I was allowed an opportunity to interview a very special person. Please, I beseech everyone to pay very close attention to question two. That is the most heartbreaking thing that can happen to someone as kind and as gentle as Joyce. Do NOT allow that to happen to anyone else! With that, let me present a most unique chance to meet Joyce A. Anthony, the person.
Questions for Joyce
Welcome Joyce! Joyce Anthony, Mother, writer, and ‘mom’ to a wide variety of abandoned/neglected animals, has kindly agreed to be my guest today on this forum. She leads a very busy life and I was most fortunate to catch her for this visit. She is an excellent writer but that is only the tip of her talented iceberg. Join me as we talk about her more personal side.
1. We’ll start off easy. You have many fur/feather kids. Tell us more, what kind, name and how the adopted you.
You didn’t say I had room to write a whole book J Sam is an Irish Setter/Labrador mix-he was brought to me from South Carolina. It was a matter of either I take him or he went to the shelter because he has a rather..hmm..spirited personality. Caramel is the oldest of my cats, and the only female. She is a rare orange female. Her mother was abandoned when her family moved and had become feral. When she had a litter, everyone got a home except Caramel, and Shane insisted we bring her home or she would “die out there”. Spirit’s mother was also a feral cat. He’s a large orange tabby and when I saw him, he sat down and looked at me. I knew his named immediately. He came home with a sister, Ash, who has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Othello is a perfect tuxedo cat. His mother showed up on my doorstep and I thought she was a kitten; she was so thin and tiny. I fed her regularly and it soon became apparent she was pregnant. Being feral, I had to be careful, but I took her in and made a place for her to safely have her kittens. She had 4 females and one male. She and the females all found homes, but nobody wanted the male, so Othello stayed!
My doves-Mars, Venus and Eros-belonged to a woman who was in the hospital constantly. Her family was neglecting the birds and finally said they were going to release them. Having been born in captivity, that was a death sentence. I agreed to take them in. The cockatiels come from different places. Telio came to me when his family was neglecting him. They “didn’t have the time” to talk with him or take care of his needs. Tia didn’t even have a name-she had been an unwanted gift to a family that called her ‘the bird” and fed her food that wasn’t meant for her species. She came to me with her topknot cut off.
Then there is Elvis, the chinchilla. Elvis spent days alone in a cage in a room that was shut off from all activity-he would go several days with no contact, no food or water. This had gone on nearly a year when I finally outright asked if I could have him. There was no argument.
2. Speaking of animals, you had and have, serious issues with Hartz. Could you please elaborate on this?
Over a year ago, I had seven cats altogether. I gave them their flea treatment, but had bout Hartz flea treatment for cats instead of my normal Advantage from the vet. I gave them all their treatment and left for a few hours. I had read the instructions, including all warnings, and every cat should have been fine-they were all within the weight, age and health limits listed.
When I returned, one of my cats was lying on the floor, bleeding from the mouth and ears and her body wracked with convulsions. Two other cats were having periodic convulsions. Being a weekend, I took them to the Pet Emergency Center-and all three had to be euthanized. The first question the vet asked me was if they had been given a recent flea treatment-and if it had been Hartz. It seems he was very well versed in the effect it was known to cause. I was told to go home and bathe the other four cats in Dawn dish liquid to get as much of the treatment off them as possible. This I did.
The next morning, I woke to another one of my babies having convulsions-and the other three jerking their paws and shivering. Back to the EPC. I lost Sierra that day-that was four of my babies in less than 24 hours. The remaining three spent two days at the hospital, being given fluids and watched. They survived.
I have never gotten any satisfaction from Hartz. They claimed it was an isolated incident-yet I’ve had numerous people contact me since who have gone through the same things. I am in the process of trying to find a lawyer willing to take on a wrongful death case against Hartz-because the KNEW there was a problem and still are selling their products. I won’t give up.
