🎂 3,081 REASONS... TO CELEBRATE ONE WOMAN ❤️🐾 October 28th is Priya's birthday🥳 3,081 little souls have been helped over 21 years because this heart was born. If we could gather them all together, what a birthday celebration it would be. There would be magnificent chaos. But imagine, for just a moment, if every one of those lives could tell her what she meant to them... "I was so hungry, and you fed me." "I had forgotten what kindness felt like until you touched me." "When I was hurting, you made the pain stop." "I thought my life was nearly over. You thought it was still worth living." "I have the best family and the most profound love because you saved me, tamed me and found me a home". "You made my life on the streets a little safer, and you cared enough to make sure there wouldn't be more babies born into the same hardship." And the ones who are no longer here? Oh, I think their voices would be the most tender of all. "You couldn't make me stay forever, Mummy. But you made the time I had beautiful. I knew I was loved. And when it was time to go, I didn't have to go alone." Imagine hearing all of that. Imagine being able to see, all at once, the enormous tapestry of lives woven together by one woman's compassion. And if she’d never come along, where they would be today? It began with a little girl, just eight years old, who found a woeful street cat and named him Fat Harry. A beautiful tabby, she called him her "sweet smelly boy". It was her first experience with an FIV cat. She learned these are the dangers of life on the street. She couldn't have imagined what that one small act of kindness would become. She couldn't possibly have known it then, but something began that day. A life had secretly found its calling.💫 There were other plans. Possibilities. All the things we imagine a young life might become. And then came the twists and turns that make up a lifetime. Looking backward from here, it feels as though fate kept quietly leaving cats in Priya's path. One became another. And another. Eventually, a little girl who couldn't walk past one homeless cat became a woman who couldn't walk past any of them. And now, 21 years of rescuing have given us 3,081 reasons to be grateful that she answered it.😽 There have been extraordinary victories and heartbreaking losses. Sleepless nights, impossible decisions, frightening veterinary emergencies, physical maladies that set in when the stress was too much and more tears than anyone should ever have to cry. There have been days when the financial burden of rescue seemed insurmountable, when the exhaustion of 8 hour work days + 8 hour rescue duty making every day 16 hours of laboring stole the joy from another hard won victory, and when the suffering still waiting beyond the rescue's doors seemed endless. Yet somehow, through it all, and I believe by grace, she has continued to answer the same quiet plea. "Please help me". Again and again. So what do you give a woman whose life has been devoted to giving others a chance at life? This birthday, we have a beautiful opportunity to give her something that would mean more to her than any gift wrapped in ribbons. The means to keep saying YES. A bit of relief from the pressure of worry, financial struggle and a moment to fully,deeply breathe. If just for a moment. 🎁 A $2,000 BIRTHDAY CASH MATCH FOR PRIYA! A generous friend has offered to match every birthday donation, dollar for dollar, up to $2,000, through November 18th.. If we can raise the full match, together we'll provide $4,000 to help Gandolf's Legacy @gandolf_s continue caring for the precious lives entrusted to Priya. Food for hungry bellies. Medicine for the sick. Veterinary care.. Prescription diets for fragile seniors. Warm beds, clean litter and the security of knowing that someone will be there tomorrow. Every gift is an expression of gratitude for a woman who has asked nothing for herself and given so much to others. Priya deserves our help. She does what many others can’t or wouldn’t do by saving the lives of 1000’s of abandoned street cats and kittens. And every dollar, large or small, becomes twice as meaningful while this match is open. If Priya has ever touched your heart, if you've followed the stories of her rescues, celebrated their happy endings or wept with her when love simply wasn't enough to keep someone here, please consider making a birthday gift in her honor. And if giving isn't possible, please consider a message of appreciation & a share of this birthday wish. Help us find more hearts willing to stand beside her. Because there is something I would dearly love for Priya to understand on her birthday. Those 3,081 lives are not simply a record of what she has accomplished. They are 3,081 reasons why her life has mattered...why the world is kinder because she is in it. 3,081 reasons to celebrate the day she was born. And if somehow we could gather them all beneath one enormous birthday sky, I imagine the ones who found their forever homes would come from every corner of the country. The sanctuary cats would gather at her feet. Fat Harry would have a place of honor! And somewhere beyond our sight, all of the others who have gone ahead would be shining like little stars. Then, for one impossible, glorious moment, perhaps every voice would join together. Not merely to sing Happy Birthday. But to say... "Thank you for my life, Mummy." Happy Birthday, Priya. ❤️ May all the love you have poured into the world for so many years find its way home to you. And may this birthday remind you that the beautiful work of your life is still being written, one precious little soul at a time. Love Lives Here. Because you do. 🐾❤️🫂 *The ways to contribute are in the reply below. **Please let me know the amount of your gift or DM me if you wish it to remain private, so I can keep track of running total.😽 Thank you for staying to read.🙏 Here is a birthday tribute video. It was impossible to choose from so, so many faces and stories. It would have to be a full length movie to tell them all...💫

