When we were planning Little Miss's Kitty party, the cat adoption activity brought on a talk about animal shelters and cats that don't have families to live with. It made Missy sad, and She asked if we could bring some birthday cake to the "sad kitties" to cheer them up. I had to explain that cake probably wasn't the best food for a cat, but that She could always choose to ask for cat things at Her party, and share those. Missy jumped at that plan, and so instead of gifts for Herself, She chose to ask guests to bring cat items to be donated to the local shelter. This past weekend we gathered everything up and headed over to deliver them in person.
The shelter volunteers were wonderful; they were very excited about the supplies and even gave Miss a birthday cupcake as a thank-you.
Missy was pretty excited about that, but the best part was getting to go into the cat room to give toys and play with the cats.
She was in Little Miss heaven. She gently pet and talked to all the cats, and one black and white kitty was especially fond of Her. She got in lots of furry cuddles and was all smiles!
We dosed Little One that morning with allergy medicine, dressed Her in layers so She could peel off Her furry cardigan, and washed all over in the bathroom right after. So She got to participate in the visit, too, and though She sneezed and itched a little the rest of the day, it was worth it.
The girls also got a personal tour of the shelter, visiting dogs, bunnies, ferrets, rats, and birds.
We wrapped it up with an outing to our family's favorite restaurant for lunch, and it was an awesome day! In our family, we do make-a-fuss birthday parties, and we consider that to be our gift to our birthday child. So almost all the packages Miss unwrapped this year went to the shelter.
It's true that little kids love getting presents on their birthdays. But a new toy loses its novelty value and soon ends up with the others on a shelf somewhere. Our Littles are very lucky to have generous grandparents and aunts who never let them go a year without a box arriving with something special just for them, and I think that the gifts they receive are more appreciated when they come from revered grandparents, and don't get lost in a mountain of coloring books and plastic ponies.
Besides which, I can honestly say to all the friends who brought donations to Her party, that they gave Her a gift far beyond the value of a bag of cat food. For the worlds' greatest lover of cats, a whole morning surrounded by kitties was priceless. I don't think any object could possibly have pleased Her more.
And though of course I can only surmise, I think that the feeling of being thanked by the shelter staff and seeing the cats bat at and chase the toys She brought them will outlast the memory of any toy we could have bought Her.
Sometimes, the best gift is the chance to give.
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| Miss at the shelter with some of Her birthday gifts |
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| Helping Hands |
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She was in Little Miss heaven. She gently pet and talked to all the cats, and one black and white kitty was especially fond of Her. She got in lots of furry cuddles and was all smiles!
We dosed Little One that morning with allergy medicine, dressed Her in layers so She could peel off Her furry cardigan, and washed all over in the bathroom right after. So She got to participate in the visit, too, and though She sneezed and itched a little the rest of the day, it was worth it.
The girls also got a personal tour of the shelter, visiting dogs, bunnies, ferrets, rats, and birds.
We wrapped it up with an outing to our family's favorite restaurant for lunch, and it was an awesome day! In our family, we do make-a-fuss birthday parties, and we consider that to be our gift to our birthday child. So almost all the packages Miss unwrapped this year went to the shelter.
It's true that little kids love getting presents on their birthdays. But a new toy loses its novelty value and soon ends up with the others on a shelf somewhere. Our Littles are very lucky to have generous grandparents and aunts who never let them go a year without a box arriving with something special just for them, and I think that the gifts they receive are more appreciated when they come from revered grandparents, and don't get lost in a mountain of coloring books and plastic ponies.
Besides which, I can honestly say to all the friends who brought donations to Her party, that they gave Her a gift far beyond the value of a bag of cat food. For the worlds' greatest lover of cats, a whole morning surrounded by kitties was priceless. I don't think any object could possibly have pleased Her more.
And though of course I can only surmise, I think that the feeling of being thanked by the shelter staff and seeing the cats bat at and chase the toys She brought them will outlast the memory of any toy we could have bought Her.
Sometimes, the best gift is the chance to give.
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