But I'm diving in feet first because I don't just want to pass these classes. I want to understand them. I want Chemistry, Biology, and Anatomy & Physiology to become part of the foundation I will someday stand on as a veterinarian.

Some days, exhaustion whispers that it would be easier to throw in the towel.

Then another email arrives.

Cats dumped on someone's property. Kittens being born. People who desperately want to help but don't have the money or resources to stop the cycle.

Our spay/neuter grant came in $1,200 short this year, and the funds we did get ($3800) are already gone—and fall isn't even here yet.

So we start looking for another way.

This season isn't really about tears. It's about pulling up my boots and trudging through the mud and muck in front of me.

And thanking God that when the mud gets deep, He keeps me from sinking—and that He has surrounded me with people who help me keep moving forward.

One muddy boot at a time. ❤️

(Pictured: Teddy Graham of the Pond District, who apparently decided that at 11 weeks old he should already be bigger than his dad. Because if nothing else, life keeps growing.)

23/08/2026

How do you measure success? Does it look the same to you as it does to your spouse, sibling, coworker, friend, or neighbor? And how do you celebrate it? Cake, a nap, dinner out? Or do we remember to praise God first?

After a grueling first week back at CSI—with school, home, pets, and C9R all demanding their share—I’m taking a moment to reflect on this week’s victories and give God the glory for them. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

Yesterday, I realized I measured a few of those successes by the tears I did—or didn’t—shed.

Remember sweet Felina, whose back leg was nearly severed by some unknown object? Tomorrow marks 3 weeks since surgery. Two days post-op, her leg and foot swelled dramatically from lymphedema. At her 2-week recheck, the incision had healed beautifully, but there was still concern about whether the leg would remain viable long-term.

We continued red light therapy, and within 24 hours of her sutures being removed, the swelling began to decrease. By Saturday, her family excitedly showed me her leg and foot: completely normal in size.

That was a visible, measurable, praise-worthy victory. She still has healing to do, but God answered our prayers and equipped us to help her. Happy tears were shared by all.

Then there is school.

This semester I’m taking Chemistry 112, Biology 202, and Animal Anatomy & Physiology, and I’m on campus five days a week. I expected chemistry homework to end in frustration, confusion, and tears. I even had tissues and comfort snacks ready.

But apparently, I knew more than I thought I did. I finished the assignment feeling confident, without a single tear—or even a four-letter word crossing my mind.

Success: no tears!

Tears can be one marker of success: happy, frustrated, sorrowful, joyful. God sees and knows every one of them. Praising Him through tears of victory comes easily. Praising Him through sorrow can be much harder.

What tears of success or sorrow have you shed lately? How have you praised God through them?

When we share our tears with others, we invite them into our victories and sorrows—and often, it is in those very places that we find God working for the good.

18/08/2026

Griselda has officially turned a corner. 😻

Last week was rough after her full-mouth extraction. She wanted to eat, but her mouth was so painful that she couldn’t do it comfortably. After a recheck Friday and some stronger medication, things finally improved. 💜

Now she’s eating THREE cans of food a day with gusto and is already trying to sneak dry kibble when she’s out roaming the trailer. She still needs another week or two for her mouth to fully heal, but our girl is feeling much more like herself. 🙌

She’s also getting time with the “nice cats” — Mordi, Asher, Pretzel, and strangely enough, Donald — and she’s doing great. She’s affectionate, chatty, playful, loves to be brushed, and would happily spend her days following someone around demanding cuddles and conversation.

We don’t know exactly how old she is, but we estimate somewhere between 5 and 9 years old. At her September 10 recheck, we’ll have her fully vaccinated, test for FeLV/FIV, and have an odd little abdominal lump checked out.

And now for the best part:

Griselda is officially ready to start looking for her forever home. 🐾💜

This gray battle-maiden has clearly fought some hard battles in her life. Now she deserves a soft bed, a full belly, sunny windows, and people who will love her as much as she loves them.