🚨LAST NIGHT WAS A NIGHTMARE FOR OUR RESCUE. AND I AM ANGRY BEYOND MEASURE! There are days when I wonder how much more one human being can be expected to endure in the name of compassion. Last night was one of those days. Priya posted this morning about the situation with two new cats over at @gandolf_s, and I have a bit more to say. It's a rant, and if rants aren't what you like to read, perhaps skip on by. But I make no apologies for my anger today. There comes a point when watching someone you care about being repeatedly taken advantage of, watching their kindness exploited and their sacrifices treated as though they mean nothing, becomes more than the heart can quietly bear. (I'm speaking of the community that contacts her for help) Priya is sick. Again. (Flu, Covid, URI, not sure) She is in pain, exhausted, and should have been home in bed. She has appt to see her doctor tomorrow. But when someone reached out to her, apparently through Nextdoor website, pleading for help trapping a cat at a gas station that they said they wanted to ADOPT, she did what she has done for so many years. She put the needs of a helpless animal ahead of her own...and went. It isn't often that she is asked to just trap and THEY will take the baby home! This is such great news for the babies and the rescue! The arrangement was simple. This person wanted the cat, had somewhere for it to go, and needed Priya's help catching it. Except there wasn't one cat. There were TWO. Young siblings, surviving around a gas station, emerging from the darkness to search for scraps of food. For three hours, in the cold, while feeling absolutely miserable, Priya worked to get them safely into a trap. And she succeeded. That's when the arrangement suddenly changed. This person no longer wanted the cats. Not one. Not two. They weren't taking them home. They were leaving Priya standing there with two frightened animals in a trap and absolutely NOWHERE to put them. And as a gesture of appreciation for her three hours of suffering and effort, this person offered to buy her a beverage from inside the gas station. A BEVERAGE. I cannot begin to tell you how disgusted I am. Did it occur to this person, even for a moment, what they had just done? That a rescue might already be overflowing? That every available inch of space might be occupied? That there might be no money for another veterinary bill, another mouth to feed, another emergency? Apparently not. I'd like to give this person the benefit of the doubt, perhaps forgive their ignorance of how rescue works and what rescuers confront every day. That there isn't magical open space, and infinitely growing money tree in the yard. But I can't right now. I'm all out of "that's okay." IT. IS. NOT. OKAY! And now Priya has TWO MORE cats she has absolutely no room for! With the recent arrival of five precious tuxedo kittens, we were already stretched beyond our limits. We have young ones needing spay and neuter surgeries, seven seniors needing medical attention, and a mountain of expenses we are struggling to meet. In desperation, Priya had to call a friend in the middle of the night and beg him to take these two babies temporarily. He agreed to help, bless his heart, but he lives in an apartment where animals are not permitted. That is not a solution. It is a temporary act of kindness that cannot last. Make no mistake. They are now her rescues and must bring them in ASAP as he cannot continue to house them. And so here we are. Two more innocent lives depending on a rescue that has nowhere to put them! A rescuer who is physically ill, emotionally exhausted, and being asked to find a solution to a crisis she did not create. And the person responsible? Gone. I sometimes think one of the cruelest parts of animal rescue isn't what happens to the animals. It's what people do to the human beings trying desperately to save them. The dishonesty. The broken promises. The casual disregard for someone else's time, health, finances, and humanity. People create these terrible situations, then walk away, leaving compassionate rescuers to clean up the mess. And because the lives involved are innocent, the rescuers cannot simply