Helping PAWS Pet Rescue, Inc.: Senior Pet Adoption Assistance Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

This amazingly helpful grant of $1,000 was used to support the adoption of the individual senior pet named in the application. Her name is Twinkle and the money was spent specifically on diagnostic testing to determine the cause of her chronic intestinal trouble, ongoing care and treatment toward a cure, and a supply of her special diet to relieve some expenses for her adoptive family.

This grant was not only lifesaving for Twinkle, it gave a much-needed boost to the morale and enthusiasm of our volunteers during these uncertain and difficult times. Often, in rescue, one individual pet is so gentle and sweet that he or she feels special to everyone. This is the case with Twinkle. It was deeply emotional for our volunteers to continue to try, week after week, to relieve Twinkle's severe abdominal discomfort as she struggled with intestinal allergies and inflammatory bowel disease. When funding became available to help her in some very real and practical ways, and when her symptoms resolved and she became the happy, comfortable kitty she deserved to be, the relief and joy and gratitude of all who know Twinkle was profound! Twinkle's permanent place in her adoptive home is now confirmed, thanks to this grant.

How many pets did this grant help?

One, the senior kitty named Twinkle -- as well as all of the hundreds of other pets cared for by our re-energized volunteers!!

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Hello, everyone! My name is Twinkle — yes, like “a twinkle in your eye” and “twinkle, twinkle, little star.” I guess I got my name because I have sort of a twinkly personality, all happy and chirpy. But I wasn’t always this happy. For a while there, I was actually pretty miserable.

The first sad thing that happened to me was that my special person who loved me passed away suddenly and I got sent away to a place where kitties go when there is no one to love them. I was really upset and scared, and I think that is when my tummy first got sick.

Then I got adopted by a really nice family and they loved me a lot and I tried to get my twinkly personality back. But as I got older, my tummy got sicker. I started to have stinky accidents all over the house. I felt really bad about this, but I truly couldn’t help it. The stinky stuff would get all over my legs and tail and eventually I couldn’t even keep myself clean any more, and everyone knows how much cats like to be clean. It was really embarrassing and I got very sad about everything.

When things got really bad, and my tummy hurt a lot, my family finally took me to the doctor. The doctor said it would cost a lot of money to find out what was wrong with me, so my family took me to another one of those places where kitties go when there is no one to love them. I guess they didn’t love me as much as I thought.

But, even though I didn’t know it at the time, I was very lucky. The place they took me to is especially for kitties like me who are sick and need to get well so they can find their real forever homes! I went to the doctor a lot of times. I didn’t really mind because everyone was really nice to me, even the doctor. I had a lot of tests and different medicines and special foods. I tried to be really good and cooperative to show everyone how grateful I was for them trying to help me. I kept getting better and better and pretty soon I wasn’t having stinky accidents any more. What a relief that was! I remembered how much I liked to be clean and so I started cleaning myself again.

Then, best of all, when I felt better I got my twinkle back! The nicest family in the world noticed, and they said they really wanted to adopt me, but they were a little worried about the cost of my medicine and special food. When they found out that there was some money to help with my expenses, they adopted me right away! I have gotten well so much that I hardly need medicine at all any more, just my special food and, of course, the best medicine of all: Love. Thank you for helping me. Twinkle