Ray's House of Hope, Inc.

Giving Senior Pets a New Leash on Life!

5315 Patricia Place, Weeki Wachee, FL 34607 ~ rayshouseofhope@gmail.com ~ (352) 683-7490

These are stories about the seniors at Ray's House, but we would also like to share your stories about your senior pets. Send stories and photos to rayshouseofhope@gmail.com

MICKEY UPDATE 2024:
As a result of our volunteers efforts Mickey continues to come out of his shell and is becoming less fearful of visitors. He is socializing with other dogs as well as the cats. All he needed was patience and love. With a little more time and love we hope he will also become less vocal!

2022
Our little Mickey is doing wonderfully after his recent dental surgery! We are so grateful to Dr. Rodriguez for the excellent care she gives our seniors along with Drs. Readdy and Collazos.
Like many of our seniors Mickey came to us with dental issues. He had to have several teeth removed and a thorough cleaning.
Medical expenses are the largest challenge we face at Ray's House. If you would like to help with keeping our seniors healthy and happy please go to our donation page.

This past week we lost our beloved Tidley. He was the first senior to walk though our doors, even before Ray's House of Hope became a reality. He will forever be missed.

Let's hear from another volunteer...

Volunteering at Ray’s House of Hope is really a great experience. I love working here because when I’m here, I’m doing something for a reason. I never really liked animals when I was younger, especially cats. Since I’ve started working here, I’ve grown much more comfortable around cats because the cats here are really sweet and most are social. They all have unique personalities, and you get to know them all when working here. Wyatt’s really forward, and will lie down in the most inconvenient places to force you to pay attention to him, Ramsey walks up to you and climbs into your lap, Ray perks up when you pet him and makes sure you don’t leave, and Georgia sits down quietly and holds your hand as you pet her. Though there’s a lot of work to be done here, it’s anything but

laborious. Whenever you’re tired, you can take a break and pet the cats. The primary jobs to be done are simple: change the food and water, clean the litter boxes, sweep the floor (and Wyatt), and, of course, pet the animals. When there are other things to do, you can help out with whatever you’re comfortable with. The cats walk all around you while you’re busy and wait for you to stop and play with them. It’s a lot of fun to take time to socialize the animals and watch as they play around.
Abby McAuley & Wyatt

Meet our newest guest...

This is Nicolai (Nikkie). He's a bit hard of hearing and his vision is not very good, but he is as sweet as he can be and fits right in here at Ray's House. Nikkie is our guest while his pet parent is in the hospital. Nikkie is great with the cats and Cookie lovers the canine companionship!

And Our Yahtzee Champion is...RAY!

Finally! All of our senior cats with gum disease have been successfully treated. In the past several months Max, Peter, Georgia and Petunia were all diagnosed with stomatitis. Stomatitis results in inflammation of the mucosal tissues of the mouth.

There are many ways to manage a cat with stomatitis. The ideal way, in most cases, is extraction of all teeth that are associated with the inflammation. Often, this is all of the teeth in the cat’s mouth. Surprisingly, cats do very well without any teeth. Many cats without teeth can eat both dry and canned food without any problems.

I'VE BEEN ADOPTED!!

A heartbroken family needed to re-home their beloved cat, Jordan. Unfortunately Jordan was not a candidate for Ray's House of Hope, but that did not stop RHH from facilitating an adoption. With the help of Facebook a dear childhood friend stepped up to see if Jordan might be just what her senior cat Max needed for a new lease on life. Initially Jordan played hide and seek, but as you can see from the photos they are now inseparable. We are honored to have been of service to Jordan and his families (old and new). A true happily ever after for Max and Jordan.

Volunteer Update

I really enjoy volunteering at Ray’s House of Hope. I have always been a big fan of animals and the cats here are super sweet. This was my first time being surrounded by cats and it was super fun. They are all very sweet and most are social. The people who operate Rays House of Hope are also very kind and will help out every now and then. I also like how they encourage you to pet the animals and will not get upset at you for pausing to take a break with the pets. When I am here I usually sweep or clean out the litter boxes. If I have extra time I will clean the walls and

windows or check the cat beds for any accidents. In the morning we will change out the food and water and water the plants. Once a volunteer and I got to pick the color to paint the kick plate and then we cleaned it and the fence. It is so much fun to get to work around the animals and socialize with them, especially when they act silly and jump onto something near you just to get petted. They all have very different personalities like some that come out to say “hi” and others that run and hide.

Ally Pacheco

Ray's House welcomes our newest volunteers,
Abigail McAuley and her mom Kim McAuley

What a wonderful afternoon as Abby and Kim jumped right in to the procedures of keeping Ray's House clean and comfortable for our furry residents - cats and dog. Abby provided lots of love and attention to our kitties which they loved. She discovered how much Wyatt (on the table) loves to be swept with the broom.

Abby and Kim did a great job in helping our fearful senior dog, Mickey come out of his shell. It was so good for him to make new friends. He cannot wait for their return!

Nicolai has had his dental surgery, and vaccines and is now fit as a fiddle!

Thank you to Dr. Rod and the staff at Animal Health Veterinary Clinic for the excellent care.

He has been now been adopted by a wonderful loving family. Meet Papa Vince with new brother Jack with Nicolai.

Look at our new cuddle house.

It has a scratching floor too!

A beautiful day sunbathing.

We love our new kurandas!

Look at my new sweater!

I got caught checking

out the cookies.

They gave me Temptations instead.

I still prefer the empty box!

OUR MISSION: Providing for senior pets in need through foster care,

adoption, education, and family life planning for their pets.

Ray's House of Hope, Inc. is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions to RHH are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. RHH's tax identification number is 85-0955643

Giving Senior Pets A New Leash On Life!