walk away themselves. Compassion becomes the very thing that others take advantage of! And that hurts my heart and makes me more angry than I can express. Wednesday is Priya's birthday. I had hoped that our birthday cash match fundraiser, pinned to my page, would be a beautiful way to honor her years of service to the animals of Atlanta. A chance to give something back to a woman who has given so much of herself. I understand that times are difficult. We are all feeling the rising costs of simply getting through everyday life. But I had hoped we might come together to give Priya one lovely birthday surprise, a little financial breathing room and a reminder of how much her life's work means to others. To everyone who has supported us, whether through a donation, a share, a kind word, or simply by cheering us on, thank you from the bottom of my heart. But please understand that we would never want anyone to put our needs before their own. Your well being and that of your loved ones must always come first. Whatever kindness you are able to offer, in whatever form it takes, helps us carry on. I don't know how to make people understand what this woman endures. What rescuers endure. I have watched Priya sacrifice her own comfort, her financial security, her health, and so much of the life most of us take for granted, simply because she cannot bear to leave an animal suffering. Friends, we desperately need your help. We need ADOPTIONS. We need loving homes for the beautiful babies already in our care so that we can make room for these two new gas station wayfarers. We need help getting our five little tuxedo newcomers spayed and neutered so they, too, can begin their journeys toward forever homes. Please don't let geography discourage you from considering adoption. We arrange transport to wonderful homes outside Atlanta. In just the past two weeks, one of our rescued cats went to a forever home in Boston, and two others went to Tennessee. A loving home does not have to be around the corner. It just has to be the right home. If you cannot adopt, please share our posts. If you can spare a few dollars, please consider contributing to Priya's birthday cash match, pinned to my page. I have a linktree in my bio. And if you know someone who has room in their home and heart for a rescued cat or two, please tell them about us. I wanted Wednesday to be a celebration of this remarkable woman's life. Not another day of worrying about how she will manage to keep saving everyone. And one last thing, to the person responsible for last night's fiasco... To the absolute jackass who sat there watching a sick woman spend THREE HOURS in the cold trying to save two frightened little lives, only to wait until 3 AM, when they were finally safely trapped, to take pictures, announce you'd changed your mind for no apparent reason, and offer to buy her a damn Coke... I hope someday you come to understand just how breathtakingly selfish, thoughtless, and downright slimy your behavior was. You took advantage of a woman's compassion, left her with a crisis she had neither the space nor the resources to handle, and walked away as though you'd done her a favor. I hope life teaches you something about kindness, responsibility, and the consequences of treating decent human beings so disgracefully. Because karma, as they say, has a remarkable memory. Thank you for absolutely nothing, you rat bastard ! And now, back to the two innocent little lives who never asked to be caught in the middle of any of this. 💫If, by some miracle of fate, there is someone out there willing to foster these beautiful fuzzy wayfarers, it would be help sent by angels right now. We have no idea right now how "feral" they are. They need time and a slow approach to decompress. The expenses would be covered by the rescue. Vet, food. You add the time and love. If this is you, please reach out to me or Priya🙏 Please, friends. Let's give these two little wayfarers a future, and give Priya a reason to believe that the kindness she so freely gives to others will find its way back to her. ❤️ The Birthday Cash Match is a wonderful way to help. 🙏 xitter.cf/PicklesMil/status/2111…

