Yes, I'm still here... I got pretty bummed out after my last post, what with losing so many foster kittens in such a short period of time. And right after that, a few militant vegans decided they would come to my farm Facebook page and start attacking me for not being vegan. One young woman called me a "killer and torturer of innocent beings", "a hypocrite" and "fake animal lover" because I dare to keep rescue animals while not being vegan. She was so awful, I had to have Gordon send her a lawyer letter telling her to cease and desist or we would call the police; this after she libelled me and posted a threat against me on a public forum.
I did not invite any of these people to my Facebook page; a herd of them just decided to come to attack me after one of their group members messaged me to tell me how confused and disappointed she was that I wasn't vegan, after which I went onto my FB page to say that I don't feel I owe anyone an explanation but I am very transparent about not being vegan, and I explained my thoughts on the subject. I did not in any way criticize vegans; I in fact expressly asked people not to leave negative comments towards vegans in response. I was just trying to make sure no one was under any illusions that I run a vegan farm sanctuary, which I do not.
And I am ready to throw my vegan cookbooks onto the bonfire.
I know most vegans are NOT militant and are not cruel; I have friends who are vegans, I eat a lot of vegan/vegetarian food and meals myself, and if you're looking for a meat eater to pick on, I'm not your best target (although granted, I'm an easy target, until you realize I am married to a lawyer!) as I mainly eat vegetarian meals, with some fish and the very occasional piece of locally-farmed organic chicken. But even if I ate steak three times a day, I don't see how that is anyone's business, and I find it disgusting that total strangers would come to my farm Facebook page where I share photos of the animals I've rescue and am fostering and spending all my money on, and call me a "killer and torturer of innocent beings." After the sadness of losing so many kittens last month, it just made me incredibly angry and bitter to be attacked in this way. In fact, a month later I am still angry and bitter, and am spending extra time meditating in an effort to let go of that. However, the whole episode did remind of me of why I generally prefer the company of animals to that of humans. But I am not a hermit, and there are some really amazing people in my life, and I need to focus on that, and not the horrible people.
I know most vegans are NOT militant and are not cruel; I have friends who are vegans, I eat a lot of vegan/vegetarian food and meals myself, and if you're looking for a meat eater to pick on, I'm not your best target (although granted, I'm an easy target, until you realize I am married to a lawyer!) as I mainly eat vegetarian meals, with some fish and the very occasional piece of locally-farmed organic chicken. But even if I ate steak three times a day, I don't see how that is anyone's business, and I find it disgusting that total strangers would come to my farm Facebook page where I share photos of the animals I've rescue and am fostering and spending all my money on, and call me a "killer and torturer of innocent beings." After the sadness of losing so many kittens last month, it just made me incredibly angry and bitter to be attacked in this way. In fact, a month later I am still angry and bitter, and am spending extra time meditating in an effort to let go of that. However, the whole episode did remind of me of why I generally prefer the company of animals to that of humans. But I am not a hermit, and there are some really amazing people in my life, and I need to focus on that, and not the horrible people.
But on a happier note, foster kitty Agnes went to her new home recently. Yes, that's right, this poor young cat who lost her six babies and suffered immeasurably is now living in a wonderful home where she is loved and pampered.
I could not be happier for her. The woman who adopted her lost a son some time ago, and told me that she felt she understood Agnes and how she was feeling. This lady and her family are incredibly kind, and I know Agnes has landed in clover and will now have a wonderful life.
Meanwhile, Jewel and her seven kitten are doing great! Jewel arrived at around the same time as Agnes with five kittens. She lost two of those, took on four preemie orphans, lost those four, then at the end of April, took on another four orphans whose mother had been dragged off and killed by a coyote. A passerby witness this and saved the kittens. Jewel took them on immediately. She is a fantastic mother! And now I've got seven beautiful, healthy foster kittens. Jewel's three were born April 13, and the orphans were born around April 29.
Everybody is on solid food now! This is Jewel with her dilute Calico daughter.
These are Jewel's four adopted babies:
Boy and Girl
Boy and girl
Aren't the adorable? Everyone is going in for their first set of vaccines last week, and I feel like I will be able to breathe a bit more easily after that.
Behold the cuteness;
It is so amazing to see these little ones doing so well! And a great relief. What happened in April completely drained and exhausted me; these little kitties are making me feel a whole lot better.
And remember Grayson, aka Fake Grace? Well...
My friend Deb of Just Cats ADOPTED HIM! He is now named Wilson, and he has settled in so well to his wonderful new home. I could not be happier for him, and as you can see, Wilson is pretty happy too. He has the best smile of any cat I have ever known.
So many things are going well, and with time I will let go of my anger and hurt towards the person who attacked me, but I would say that if you claim to live a "cruelty-free" life solely because you are vegan, but then go on to call me a "torturer and killer of innocent beings" a "hypocrite" and a "fake animal lover" (me, the one who spends all her time, energy and money caring for animals no one else wants!), and you smear me on the internet and make threats, and waste my precious time, time I need to be spending caring for animals... well... how cruelty-free is that?
Here's to all the good people who DO support me in my work with animals, without caring about what I eat.
