If you want to know a little more about the work I do at my job...let me talk a little about Cookie's Annex! Most of my friends & family know I work at a cat sanctuary, but it's more than that. It's a lifelong home for cats that have nowhere to go—cats that have feline leukemia, special medical needs (incontinence requiring lifelong bladder expressions, diabetes, skin conditions, etc), or are otherwise abused and abandoned with nowhere to go. Some of these cats may not have long lives, but they will have quality ones at our sanctuary, where we meet every medical, social, and basic need possible for these sweet and often forgotten cats.

 My absolute favorite room at the sanctuary is Cookie's Annex, where cats that have feline leukemia find a soft place to land. This is an offshoot of Cookie's Place, which is usually filled with rambunctious, crazy kittens. These feline leukemia cats face a lot of medical misinformation that leaves them on kill lists at shelters, or euthanized immediately upon diagnosis. But felvies can live long & happy lives too, and if they aren't long, they certainly still can be happy as we've demonstrated time and again at Shadow Cats.

 Annex offers a quiet environment for some of our older & shier cats that just want to laze about and sunbathe on a catio or snuggle up in a soft bed. Orca is my favorite cat currently at the sanctuary. I got him in the habit of asking to be picked up when he first made his way to Cookie's Annex, and it's stuck ever since. Though, now he knows he'll get the royal treatment anyway, so he simply lifts a paw in expectation rather than stretching his arms out. This room is full of incredible cats, street cats who have known hard lives and the worst of humanity, but now know the best of humanity with the most incredible lives. These are the kind of cats that just touch your soul.

 One such cat was Remy, my favorite girl ever. She spent the last part of her life in Cookie's Annex. She'd always struggled with social compatibility with both cats and people, but when she lived in my office and our break room, we bonded incredibly quickly. Remy absolutely captured my heart. If she wasn't leukemia positive, she'd have come home with me.

 But in truth, I think she captured everyone's hearts (and maybe struck fear into some of them lol). She was a manx with no tail and a cute little bunny butt, and enough attitude to spare. We affectionately called her a cactus cat, because you approached her at your own risk. But I loved Remy, and just as I pick up Orca now, I picked up Remy. The tradition of 'uppies' as we like to call it continues in that room, with Ferris even now joining the ranks of kitties who want to be picked up. I like to think Remy's little spirit carried that torch. I will never forget that girl, and I have a little corner of my office just for her.

 If you feel moved by our cause, please consider donating! We're having a fundraiser starting October 6th, and I'd love more than anything if those who support us and our mission and this lovely room full of lovely kitties could find it in their hearts to donate to their medical, dietary, and other basic needs. 💗