Learning to relax. Letting their guard down and enjoying their first ever toys @gandolf_s Little grey Tuxie in the corner is going to take some extra work. He's breaking my heart. Just so scared🥺

😺Have you seen? Have you heard? A birthday CASH MATCH so spread the word 🎉 Five more mouths make thirty nine, It's costing a fortune to make sure all can dine! Those five little newcomers need vetting too, Spays and neuters, there's so much to do! Our seniors need checkups, and medicines too, A birthday cash match could help see us through! For years she's been rescuing those in distress, Cleaning up streets that are one awful mess! What better way to honor her years of devotion, Than a birthday gift filled with love and emotion? A can of food, a dollar or two, Many giving a little will help see them through! Let's give Priya @gandolf_s a birthday (Oct 28)without so much stress, And thirty-nine kitties a reason to feel blessed! ❤️🐾 $2000 donor match until 11/19😽

💞Kitten Update. Well, the Frightful Five are home from the hospital. And what was wrong with them? Nothing! Physical at least. Tested negative for everything. SNAP test, fecal test. No fever. Just some street baby attitudes. Quite an expensive venture for 5 (I'll post the invoice when I have it). It appears that whatever it is (was) was emotional in nature. Perhaps unhappy to be "captured". Fear set in. It's hard to say. They ate for the first 3 days and then stopped for almost 3. You can't muck around when kittens do that, they have to be seen. They fail so fast when young. So...they did get their exams, 1st vaccines, snap tested (all -) and next steps will be S/N. They did enjoy their lunch today. And @gandolf_s famous Mr. Mom, Rupert, was recruited to help socialize them...He loves kittens so. He's raised so many. He's magical with them🥹 The hissy spitty frightful five need some Mr. Mom time. 🙀

Notes from the Lost and Found Department 🐾 Dear precious work of art, Momma Mindy, I am your pathway to a new life. You were mine to feed with my hands, to comfort with a soft voice and endless patience, to make whole with medicine and care, and to love with my whole heart. And perhaps that is the hardest bargain rescue asks me to make. I must somehow forge my heart from steel, because the day comes when you no longer need me. And today, that day has come. You have found forever love in Boston🏡 It is almost impossible to look at you now and remember, Momma Mindy, when I found you and your only surviving kitten, abandoned in the sweltering heat with no shelter or shade to take cover, so hungry and thirsty you were both licking the cement to try to draw moisture from it. Terrified, tossed from your home. The 102 degree heat nearly took your lives. Safe in the rescue, you were finally able to relax and care for your kitten properly. I watched you settle in quickly and take to "lounging about" expertly, as though you'd won the best dream vacation ever. I swear I could hear you whisper to you kitten, "Murphy, just relax now. Drink the lovely clean water, and fill your belly. Then come here and snuggle with me". And snuggle you did. It broke my heart to wonder if you mourned your kittens that didn't survive. But you cared for little Murphy with everything you had. You were the best Momma! Once weaned, you seemed to want more time to yourself to just rest and have peace & quiet, so we introduced Murphy to lonely little Pearl, who needed another with kitten energy to play with. They bonded deeply and you got the rest you so needed. You had no way of knowing that somewhere beyond that horrible place, an entirely different life was waiting for you. But I knew. So I carried you toward it. And now, sweet girl, you are forever home. And your beautiful daughter has found forever love together with Pearl, in Tennessee! Your Momma days far behind...you can lounge in peace and be worshipped for the beautiful work of art that you are, and that you deserve. I send you off with your little suitcase packed. And tucked carefully into every empty corner of your bags is all the love I can possibly fit. There are tears today. So many tears. But these tears are the "why" of rescue. I saved you so that one day I could lose you... to something wonderful. A forever family. 🫂 I am over the moon happy that you have found a home. Sleep in sunbeams. Be spoiled beyond reason. Never know hunger or fear again. You were once lost. Now you have been found. Live well. Live long. Live in love. Sweet precious Momma Mindy. And always remember: For one little piece of your journey, you were mine. And you will always be loved. ❤️And never ever be forgotten. With deepest Love, Your huMom, Miss Priya

