Happy New Year and Penguin Plunge Report.

New Years Day dawned a lot different from the forecast predicted a few days earlier. Instead of rain/snow/sleet/freezing rain it was bright and sunny, cold but not too bad being above freezing. Not that it mattered that much to me because I had no intention of running into the Susquehanna River at Noon along with all the other er .... er ..... lets call them plungers shall we. I was designated "Towel Boy" for Lynn, it was my job to hold her towel for her so she would not immediately die of hyperthermia on exiting the freezing Susquehanna River.

 On the drive along the river to City Island I was instructing Lynn to not look to her right in the direction of the river. What did she do, yeah she looked. What she saw made her shiver in anticipation of what was to come. The river was covered in places with little icebergs, OK maybe thats an exageration, ice flows more like. This is Lynns 13th year in succession of immersing herself in the Susquhanna on New Years Day. She was on the Board of Directors of the Humane Society when the idea arose back in 1997 it must have been. As Lynn was one of the younger board members at the time she volunteered or was "volunteeered" to be a participant. 13 years laters she's still doing it. She was interviewed by local TV channel, so I hope somebody videoed it. Marsha was there looking aprehensive especially when the huge Viking 'Lady' Helga, complete with horned Helmet and long blonde braids arrived to be videoed with her.  Brian was there in his flip flops and bare feet and I apologise to him for splashing icy water on him. I was only trying to get him used to the cold! Becky was there too and we met Bonnie, but due to a recent bout with pneumonia she wisely was a spectator this year. Christine from Paws was plunging as was Dr Bob from The Animal Hospital of Dauphin County who was plunging for the first time. At precisely Noon the loonies  plungers ran down the snow covered ramp into the water, immersed themselves and ran out again. This was where the "Towel Boys" really come into their own in the extremely vital task of guiding the stunned, frozen  popsicles emerging from the river towards their waiting towels. It's a very important difficult job .... well someone has to do it don't they.

Not sure yet how much money was raised for the animal charities, hope it was lots!

Sorry no pictures, left the stupid camera behind!

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/01/penguins_plunge_into_susquehan.html

Christine Arnold has just reminded me that you can still donate!

http://www.firstgiving.com/christinearnold

More pictures from the Plunge. Check out Helga the Viking 'Maiden'.

 http://photos.pennlive.com/4503/gallery/penguin_plunge_gives_brisk_start_to_new_year/slideshow/index.html

SPCA International Shelter of the Week

The Best Little Cat House in PA has been made a "Shelter of the Week" by SPCA International.

The link is here  SPCA International Shelter of the Week

The last few months have been very trying for Lynn and this award coming at this time is the icing on the cake.

Soon be Penguin Plunge Time

January the 1st is Penguin Plunge Day in Harrisburg. What is the Penguin Plunge? It's where a load of people run into the freezing cold Susquehanna River on City Island in aid of charities. Some years the ice has be broken to allow them to get wet! And they do it year after year for charity.

Susquehanna River, New Years Day 2000 and something. Looks cold doesn't it! Trust me, it was!

Some wear silly clothes.

Some wear very little.

Clothes or not the end result is wet, very wet and cold.

Well there you have it, some people support charities by doing something about it, some people give. You can do something too. What you do is entirely up to you but if you're in the Harrisburg area on New Years Day do stop by City Island to watch them get wet. Have I ever done it myself? Hell no! I'm not crazy.

Severe cuteness alert

Surprised Kitty @ Yahoo! Video

Lynn's Christmas Poem

Every year in October or November Lynn writes a Christmas Poem which is mailed out to all our supporters along with a fridge magnet. This year is no exception , the poem is out at the printers and Lynn is busy addressing envelopes right now. If you would like a copy of the poem and fridge magnet send me an email giving your name and address and I'll make sure you get added to the list.

To email us view the Complete Profile Page.

The cat  graphics I use from time to time on the website  http://www.thebestlittlecathouseinpa.com/ come from Cat Stuff  http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/graphics.htm which is a superb site for cat related graphics. Thank you Cat Stuff!

Bella

As Bella's a he obviously not named after the Twilight Bella but after Bella Lugosi I would imagine. He is as blind as the proverbial bat, or so we thought. It was a rainy miserable evening and as I was there taking a few pictures I particularly wanted to get a shot of Bella as he is such a lovely cat. He normally hangs out in Lynn's room but there was no sign of him there, we looked in the wildlife room ( empty of baby bunnies until spring), we looked in the downstairs of the Well Room, we looked in the upstairs of the Well Room, we went outside onto the enclosed porch area in the rain, we looked in the playhouse in the porch. We were calling him and then from above came a little meow. We looked up and there he was on the topmost shelf. How he got up there we have no idea as each of the 3 shelves is at least 3 feet above the other. Lynn went and got the ladder and got him down and dried him off. Maybe he's not as blind as we were told!

Raison de etre

As previously mentioned the main purpose of the Best Little Cat House in PA is to provide a final home to cats that would otherwise be euthanized. Lynn's goal is to have an FIV and FeLV free world, she's a nurse by vocation as well as training. The vast majority of individuals that bring us cats have taken a cat to their vets and have been given the devasting news that their much loved pet has FIV or FeLV. Most vet's recommend euthanasia, they are very cognisant of the need to prevent further spread of these highly infectious diseases. If the cat is alone in a household and is strictly confined indoors this is the best possible solution. In many cases however the cat could infect others. Lynn knows that most people in this situation find it almost impossible to kill a 'healthy' pet. So what do they do, they either take it home to infect other pets or release it to infect other cats. Spay and neuter volunteers are no different, they would find it hard to kill a seemingly healthy cat. Lynn provides them with a way out of the horrible situation they find themselves in. In their owners eyes the cats have a good chance of some extra time in a place where they can be looked after by people who care. By taking them into the Best Little Cat House Lynn is removing the cat from society as it were, they are no longer spreading these horrible diseases to other cats.



This is the raison de etre of the Best Little Cat House in PA. Some would not understand it, thats OK, Lynn has the opposite opinion, one which I and many other people give thanks for.