She has done well with male cats and dogs and would likely fit into many different homes with the right introductions.

If Griselda sounds like your kind of girl, message us. 😁

And please share her story so we can help this sweet, chatty, biscuit-making battle-maiden find the home she deserves.

12/08/2026

UPDATE on Miss Griselda.

Formerly “Miss Grise,” we decided this sweet gray lady needed a name with a little more character — and Griselda just fits (Germanic for gray battle-maiden). 🦸‍♀️

First, some wonderful news: we raised $230 toward her $360 dental bill. A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated to support this very special girl. We won’t tag anyone publicly, but your kindness helped make her full-mouth extraction possible, and we are incredibly grateful. 😍

Now for the next chapter. 📖

After spending more time with her, it has become very clear that Griselda is meant to be an indoor cat. 🐾

She is one of the sweetest, most affectionate girls we have ever met. She purrs constantly, makes biscuits, loves to cuddle, happily accepts belly rubs, “helps” when you brush her, and is always ready for attention and conversation.

The family whose barn she wandered into has taken very good care of her during the last month, and is happy to accept her back to the barn, but is completely supportive of finding her an indoor home where she can spend her retirement years in comfort. So that's what we'd like to get for this sweet older gal.

We’re imagining sunny windows, soft beds, plenty of snuggles, and a human — or several — who appreciate just how much love this girl has to give. 🌞

Griselda has lived peacefully around other cats and would likely do well with a calm, indifferent feline companion. She has hissed at our dog, but she has only been here a short time, so we’re not calling that a true dog aversion yet. But a dog who has lived well with cats and respects their space would be just fine.

She still has some healing to do, but she is officially available for adoption.

Griselda found the right people when she needed help with her mouth. Now we’d love to help her find the right people for the rest of her life.

If you think your home might have a sunny spot waiting for this very special girl, please reach out. 💜🐾

10/08/2026

🩶 Today is a big day for Miss Grise.

A little while ago, this sweet gray girl simply appeared at a Good Samaritan’s barn.

She wasn’t chased away by the resident cats. In fact, she fit in surprisingly well. And because she was so friendly and trusting, it seemed pretty clear that somewhere along the way, Miss Grise had probably known people and kindness before.

But something was very wrong.

She was struggling to eat, drooling heavily, and there was even blood coming from her mouth. Her finder reached out for help, and we were able to step in with some basic supportive care and help get her seen by a veterinarian.

The diagnosis was severe gingivostomatitis.

We initially hoped medication might calm the inflammation enough to manage it without major dental work. It helped her feel better for a while — but unfortunately, not enough.

So today, Miss Grise is having a full-mouth extraction.

Yes. Every tooth.

It sounds extreme, but for cats with severe stomatitis, removing the teeth can be the most humane and effective way to finally stop the cycle of inflammation and pain.

And this girl deserves to know what it feels like to eat without hurting. 🩶

Her Good Samaritan has given her a safe place to land and continues to care for her, while Clowder 9 Ranch is helping with the financial and medical side of her treatment and supporting her through recovery.

Her surgery has been estimated at $300–$500, and today we’re hoping our community might help us get Miss Grise through this next step.

I’ll put information on how to help with her care in the comments.

For now, please send some good thoughts Miss Grise’s way as she heads into surgery. Hopefully, when she wakes up today, she’ll be waking up to the beginning of a much less painful life. 🐾🩶

05/08/2026

When our community—and its animals—are in need, but money, resources, time, and energy are running low, how do we keep going?

We call on God. He never intended for us to carry this work alone, and He reminds us not to grow weary in doing good—for in due season, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

This past weekend I had some unusually hard calls and messages come in, and I honestly felt pretty helpless and very limited.

But God…

This past weekend, we helped a family whose kitten was injured after being attacked by a dog. Veterinary care would have been ideal, but limited weekend resources and financial hardship left the family with few options. With quick action and close monitoring, she is alive and recovering well.