Notes from the Lost and Found Department 🐾 Dear precious Murphy Pop and Pearl, I am your pathway to a new life. You were mine to feed with my hands, to comfort with a soft voice and endless patience, to make whole with medicine and care, and to love with my whole heart. And perhaps that is the hardest bargain rescue asks me to make. I must somehow forge my heart from steel, because the day comes when you no longer need me. And today, that day has come. You have found forever love in Tennessee. It is almost impossible to look at you now and remember, little Murphy Poppy, when I found you and your Mummy Mindy, abandoned in the sweltering heat with no shelter or shade to take cover, so hungry and thirsty you were both licking the cement to try to draw moisture from it. Terrified, tossed from your home. Your siblings had passed on. You were mummy's last surviving baby. The 102 degree heat nearly took your lives. Later, when a virus nearly took your life, I fought so hard to save you...but it was your will, and your fight...that were the victors! And beautiful sweet Pearl, orphaned near a city sport complex where many saw you daily, so skinny, begging for help, and left you anyway, knowing that there were evil people in the area at nightfall, know to be shooting and poisoning cats there. They turned away. When I scooped you up in an immediate trip to the vet, your purring and grateful nap on my lap, dirty, ears full of mites, a belly full of worms, you were just happy to be held by hands of love and a warm lap to finally rest in. You had no way of knowing that somewhere beyond those horrible places, an entirely different life was waiting for you. But I knew. So I carried you toward it. And now, sweet girls, you are forever home. I send you off with little suitcases packed with food, cozy beds, favorite toys and treats. And tucked carefully into every empty corner of your bags is all the love I can possibly fit. There are tears today. So many tears. But these tears are the "why" of rescue. I saved you so that one day I could lose you... to something wonderful. A forever family. I am over the moon happy that you have found a home together! Grow old together. Sleep in sunbeams. Chase each other through the house. Be spoiled beyond reason. Never know hunger or fear again. You were once lost. Now you have been found. Live well. Live long. Live in love. Sweet precious babies, Murphy Pop and Pearl. And always remember: For one little piece of your journey, you were mine. And you will always be loved. ❤️ And never forgotten. Love, Your huMom, Miss Priya @gandolf_s

I just wanted to tell the sweetest story🥹 Our dearest friend to @gandolf_s and so many here on X, @_JulieNixon lost her beloved Arya, the Scottish princess back in Sept. Arya's bonded brother Syrio was woefully lost and mourning deeply, as was dear Mummy & Daddy. Julie thought about checking out the rescue where she got Arya & Syrio so long ago, to see if they should get Syrio a new friend to love, but was apprehensive about whether it was the right decision. It's a big choice...what if Syrio rejected a friend...is it too soon..oh, what to do. She decided to visit the rescue and "just see". there she met 4 month old Asha & Sansa. so nervous about what Syrio would do... Fast forward...Well, only 2 weeks in and you must see this! It just melted my heart to a puddle of tears of joy for all of them. Mom, Dad, Syrio and the new babies. Turns out... it was the ❣️best ❣️decision🥹 Welcome home, Asha & Sansa! Take good care of them, Syrio...you're an amazing big brother❣️ When we lose a fur love, and aren't sure getting another is a good idea...sometimes it can be the best thing...to honor that lost love...and save another, or two🥹❤️❤️ So happy for you all, dear Julie🫂

🚨Kitten update. Vet took a fecal sample this morning. Waiting for results...🧐🙏

It's a stunning upset among a clowder of cats when the leader (King Leo) departs🌈, and the space that is left behind becomes a chaotic mess of emotions between all the cats. Some hide and grieve, some become confrontational and fight to be the new established King. It so difficult to watch what was once a well oiled machine among them, become a broken family of emotional stress leaving you to referee.😪

Yesterday, Priya delivered beautiful Murphy and Pearl to their new home in Tennessee💫 While this is the best news...adopted! ...it is such a bittersweet moment for the rescuer who saved them, socialized them and loved them with her whole heart. This isn't the moment we normally see...Mummy saying goodbye to her babies. Perhaps we assume it's just a pure joy kind of moment where you hand them over and go on about your life. But it's not that easy. It's heartbreakingly hard😭You've given them your whole heart to save them, nurture them and you become very attached. Every single time, it's so hard to walk away. It's at this moment you have to keep reminding yourself of the mission. From street...to forever home. You are merely the conduit that facilitates it. It's so hard to let them go😪 Have a wonderful new life, sweet Murphy and Pearl. @gandolf_s will miss you tremendously and never forget the love we shared😭💞💞💞

🚨No update yet on their diagnosis. They were admitted Friday. Testing had to be done, and the vet hours on Sat were short, so we hopefully will know more tomorrow. Paws in for the sweet lil ones🙏

To contribute to the Birthday Cash Match for Priya @gandolf_s … Choose any of these methods, including in kind food donations if you wish. Every dollar is doubled until November18th💞 paypal.me/ppknox Venmo @Priya-Patel-Knox gofundme.com/f/help-save-gan… Direct to Vet account: (Priya Patel) Medlock Bridge Animal Hospital 5155 S Old Peachtree Rd, Norcross, GA 30092 Phone: (770) 242-9272 Donations in kind: Food amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3P…