wishing you all the best!

Well, technically this is called a dog blog, but in fact when Tara's Babies began post- Katrina, we were also the home for 7 rescued cats; in the future we will again be a feline sanctuary, so it seems only fair to let Katie feature here.

Katie was one of the 6 that spent time at Dakini Valley (the seventh went straight to a new home). A smoochy, purring beauty, whenever i went into "The Cat Room", she would always look for loving attention; her compatriots were more varied in their responses - the wildeyed tabby would just as likely leap onto your shoulder, or race up a cat tree, the big white old tom, Casper, would walk in a deliberate and regal manner down the stairs. It was not a very big room, but had a loft and access to an enclosed outside run, and we had lots of fun building a myriad of contraptions to keep them occupied, so that no fights ever erupted.

Two of the cats became re-unites - the tabby, and a short-haired calico - the very last one to leave, to whom I had grown most attached. Reminded me somewhat of my precious old cat, Texas, still living in Australia.

Katie - then known as Mama Kitty - was fortunate to be fostered by Jenny, a kind and generous woman from Phoenix, who also took Honey, an old yellowlab with special needs. Mama Kitty was so named because her vet check post rescue identified her as pregnant, but kittens never transpired, so it may be the trauma of the Hurricane meant she lost them. Jenny cared for the two for some months, but eventually needed to find a more permanent home for the cuddly cat. Enter Tooky, one of our resilient volunteers who had spent several weeks here in the bitter cold last year, when we had many many more dogs than now, and work days were very long and tiring. A resident of Utah, with the softest heart for animals, I knew her senior cat had recently passed away, and suggested she might like to consider taking in our Hurricane baby.

Without much delay, Tooky and Howard agreed, so the soon-to-be-named-as Katie made her last journey across a state border, into her new, forever home. There she is spoiled and loved and very content, as this photo proves.

At this season of holidays, the closing of the year, the time of family and reflection, Katie, plump and playful under the Xmas tree, reminds me of all the connections we have made with people and animals over the last year. Transcending geography, and sometimes only brief, they represent the harmony and loving-kindness of so many. Animals seem to open our hearts, to touch a chord, to become a language we all understand. This is the great gift they offer and we can share. So, we at Tara's Babies thank everyone who has ever helped an animal in need; with your support, we will continue to grow in strength and kindness.

Have a wonderful holiday season, and a joyful, bountiful new year!