09/25/2026
I really can’t say enough about Joan’s relentless dedication and passion for doing everything she can for the cats in her care. Please take a moment out of your day to visit Jamie’s Legacy page and make a donation to help this very compassionate woman and her team continue to save lives❤️
Remember Me Thursday.
I had planned to share a video tonight remembering the cats who have passed through our lives, the ones who are still here waiting, and the ones who never found a home. I didn't get the video made.
The truth is, I'm exhausted. Physically exhausted from everything that has needed to be done, and emotionally exhausted from a month that is always difficult for me. September 17 marked 14 years since Jamie went missing and today is Remember Me Thursday. Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary. It's just a hard month.
But this year feels harder than any other.
For 14 years, I've remembered the cats who have come through Jamie's Legacy. The ones who came to us too sick or too injured for us to save. The ones we were able to save, who got a few more years of safety, comfort and love before we had to say goodbye. The older cats who simply reached the end of their lives. And the ones who never found a home but found a home here.
Tonight I'm thinking about all of them, and I'm also thinking about the more than 85 cats who are here right now. So many of them are between eight and twelve years old now, and with age comes more medical needs. This year alone we've been hit incredibly hard with veterinary expenses, especially dental work.
Over the past five months, I've put nearly $7,000 on my credit cards to pay for medical care because I simply couldn't let them suffer. Some of our cats had half of their teeth removed a few months ago and are now due to have the rest done. We have seven or eight more dentals coming up, and we're looking at close to $6,000 for those alone, and still have all their regular medical care between now and the end of the year.
And we're broke.
I don't say that lightly. We've never had a year this difficult for donations, both monetary donations and supplies. Right now, we're doing okay with food and litter, but we'll need more in about three weeks. What also scares me is looking toward the new year. The person who has generously helped us in the past with a substantial year-end donation that allowed us to put money aside for our electricity and water for the year won't be able to do that this year.
I don't know how we're going to keep the electricity and water on, or keep the heating and air conditioning running, without help. I simply can't carry it myself anymore.
So tonight, on Remember Me Thursday, I'm remembering all of the cats we've given a life to. A safe place. A warm bed. Medical care when they needed it. Food. Comfort. Love. For some of them, we were their second chance. For some, we were the only home they ever knew.
And I'm looking at the cats who are still here, some of whom will probably spend the rest of their lives at Jamie's Legacy and wondering how we're going to keep giving them that life if we can't raise the money to care for them.
So, I'm going to ask for something very simple.
If everyone who follows Jamie's Legacy gave $14 for Jamie's 14 years, it would make an incredible difference.
Fourteen dollars to remember the cats we've lost. Fourteen dollars for the cats who never found homes. Fourteen dollars for the cats who are still waiting. And fourteen dollars to help us keep caring for the ones who will call Jamie's Legacy home for the rest of their lives.
If you can give $14, thank you. If you can give more, thank you. And if $14 isn't possible, send less. If nothing is possible right now, please don't feel bad. We know what it's like. Sharing this post, and asking others to donate is also a big help!
Tonight, I'm remembering them all with love and sorrow, and with an enormous amount of gratitude for every person who has helped us give these cats the lives they deserved.
Please remember them with me. ❤️ Joan
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Jamie’s Legacy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit stray cat sanctuary & has been saving lives since 2012.