3. As a writer, you are in the world of the arts. To this world you also bring photography. What types of photos do you prefer to take?
The sunsets in our city are considered to be the third most beautiful in the world-so they are something I often photograph. I also love the lake, with its many moods. As for people and animals, I prefer candid shots rather than posed-and I’ve been practicing my close-ups of macro-shots.
4. Another aspect of you is your ability to do research. This works well with your genealogical projects. How did you develop such a strong interest in ancestral knowledge?
I wrote once: All that came before and all that’s yet to be, are alive this very moment deep inside of me. This explains it perfectly. All those who lived before I have are part of me-we share the same genes-and often the same hopes and dreams. I started mainly as a way to find out where I came from-and anyone who does genealogy understands how it becomes almost an obsession.
5. Another side benefit of your research capabilities is numerology. Please tell us more.
I’m not sure how much I can explain in a short answer. Okay, I use the ancient charts to do numerological character charts that run between 25 and 30 pages each. The old charts are different than the modern ones found most places-and much more accurate. The most common comment I receive is that it is like I crawled inside the subject’s head J This practice is based on the assumption that everything is energy and vibrates to a numerical vibration-letters, colors, music notes, etc..
6. What is your favorite music and why?
I will always hold a special place in my heart for both old-time country and old-time gospel music. These are not only what I grew up with, but also the lyrics reflect much of who and what I am.
7. Your favorite flower is the daffodil. Your favorite color is yellow. What is your favorite stone?
Amethyst
8. You have been given three tickets to take a vacation anywhere away from earth. It will cost you nothing. Where will you go and why?
Saturn-because I’ve always felt drawn to that planet
Pluto-because I think it got a raw deal by being demoted
Sirius-because I have this silly picture every time I think of it of a start that is home to a doglike species that function much like humans-only kinder and happier
9. You have been granted four strange wishes. You cannot use them on yourself but must make a wish for four others. Who are they and what are the wishes?
1. Every animal has a loving home.
2. No child knows the pain of being abused.
3. Every human knows what it feels like to be free.
4. Nobody ever again knows the feeling of being told their loved one will not return from war.
10. Sam is a very special puppy. Tell us about him.
What can I say about Sam-he’s a mini-horse disguised as a dog-who thinks he’s a cat! Sam is a big Mama’s boy. He’s a brat to the nth degree, protective of me, wants to be anywhere the cats can be. He tries to “round-up” the cats outside, thinking they all belong in the house, but will leave them alone if I tell him they aren’t “our kitties” but are “God’s kitties”. He walked himself across the street one day-scared me half to death, but I had to laugh because he looked so proud of himself. One edge of the leash was attached to his collar and he took the other end in his mouth. I guess he figured as long as someone had that end, he was safe. He’s a Lab/Irish Setter mix-but his personality is all Lab.
11. Your prowess in the kitchen is legendary (ok, it will be after this is posted). What is your favorite dish to make?
I have no idea if it could be called legendary-my meatloaf has been the cause of a lot of controversy, though J My favorite meal is meatloaf, oven-fried potatoes and corn on the cob. My family, however, likes my Christmas goose.
12. Many have commented favorably on your looks. What is your definition of beauty?
I don’t think beauty is something you see-it is something you feel. If I’m asked to describe someone, it is often nearly impossible to describe them in terms of how they look-I’m more apt to describe personality traits-because how I feel when around someone is how I “see” them.
13. Are there any superstitions you believe in?
Hmm…I have obsessive-compulsive disorder, which makes this a loaded question!! It’s bad luck to kill spiders (and also cruel); if I see a blue jay when things are going wrong, they’ll turn out well; I can’t go to bed with everything finished (I’ll read one chapter of a new book, start a new puzzle, etc.); if the leaves turn upside-down, it is going to rain. Things like that.
14. Do you see the water glass half empty, half full or did the kitties get to it?
None of the above; my glass is overflowing. I have everything I need and enough to share.