Then, late Sunday evening, we received another call about a young cat who appeared to have suffered a serious leg or hip injury. Emergency services were limited, and the family could not simply produce hundreds—or thousands—of dollars without warning. We provided supportive care, kept her comfortable overnight, and helped get her to the veterinarian the following morning for X-rays and a treatment plan.

None of this was perfect or ideal. But two frightened families were not left completely alone, and two young cats were given a chance.

These situations also leave me wrestling with a difficult question: Should the love and companionship of an animal belong only to those who are financially secure?

People lose jobs. Rent rises. Illness happens. Emergencies arrive without warning. Animals are found abandoned when every shelter and rescue is already full. Financial hardship does not automatically mean an animal is unloved, neglected, or better off separated from the only family it knows.

Sometimes continuing the work means showing up, doing the best we can with what we have, and trusting God with the rest.

We are tired—but we are not giving up. And perhaps the answer is not to shame struggling families, but to build a community where fewer of them have to face these emergencies alone. ❤️

05/08/2026

From the bushes to a better life… now she needs a home. 🧡

This sweet, petite girl was found hiding in the bushes with a badly injured tail—and, as it would later turn out, she was also pregnant.

The woman who first found her made sure her tail received the medical care it needed, but she was unable to keep her. Another compassionate foster stepped in to give her a safe place to heal. As the days passed, however, her growing belly revealed one more unexpected part of her story.

Her foster contacted another rescue for help with the cost of a spay, and they referred her to us. We knew we could help—but we also knew timing would be everything. Miraculously, a veterinarian was able to squeeze her in today.

Pregnant spays are never emotionally easy. Our hearts still hurt knowing what the procedure means, but with shelters and rescues already overwhelmed and far more cats needing homes than there are homes available, we know it was the responsible and necessary choice. Questions about that decision may be sent privately, but this post is about her future.

And this little girl deserves a wonderful one. ❤️

She is estimated to be only 1–2 years old and is incredibly loving, affectionate and cuddly. She reportedly loves snuggling in bed and playing with red Solo cups! She has shown little reaction to other cats and may do well with feline companions. A home with calm, well-mannered dogs or respectful children may also be possible with careful introductions.

She doesn’t even have a name yet—but she would love to have a person and a home of her own.

We are looking for a:

🏡 Foster
🐾 Foster-to-adopt home
❤️ Permanent adopter

She will need a little time to recover from her surgery, but she is ready to begin the next—and best—part of her life.

Please message us if you can help this beautiful girl. Name suggestions are welcome, too!

26/07/2026

I admit I sometimes use AI to help me sort and organize my thoughts, experiences, and details from the week. While I love to write, sometimes the energy needed for that has been completely zapped. Whether it's from hours of physical labor in the sun, late-night texts or calls about a kitty need, special needs cases that pull me away from my digital devices, or just trying to spend time with my own household (cats, dogs, ducks, and hubby).

Today's post is not AI-generated, and it will be messy, raw, and probably disorganized. But I am feeling "genuine" today.

- Internship is almost over. Conference went GREAT! Enjoyed the research experience. Ready to be out of the hot sun and not having to drive 45 minutes home without A/C.

- Ducks are great (for now). They have names now: Matzo (the chocolate one that had the limp but it went away), Triscuit (more black and white), Oyster (the smaller of the gray & white), and Teddy (HUGE monster of a duck...obviously a boy). Ritz waits for me around 9 PM to lead them all back across the property to go to bed. I LOVE IT. They are all officially mealworm crackheads.

- The kittens up for foster from a previous post. 3 of the 5 have found new "finishing school" foster homes (YAY!). We are hoping to find one more home for the remaining 2 (Naelu and Buddha). If you have a home that is open to help socialize two adorable and cuddly kittens, hit me up; you won't be disappointed.

