Happy tally sheet

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Unfortunately there were a few lives we couldn't save this year. BUT... there were many we did save from a certain death. Here's a little gallery of the most poignant stories - those that did face death. Above it's Benji who was rescued on a cold winter day last February. I found him badly mauled (if you don't know his story check out the huge abcess on the right side of his face) and with a bad flu. He was touch and go for three days (didn't eat or drink) but finally pulled through. Sometimes we endearingly call him Michael Oher (The Blind Side) - he scores very high on protective instincts :-) He does not have a mean bone in his body  - never never starts a fight and has taken lovingly care of each little newcomer. He has turned into a gentle giant.

A few images from December.

Then there's Emma who was drowning in our neighbors huge water tank (water is precious here and each drop is collected). The neighbors don't actually live there (so far they're just building a house) and it's unknown how she got into the water tank and how long she'd been paddling around. She suffered from a skin rash three months after her rescue.

But she turned out to be a wise little soul and she quickly adopted us (even though it took me an entire day to rescue her out of a complex piping system because she was so freaked out upon her initial rescue from the water tank). She is wise and deep and I am sure - has an old soul.

She soon struck up a tight knit friendship with Benji - actually they acted like soul mates.

They LOVED to snuggle when she was little...

- and they still LOVE to snuggle today. 

Noona's rescue is pretty difficult to forget. She was found in a pityful state in a typical Greek taverna. Lot's of cats fighting over the scraps people thew to them and Noona could never get to them because she was so heavy from a grotesque case of mamary hyperplasia. She was very underweight and I'm sure her swollen mamary glands actually weighed more than her entire body itself. Upon her rescue she suffered an abortion from the hormone treatment to treat the hyperplasia and she suffered horrible side-effects from the treatment. She had a swollen chin for several weeks and started eating the grit from the litter box. It's taken almost all year for her mamary glands to return to normal.

I am convinced Noona knows she was rescued from dying. Today - almost at any given moment - she can be found sat just quietly observing all her friends - purring loudly. She truly enjoys life. She loves to entertain everybody - she creeps under a blanket and gets everyone going chasing the "moving object" under the blanket - purring loudly naturally!

And dear dear Rosie... Rosie was found at deaths door.

She physically had to rest for 12 days before she stood upright after her rescue. She was so weakened from emaciation.  Today she has a V E R Y great love affair with her food. You can understand why!! She is a lovely cat but keeps herself to herself. She carries herself almost as someone who's known death. There's a look in her eyes where you almost feel as if she  knows what the rainbow bridge looks like - I swear!

And of course her sibling Rufus...

They were both in quite a chocking condition but initially Rufus seemed stronger. After about 12 days I scooped him too. 

Yes, above and below is the same cat, can you believe it!? Below is a recent image of Rufus on a gloriously sunny day.

Rufus and sis chilling on the porch!

And not to forget little Lilly...

She was such a sad little girl when I found her. Phychologically not a happy girl and covered in skin fungus.

But now she is a happy and content girl endearlingly known as "Darling Piglet"...

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 Lol!

So there you have it, just a few of our "on the brink" rescues but there were as you know many more. 

From the entire crew -  wishing you a very happy and blessed New Year (and from left to right it's Maxi, Rufus, little Ellie in the background, Toddy, Emma and Benji. Oh... and bottom right it's Darling Piglet's happy tail!!