Adopting Two Rescued Cats Changed My Life #RememberMeThursday

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Today is Remember Me Thursday. If you’ve read this post or this one, you know that Lola has been very excited to spread the word about this important day. Today she let me take the reins so I can share my thoughts. (Thank you, Lola!)

The day I brought Lexy home was an exciting day. I hadn’t had a cat in many years, and I was thrilled to be sharing my life and home with my beautiful girl. The date was April 17, 2010, and I had no idea what lie ahead of me.

Eight months later I decided Lexy needed a friend and I started looking for another addition to our family. One December night I was surfing through Facebook and I came across a photo of the sickest, most pathetic looking cat I had ever seen. On January 16, 2011, I brought that cat, Lola, home and that day turned out to be a big turning point in my life.

I wasn’t very aware of animal rescue before Lola and Lexy. Lexy came from a “no kill” shelter, and Lola did not. (As sick as she was I’m quite sure she would not have made it out of there alive.) The more I learned about the differences between the two shelters, the more I was motivated to save animals from the fate that Lola almost faced – euthanasia.

I started a Facebook page for Lola upon the request of several people who were following her story and were looking forward to updates on her progress. “A Facebook Page for my cat? People do that?” I whispered to myself. What I was about to encounter on the other side of the door I was stepping through would have a significant impact on my life. I quickly became a part of a wonderful, tight-knit community of cat lovers; I became a voice for the voiceless, advocating for rescue and adoption; I held auctions to help raise money for people to pay their vet bills, feed their pets, and in some cases, keep a roof over their head. I also raised money for rescues and shelters as well. (In total, it was probably well over $25,000).

I met people from all over the world, many of whom became my good friends. Friends I would not know if it were not for the Facebook cat community. I’ve met several people in person, and some have been to my home to meet Lola and Lexy. I snap chat every day with one friend, and text during Seinfeld with another. We’re friends because of our cats.

As my Facebook Page was turning into a community I was driven to share Lola’s experience with more people. After I published her life story in September of 2014, I started blogging and another door opened for me. I became a part of the BlogPaws community and attended my first conference in 2015 in Nashville. I walked in the door nervous and alone, not knowing much about the blogging business. I was welcomed into the cat blogosphere with open arms and by the end of the conference I had new connections with several people. My friendships with many have strengthened over the past few years and I’m always looking forward to seeing them at the next conference.

Because I adopted two rescued cats I have become a writer. This wasn’t an aspiration of mine, it was just something I fell into. And I love it!  When I won two Certificates of Excellence from the Cat Writers’ Association I was speechless. I had never heard of SEO, keywords, branding, social media scheduling and all the other elements that make a blog successful. It was all very intimidating at first but little by little I got the hang of it and I’m still learning tips and tricks. When I look back at old posts I can't believe how much my blog has grown and improved.

I had no idea my first post I wrote as Lola on Facebook on January 11, 2011, would result in any of the wonderful things that have happened. I'm so glad I took the leap and started that page. I'm grateful every day for my two beautiful rescued cats and the love they have brought into my life.

I’m proud to be official partners with Helen Woodward Animal Center and I’m lighting up social media to spread the word about Remember Me Thursday. 

We received the box of items pictured in this post from HWAC in exchange for partnering with them for Remember Me Thursday. HWAC is not responsible for the contents of this post and Lola The Rescued Cat only shares information we think will be of interest to our readers. 

“Millions of beautiful, adoptable pets will lose their lives in 2017,” states Mike Arms, President and CEO of Helen Woodward Animal Center. “We all come from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds, but together, we can raise our voices and share one life-saving message and literally save millions of pets on this one day.” 

Now in its 5th year, Remember Me Thursday has been supported by hundreds of thousands of individuals and more than 500 animal welfare organizations in 164 countries. The goal is “to unite individuals and pet adoption organizations around the world to be an unstoppable, integrated voice for orphan pets in need of forever homes.”

Help save a life! Use the hashtag #RememberMeThursday or #RememberTheRescue on social media to let people know you honor the lost pets who ran out of time in shelters. This
will bring awareness to the pets we can still help by working together and using our voices.

Will you join me today in being a voice for the voiceless? Have you adopted a rescued pet that changed your life? Tell me about it!

Dawn

Thank you to our friends at Chirpy Cats for helping us with our overlays!