Search This Blog

Sunday, May 6, 2012

In Honor of Faith & Atticus..Momma and kittens that were burned in Georgia.



To play the game Pass It On, stand or sit in a circle. One person begins the game by thinking of a short phrase, then whispering the phrase into the ear of the person standing or sitting beside him/her. That person then whispers it to the next person and so on. The last person says aloud what they heard whispered into their ear. Finally, the first person tells what he/she whispered in the first place. Ever feel like we play that game on FaceBook? Post a traumatic picture and watch how many times the story changes from the original content. In the mean time we armchair warriors sit behind our monitors saying the most hurtful things possible, conjure up drama that would be the envy of any daytime soap opera, and of course bludgeon the people with what they should have done. 
I watched this happen with the story of Faith and Atticus, the mother and kitten burned in a Georgia fire. No one EXACTLY knows what happened (because there were NO witnesses) but we have conjured up the most evil of stories. When Faith's story first broke, I purposely tried to follow every thread possible. And the bottom line was everyone was so hot to seek retribution and vengeance, they forgot about the real story. Most did not read, they reacted, over and over and over. But I did watch an entire community of fuzzlebutt lovers come together. People that do not live that area need to remember that not all states are alike. Police departments are ruled differently and the views on the worthiness of a little fuzzlebutt are dramatically different from those who are reading this.
The real story? There are a LOT of ferals in that area. A man had a substantial pile of brush and seemingly that's where Faith nested. He started the pile on fire. Whether or not he knew she was there NONE of us will ever know. We can guess to our wildest imagination but we will never know. Faith was seen by the man that fed the strays over a several day period. At that time she was able to come and eat and run away. He contacted Paula Radley who graciously took in the kitten Atticus and took Faith to the vet. Faith unfortunately declined from her wounds and was in pain. Paula with the help of Petra Brooks made the hardest decision ever to send Faith to the Rainbow Bridge. It takes a lot of courage to make that decision.
There is one unsung hero in all of this. Paula Radley. Quiet and unassuming she readily jumped in for these kitties. She currently has Atticus in her care as well another teeny kitten that may be a step sibling of Atticus. Paula is truly a kitty savior and could use our help. On a meager monthly income she cares for 80 cats and a dog! Yes 80 cats! With the help of a couple of kind angels, she was able to vet, spay and neuter 35 of them. The remainder she has done on her own. Needless to say there is very little if anything left over for her own needs.
I have set up an Amazon Wishlist for Paula with hopes that we can help her out with some kitty basics. This was my idea as I thought she truly deserves some love from us. Many people have asked what they can do to honor Faith's name and help in the care of Atticus and the other kitty. If everyone could send a even a small item of food or litter that would truly help Paula out. Just pick something off the wish list and have it sent directly to her home. Just to feed these kitties it takes a box of 32 cans per week,16 pounds of cat chow per day, and 2 bags of the 21 pound of litter a week. Just remember that Amazon doesn't say who the package is from, so everything will arrive anonymously.

You can look for the wish list by typing in Paula Belinda Radley located in Georgia OR this is the link to the wish list I set up for Paula http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&id=2FQ3VZ7RLBTA3&type=wishlist




Walmart is in Hinesville, GA. If you want to order things there, Paula can go and pick up. She has to go into Hinesville to do her shopping anyway. There is nothing out in her "neck of the woods." They live directly on the marsh. 


A giftcard for Walmart can be mailed to 
Paula Belinda Radley
196 Faye Drive 
Midway, Georgia 31320 


Faith will be looking down and proud to know her friends cared so much.