Lakeisha Ethans

Stray cats can have very hard lives. Calida is a prime example of such hardships. At full-term, she found herself ready to give birth, with nowhere to do so. She huddled into the only sheltered place she could find which was an outdoor laundry room with a freezing cold concrete floor in Vancouver, but at least there was a roof. Right after birth, four of Calida’s five kittens died from exposure to the frigid cold. Calida only had one kitten left to protect and she did everything she could including climbing on top of the tiny baby to share her warmth and protect her from the wind. The homeowner finally found the family in her laundry room and called VOKRA (Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association) for help. Volunteers braved the icy roads and rushed over to save the little family from certain death. Upon arrival, Calida was starving and ate like she’d never eaten before. She then laid back and nursed her kitten, Sentrie. Sentrie is quite chubby and is getting plenty to eat, but Calida is struggling to gain weight. Rescuers have been able to tell that Calida was an abandoned cat because she is clearly tame and interacts with people fine. Soon, the pair will be up for adoption together and are about to be moved into foster care. VOKRA is hoping that their story will help convince people to spay and neuter their pets to ensure that no other animals have to go through such horrible trauma. To help them rescue more kittens, you can donate here. Share away, people. Images & Feature Image Source: VOKRA

Wombat the pig knew she was in trouble. She had been herded onto a truck with a bunch of other pigs and had a deep sense of foreboding. Wombat didn’t want to know where they were taking her, so she took matters into her own hands. The four-month-old pig managed to squeeze between two slats and jump from the slaughterhouse truck barreling down the highway in Australia. The people behind the truck slammed on the brakes and swooped up Wombat to take her to a rescue for help. At Mandurah Wildlife Rescue, wombat was found to have a fractured snout and eye socket, and severe internal bleeding. Her bravery landed her in such bad shape that she almost died on her first night in their care. But Wombat wasn’t done. She fought hard for two months, and improved every day. Her weight at four months was only 6 pounds. But by the time she made it to her forever home at Greener Pastures Sanctuary, she was over 88 pounds! Wombat is now a big pig who loves attention and snuggles. She enjoys being around the elderly and children the most and they enjoy her crooked snout and jaw along with her scars on her chin. She even has a best friend named Freckle who was starved as a bay to make her appear to be a mini pig. Every pig is special and deserves a leap of faith, whether it be theirs or a person’s. To help farm animals like Wombat, you can donate to her sanctuary forever home here. Share away, people. Images & Feature Image Source: Greener Pastures Sanctuary

Back in 2007, two brothers named Adam and Tony changed the course of many lives when they adopted three rescued pit bull puppies from the South Elgin Animal Hospital in Illinois. Killiam, Ella, and Chuck became the brothers’ most prized friends and they loved raising the trio together. Tragedy struck five years ago, when Adam passed away. Tony knew he couldn’t keep the three pit bulls by himself and sent Ella to their older brother Joey’s house to live in Florida, Tony kept one, and the other went to live with an old roommate. The new arrangement worked great until last April when Ella disappeared. Ella was missing for nine whole months and her family began to lose hope of ever seeing her again. On the anniversary of Adam’s death, the family was understandably having a rough day when they received an amazing phone call. A local shelter called to say that someone had dropped off Ella and her microchip had led them to Tony. The family rushed to get her and bring her back where she belonged. On the fifth anniversary of Adam’s death, Ella knew she was needed and returned home safe and sound. Adam loved his pit bulls more than anything and helped turn them into the most amazing, sweet dogs that everyone knew them to be. Adam’s friend cblackstar7 said that Adam would love to know that his life somehow helped more of these misunderstood dogs find hope. You can donate to Pit Bull Rescue Central here, or to Pit Bull Rescue here in Adam’s memory. Images & Feature Image Source: Imgur

Maui was another silent victim of a backyard breeder. She was silent because she was kept in a dark shed, never able to see the sunlight. After finally being rescued at nine months old, she was terrified of everything. Her new mom, Linda Orlowski-Smith said that she would even projectile vomit at the sight of a leash. Maui began going to work with her new owner, who works at a vet clinic, and still was terrified of everything, but slightly lesser so. She acquired a new sister when Orlowski-Smith adopted a Great Dane mix named Maple and very quickly bonded with her, giving her a new-found confidence. At the clinic, they both have jobs that they enjoy performing and Maui is even confident enough to walk the halls alone now. Both dogs love the baby kittens and puppies that come in. Maui feels like she must be in the exam room with them. Maple likes the humans and knows to comfort them when they’re sad. Maui helps the scared patients by walking them to where they need to go and ensuring that she is there when each animal waked up from surgery. She also has a favorite- a bunny named Gracie. Maui wants to be in Gracie’s cage constantly and loved being near her. Not only has Maui grown into a confident dog, but she’s decided to use that to help other animals. She’s a regular superhero with four legs and her family couldn’t be more proud of her. You can keep up with Maui and Maple’s adventures on Instagram. Share away, people! Images & Feature Image Source: Instagram / poodgiecat

Jaripo was old and tired. He did not get around as good as he used to and so his owners decided they didn’t want the eighteen-year-old Pomeranian anymore. They took him to a shelter and informed the workers that he had a terminal illness and needed to be put down. The shelter posted a last-ditch-effort post to see if anyone wanted to take him home to die in a loving environment and the post eventually reached Christina Morgan, founder of Paw Works in Ventura County California who she jumped into action. Morgan drove about two hours in the rain to get him. She even called the shelter ahead of time, but they wouldn’t guarantee that he would still be alive when she got there saying that if they needed to put him down, they would. When she finally arrived, the workers were so happy to see her there in time and were thrilled to send Jaripo away to be loved again. Jaripo was immediately taken to the vet and surprisingly, while he had pain in his spine and hips and some needed work on his teeth, his bloodwork was fine. He didn’t have a terminal illness after all. Jaripo is now happily living in a foster home where he will stay to live out the remainder of his days as a loved family pet. He won’t have to worry about being abandoned because of his age again. To help support Paw Works in its mission to help as many cats and dogs as possible, consider donating to the organization here. Share away, people! Images & Feature Image Source: Twitter / Lisa Vanderpump & Paw Works