When my mom was in her seventies she got scammed by some guy selling securities -- he told her she wouldn't lose money, and she ended up losing like $5,000. She felt so foolish on top of losing the money, which on a fixed income was not going to replenish itself, and of course I felt bad that she felt bad, and so very angry at this young snake oil salesman who preyed on her and others her age. That made me hypersensitive to the plight of older people, how easy it can be to take advantage of them and how at a loss some of them are in a world where technology and change can overwhelm even those of us who can keep somewhere near the cutting edge. Arlene and others like her are in my thoughts daily.
Diane R. -----Original Message----- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of MaryChristine Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 10:41 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] (no subject) thanks for posting this, sue, because the issue of folks unable to take care of their critters right now, elderly or not, is becoming huge. folks, check with your local shelters to see if any of them run a pet-food bank--a lot actually do. there are ani-meals programs in a number of places, that deliver food for animals to homes where the humans can't afford to get the food, or can't get to the store to pick it up. in some places, there are programs that are funded by the United Way--they just don't get much publicity. social-service agencies SHOULD know about clients who have companion animals in need, and SHOULD be working with animal-welfare groups to help, but it doesn't happen when case loads aren't overwhelming the system, so i'm sure it's not now. sometimes all it takes is stopping long enough to look around: if you have an elderly or disabled neighbor that you know has critters, or is feeding ferals, ask them what kind of food they use because you're into coupons, and you'll keep an eye out (that's not charity, you see....)--etc etc etc. MC On Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 8:20 AM, Sue & Frank Koren <fs...@roadrunner.com>wrote: > I belong to a cat forum on-line. One of the members who is a well > respected TNR person posted this the other day and I have not been able to > stop thinking of this poor lady: > > "There is a town south of tucson. Very poor and colorful characters live > there. Its a dumping ground for people who abandon their companion cats and > dogs. There is a woman who has worked with us to S/N the abandoned cats in > her yard. She is devoted to these cats and feeds them and watches out for > them. > Last year her husband developed pancreatic cancer and died. We found out > yesterday she is going to loose her house and has been using her food stamps > to buy cat food for her companion indoor cats. her beloved dog is having > serious health problems and she doesnt have money to take him to a vet. > These animals have helped her get thru her hard times. > Our group has been supplying her with food for the ferals but didnt know > she didnt have money for her indoor animals. We are going to try to raise > money to help her dog go to the vet and help her with food for her indoor > cats." > > When I PM'd her asking how to help this poor woman this was her response: > > "I work with Paws Patrol of Green Valley. We have a website with pay pal if > that would be convenient to donate there. > http://greenvalleypawspatrol.org/ Be sure and mention it is for Arlene. > It made me sad all day thinking how awful it must be to face those things > alone in your elderly years. I'm sure none of us picture our lives happening > like that. Plus a lot of the older female generation are not self-sufficient > women like we are today. I know my mom is always wanting a man to do chores > and figure things out for her. (she is 84) when her daughters are perfectly > capable of doing alot of the stuff! > Its just plain wrong when the elderly fall on hard times like this with no > recourse. Medical bills bankrupt so many families. Please keep this woman in > your prayers and thoughts. We are going to have to try to move her colony of > cats because once she is gone they dont have a prayer to be looked after in > this community. Her name is Arlene." > > I am posting Arlenes story here with permission from the woman who posted > it in our cat forum. > Thanks, > Sue > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > -- Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference.... MaryChristine Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org) Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team) _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org This electronic mail transmission and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged. 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