10/18/2026
Updates: We have been over capacity for months. We had a hard to place cat get adopted by an owner that is perfect for his special needs today, trying to minimize what we take in rn for a little break and we had those 5 farm kittens we had secured placement with a partner. 2 were live trapped today safely and made it to the rescue we had an agreement with and that rescuer is willing to work with family due to trapping times being uncertain. They will try for the other 3 tomorrow. I personally made an offer to fix mama and get her vaccinated and give back free of charge and/or work her in guaranteed placement if needed at anytime. I was able to provide grant and spay and nueter resources for the other cats around the property and offered our assistance with transport. Owner offered to trap and transport. Big kiddos to her for being willing to assist. We did send Peppa home with a fixed tooth that regardless of being very unsocialized, her owner was beyond excited to have her home for an indoor life forever with no pain. That felt like a great win. I was able to consult with two additional rescuers regarding medical questions and thanked them for having amazing judgement and reaching out when they had concerns and lastly when I got slammed and asked if they were ok, said yes, and ultimately made the right choice to hand over to other safe hands that were available before I could touch base. I again thanked them for for their quick planning and amazing judgement as well as advocating for their furrballs. In the midst of all that community members sent some amazing donations for Samson of approved food and a 501c3 partner reached out to offer us some overflow donations as they saw Facebook and have known us for years and also know I rarely get so down and stressed as a few days ago. What they didn't know is a business relationship was ghosting us out of no where, total lack of communication. I was very stressed about making up the missing donations if they ultimately decided not to communicate or talk to us about why they are clearly upset. It turned out that between the donations from a local rescuer who had some Rx food donated she dropped off last night and the 501c3 partner over flow donations, we got 80 percent of the items we were directly worried about. Had a great time with my client they also offered stuff to as well when we went up there today. We gabbed for about 2-4 hours with the executive director, laughing, swapping rescue wins and struggles, they offered support, gave me tips for survival in this business world and reminded me no one is immune from compassion fatigue and with the amount of stress and trauma lately to remember to take breaks and self care. I appreciated this level of positivity and support was so much needed from a very reputable and respected rescuer in the field. Today was about the animals. Only about the animals. The collaboration between the many animal advocates and rescuers ensured all cats were in the most educated hands, we all shared donations, supplies and often share volunteers when needed on common goals. We all get to still run our own programs but we maximized our reach and we maximized amount of lives saved. I thought to myself, there truly is a better way. This is a real life living example of it. My rescue peeps understood I needed a small break because the last few weeks I forgot why I am out here doing this. Today was beautiful. Today is what rescue is all about. None of us had to absorb something we weren't comfortable with or too many. None of us were over stressed. There was no fighting or arguing. It simply works. I like my new tribe. I finally found my people. I do not have to wonder ever if they are safe, ethical, or will have good judgement. I already know because they are truly good rescuers. I feel blessed for today's experiences. I feel blessed for my new tribe I am working with. I feel honored to call myself a rescuer, advocate, and helper.
