Email from Emeraldgreen

I got this email from Lara, and told her I would share it with PT as she is SO darn busy...see below

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I have been feeling so awful about not going on to Pet Talk and actually planned to log on in the next couple of days. Life has been so draining these past few months and I thought about logging on over the past few weeks but knew that I wouldn't have the time I'd need to read everyone's posts and properly catch up so I thought I shouldn't log on until I did.

I really was so down about Barney for quite some time, I couldn't believe how hard it hit me. Even now, I get choked up when I even think about him. But, it was so important for me to meet him because the feral group is up and running and Barney is the reason. I have an 11 x 17 poster of Barney up in my den and see him every day when I'm working on stuff for the group and he continues to inspire me.
Starting this group has been one of the most time consuming and exhausting things I've ever been involved with and we have met every single Sunday as a group for months now and have been getting everything lined out with regard to learning to trap and becoming a charity orginization etc.. Thankfully we have a woman in the group who has 6 years experience with this but she is a powerhouse and keeps our group running in an almost militant style. I don't think I've ever been this tired before, with working full time and doing websites at night and then every free second working on the feral cat thing, Scott and my own animals hardly see me so I felt like I shouldn't log onto Pet Talk for that reason too because I think he would have resented it. Scott also lost his job so that has been hard too. But I know everybody is in similar situations around the world and we're no different.

I'm going to log on and post an apology for jumping ship the way I did and I'm so looking forward to communicating with all you guys again. You were all so amazing with regard to Barney. An experience to remember for a lifetime.
Thank you for your email, I really appreciate it and I look forward to seeing you on PetTalk in the next few days! :0) Lara
p.s. here is the website I just finished for our feral cat group. www.quadracats.com
There is a picture of Barney that pops up on the top left of the screen every 5 seconds and a picture at the very bottom of the home page. I wish I could have named the group after him but the group really wanted to name it something to do with Quadra and I need volunteers to help so much that I didn't want to rock the boat. They all know that Barney is the reason the group exists though and in fact, Julie (the woman with 6 years experience with TNR) also has quite a bit of PR experience and is sending out a press release to nearby town newspapers and newstations and it tells the story of Barney in part and explains that this is how the group started so I'm thankful for that. She is also sending them pictures of Barney to post in the paper.
p.p.s. I might make a dedication page on the site just for Barney. Have to run it by the group first though. :0)

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Awe. I miss Lara so much!! I hope she'll check in. I want to be able to help with her group too. Maybe I can learn to knit and make those mice or something?? I saw they take donations too. :)

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Originally Posted by Catty1

I got this email from Lara, and told her I would share it with PT as she is SO darn busy...see below

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Thanks for posting this. I have been thinking of Lara and Barney lately and was hoping that all was well with her. Even earlier today I went on the BarnB candle site and noticed that no candles were burning, so I lit one for Barney Boy, and I was reading the last thread again that Lara had posted after Barney went to RB. I still get LES reading of him!
That's an awesome website that she has going! She is such a great gal for all that she is doing for these poor homeless kitties. She is truly an angel to ALL kitties! :love:

And Barney Angel who is RVing with the Animal Angels in Florida this week is so impressed that his memory and his name are being used for such a grat cause , and will help those poor Cats who need help the most.
He says Go Meeeowmie Go!!!:)
We will have lots of Cat Friends to be with by the time many years from now.
One Fine Day :love:

Thank you for sharing Lara's e-mail. I just thought about her... and Barney the other day, and have missed her here.

It's a really nice site she has up now, and great that she got that group started. :) I hope she doesn't stress herself totally out.

Thanks for posting this. I was just thinking about Lara the other day.:) I'm glad that she's doing well and her website is great. I too have missed seeing her post on PT.

Great to get news about Lara. I, too, was wondering what became of her. She's truly a sweetheart and her schedule is keeping her so busy that we're deprived of her company here on PT for a while but that's ok. Life happens. :)

Yay! I pmailed her the other day saying "where you been?" :) and I also pmailed Cassiesmom wondering if she's heard from her. SO...I'm relieved to hear all is well...just BUSY! I will go check out the website. Thanks Candace!

Crosspost #1
(From Sunny's diary on dogster)

My mom has a friend in British Columbia. A while back, she rescued a little cat off the street. His name was Barney. He was very sick and his new mom did everything she could but he died a few months ago from cancer and general body breakdown. In his honor, she formed a group dedicated to trapping, neutering and re-releasing feral cats. Mom says if you've ever been to Atlantic City and looked under the boardwalk, you know what a feral cat population looks like (what are you doggies doing looking under the boardwalk, anyway? BOL!) Mom just remembered she's going to AC the end of the month...better start stocking up on cat food and treats :)

Anyhow, back to the reason for my diary entry...Please check out her website. The little scrawny black and white cat in the upper left corner and at the bottom of the page is Barney...RIP! Mom says she knows where all her spare change will be going this year :)

Hi you guys!!! :) Thank you Candace for making this thread and for emailing me. It's just what I needed to get back to PT. I shouldn't have let life get so busy and Pettalk has always been such a great place to come to find solace. I don't know why I waited so long. I can't believe the last time I logged on was January 25th. Crazy.
I loved reading everyone's posts and I'm so thankful to be missed. Good to be back.
Things have really been moving along with the feral cat group. A woman in our group has alot of journalism experience and she sent out a press release to some radio stations and newspapers. I did a short radio interview the other day over the phone. It was very weird and scary. Thankfully they only ran a tiny clip of it. lol
Today, a high school student came over on the ferry and he and another student are doing a documentary on feral cats that they will be submitting at the end of the month to the Campbell River Film Festival. The student brought his video camera and did an interview with me and 3 other members of our group and asked me to send him some Barney footage so he could add it to the documentary. I wasn't sure what to send but put together some clips. Here's the video I sent him:

Barney video

It would be so neat if Barney's little video clips made it onto a bigger screen so he could help even more kitties. I think these kids will do a good job with their film, they seem really motivated.

I'm really looking forward to catching up with everybody on PT and finding out what you all have been up to! :D

LES again. :(

Lara, the video clips you put together are so touching and I hope it will make it to the big screen, so that more people will be aware what a miserable life feral cats have to endure. :(

It's great that the students will do a documentary. I hope it will seen by many people!

Thank you again for all you have done for Barney. :) :love:

The video gave me a lump in my throat, Lara. The last photo of Barn-Barn was just too much. How heart wrenching yet comforting it must have been for you to put this video together. What an incredibly special person you are and just the right person to be there for an incredibly special cat. You've done and continue to do an amazing job. :love:

The video gave me LES too.:( I too hope it makes it to the big screen. Barney will never be forgotten.

:love:
That video gets right to you, doesn't it? Let us know how the documentary goes; it would be nice to have this issue put forth to as many people as possible.
I agree, Lara, you're a very special person - thank you. Barney was very special to all of us.

Barney was a most special little cat:love: He will live in my heart forever!

What a wonderful tribute to Barney, Lara. I know all of us miss him very much. I wish you all the success with your feral group. Count on some support from me.

I'm so glad Barney's candle group is back! See http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/...l=eng&gi=BarnB

I just lit a candle for him and for the feral rescue group. God be with you, Lara, Barney, and all the others.

Barney has made quite an impact for a little cat than nobody wanted. Thank God we all got to know him! I still think of him all the time and hope he's happy and free from pain.