For me, nary period summons up much memories and emotions than December. It’s specified a resonant season, whether you observe Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, oregon Winter Solstice. December is the clip erstwhile galore of america look backmost connected the past 12 months and guardant to what’s next. So, successful that spirit, I’m taking a look astatine 2023 to stock conscionable a fewer of the moments that volition enactment successful my representation forever.

In January, a precise peculiar nugget named Angel Taylor, a rescue from Oman, went to her everlastingly home. When I learned astir this horrifically abused kitty — who’d been beaten, mislaid an eye, and had her ears chopped disconnected — I reached retired to @street_cats_of_oman to inquire if I could help. After astir 20 hours successful cargo, this lovable Tortie was met astatine JFK by my partners astatine NSALA — connected the precise time that the astonishing Taylor Swift sent a important donation to Beth’s Furry Friends successful grant of her day and to assistance maine rescue adjacent much cats and kittens! And that’s however a small feline from Oman got the fantastic sanction of Angel Taylor. Today she is thriving successful a loving location with different Oman rescue, Moo. As their household says, “Despite each the trauma and symptom of their past, they’ve shown the capableness to emotion and spot again.” My bosom fills each clip I deliberation of small Angel Taylor.

In aboriginal March, six-month-old Pashie arrived from Budva, Montenegro, astir 5,000 miles away! He has CH (Cerebellar Hypoplasia) and weighed lone 4 pounds erstwhile helium arrived. CH is simply a painless neurological upset that immoderate kittens are calved with. He wobbles erstwhile helium walks and has nary thought helium is simply a spot different. It didn’t instrumentality agelong for a fantastic household to spot him and instrumentality him location wherever he’s enjoying his archetypal Christmas. When I deliberation astir his journey, it astir feels similar a miracle.

If you followed maine this year, you cognize the communicative of Delores. This gentle psyche was calved a cleanable kitten, past handed implicit to a beingness of misery astir 14 years ago. She spent each those years successful a soiled bodega successful New York City. A huge-hearted lawsuit pleaded with the proprietor to fto her instrumentality her to a vet. Well, that was that! In April she came to me.

Medical exams showed a batch of problems, stemming mostly from a mediocre diet. Plus, she’d ne'er been spayed! She besides had terrible abnormalities successful her interior organs, astir apt from aggregate traumas. But from the 2nd she arrived, she was a love, and with clip she began to summation value and thrive. Today, she is surviving a fantastic beingness successful New Jersey, watching snowflakes retired the model for the archetypal time, sleeping successful sunspots, and being adored. I emotion you, small Delores! Your travel from acheronian to airy inspires each of us.

In August, babe location panther Jess was my tripod foster kitten. She was calved with her near hind limb overmuch shorter than the others. Everybody who met her fell successful love, including 2 handsome admirers who could not defy her charms. She was adopted successful September and had a palmy amputation of her abbreviated limb to support it from damage. But thing stops this nugget. She’s surviving with a pet-loving household successful New Jersey. For Halloween, she was an adorable bumble bee — she did not entity to her costume — and these days she’s investigating each the Christmas decorations.

November brought an abandoned elder to my attention, 11-year-old Cleo. This gentle woman was dumped by her household successful her aureate years, conscionable arsenic she was getting sick. When she arrived astatine Animal League America, we learned she had terrible arthritis and ocular cancer. We agreed that this mushy thigh feline deserved to beryllium with a household who would emotion her until her past moment. I posted her story, and 1 of my unthinkable Instagram friends contacted america and adopted Cleo that precise day. Nothing makes maine angrier than the cruel abandonment of elder cats, and thing makes maine happier than seeing a kitty similar Cleo get different accidental to beryllium loved. I’m truthful grateful to beryllium portion of the NSALA web of rescue.

And past there’s the communicative of Ralph the Rooster who’d been surviving connected a patio successful Glen Clove, Long Island, for much than 2 weeks. I posted his concern and successful a substance of hours, helium was harmless successful the arms of my person John Di Leonardo of Humane Long Island. John told maine that mediocre Ralph was wearing a cruel “no crow” collar that strangled him each clip helium tried to usage his voice. The benignant homeowners who recovered him fed him berries and fell successful emotion — but they knew helium was successful trouble. That’s erstwhile they reached retired to me. Though Ralph was abandoned, helium is 1 of the fortunate ones! John told maine that arsenic galore arsenic 6 cardinal (!!) antheral chicks are killed astir the satellite each year, simply for the transgression of not laying eggs!

In aboriginal December I received an update connected Ralph…and oh, what a beauteous update it was. Handsome Ralph went to a foster location wherever his caregivers fell successful emotion and adopted him. Look astatine Ralph now…

On July 1 we mislaid our precious Jessica Rabbit Stern, who’d opened a full caller satellite for me. I ne'er knew I could emotion a rabbit truthful overmuch until she came into our lives. She didn’t suffer. And it was quick. But we were beyond devastated and miss her each the time. I cognize Jessica felt emotion from each absorption and I americium grateful for that. If emotion unsocial could person saved her, she would person lived forever.

Then this happened: At astir the clip that our beloved Jessica near us, a small “ghost” was spotted unsocial and terrified adjacent a acheronian and engaged thoroughfare (below left). When his rescuer contacted me, it seemed arsenic if Jessica had orchestrated the full happening from her hutch successful heaven! Some of life’s coincidences consciousness similar much than specified chance. That’s however I consciousness astir the mode that Stephen Heavensent Stern arrived successful our lives. There is nary replacing the loved ones we lose, but there’s joyousness and meaning successful loving what comes next.

I’m blessed to stock that this twelvemonth much than 200 cats and kittens recovered everlastingly homes done my program…with much than 2,147 adoptions since I began my program. But the enactment goes on, with anticipation and committedness that 2024 volition bring adjacent much heartening stories of rescue. At the infinitesimal determination are much than 20 kittens successful my programme on with respective saccharine and deserving adults, each of them hoping for blessed endings similar the ones successful this blog. They request each 1 of america to marque their dreams travel true. So wherever you are, I anticipation you volition see helping stateless animals successful your New Year’s resolutions. They request america arsenic overmuch arsenic we request them!

Happy Holidays and emotion from our household to yours,
xo
Beth

P.S. Next twelvemonth volition beryllium an breathtaking 1 for everyone progressive with North Shore Animal League America arsenic we people our 80th day — an unthinkable grounds with much than 1.1 cardinal lives saved. Stay tuned for updates astir peculiar events and programs that observe and beforehand our no-kill mission.