- I have added another vet school to the application list. In addition to Utah State and Washington State, I am also going to apply to The University of Arizona CVM. This is exciting because they work on an accelerated program that would have me done in 3 years. Still researching the pros and cons.

- Other kitties we've been helping include LOTS of kitten vaccines, helping pet parents with financial assistance for spay/neuter (the only no-kill plan that works), a middle-aged kitty with some dehydration and constipation issues, a little kitten with limping calicivirus, and many other texts and emails.

After this week, I'm off for 2 weeks before school. Hope to post more!

18/07/2026

Foster Homes Needed: Welcome to Kitten Finishing School! 🐾

These sweet babies have already come such a long way—but they need a little more help before they are ready for their forever homes.

About three weeks ago, this litter and their momma were discovered in the back of a work vehicle. The kittens were safely caught, and momma was trapped so she could continue nursing and caring for them through the weaning stage. Their first foster did an incredible job getting this little family through some of the hardest days.

Momma has now been spayed and will be returned to her colony. Her babies, however, have shown us that they are friendly, cuddly, playful, and very ready for life as beloved house cats.

Now they need their next step: “finishing school.”

We are urgently looking for a foster home—or possibly two homes—that can take two or three kittens for approximately 8–10 weeks while they complete their medical care and continue improving their social skills.

These kittens are:

Friendly, active, and healthy
Eating and drinking well
Using their litter boxes
Ready to play, cuddle, learn, and grow

Magicats will cover all medical care, and Clowder 9 Ranch can provide food and supplies. What we need most is a safe, warm, loving home and someone willing to give them time, affection, and everyday family interaction.

Foster homes are incredibly limited right now, while the kitten population continues to explode. Opening your home to just two or three babies creates space for rescues to help the next vulnerable litter—and gives these kittens the foundation they need to become wonderful lifelong companions.

Their first foster helped them survive and thrive. Now we need someone to help them polish their social skills, complete their care, and prepare for the happy homes waiting in their future.

Can you help these little graduates through their final semester? Please message us if you are interested in fostering or would like more information. Even sharing this post could help us find the right home. 🖤🐾

15/07/2026

Sometimes the cats who need us most simply appear. 🩶

This sweet gray girl showed up out of nowhere, and surprisingly, the outdoor barn cats allowed her to stay. It quickly became clear that something was very wrong. She struggled to eat, drooled constantly, and even had blood coming from her mouth.

Thankfully, she is incredibly friendly, so we were able to perform a basic exam and provide supportive care while she waited for her veterinary appointment. Even that small amount of treatment made a noticeable difference—she perked up and began eating much better.

Today, the veterinarian confirmed that she has a severe case of stomatitis, a painfully inflamed condition affecting the mouth and gums. We are beginning with long-lasting steroids and antibiotics in hopes of reducing the inflammation and giving her some relief.

However, stomatitis can be incredibly difficult to manage with medication alone. She has a dental procedure scheduled for August 10 in case we do not see the improvement we are hoping for. For many cats with severe cases, the most humane and lasting treatment is a full-mouth extraction—removing the teeth that trigger the painful inflammatory response.

We have no idea where this girl came from, but her affectionate personality tells us she likely had a home at some point. We will continue watching for missing-cat posts and hope that someone may be searching for a friendly gray female.

Whether or not her previous family is found, she is safe now. She has a loving foster—and potential adopter—who is committed to giving her a secure place for as long as she needs it.

Her examination, medications, and upcoming dental care will be costly, and we would be incredibly grateful for any donations toward her treatment. Every contribution, no matter the amount, helps us give this sweet girl the pain-free future she deserves. 🐾🩶

Clowder 9 Ranch

02/09/2026

23/08/2026

18/08/2026

12/08/2026

10/08/2026

05/08/2026

05/08/2026

26/07/2026

18/07/2026

15/07/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Organization

Shortcuts

Share

Listing takedown request