Hearts Of Valor Rescue

🐄🤍 Our little cow colored boy, Knox, is still waiting for his forever home! 🤍🐄

Knox is currently hanging out at the Furman Pet Supermarket, hoping the right person walks through those doors and realizes he’s the one. ❤️

This sweet boy is about as gentle and kind as they come. He loves scratches, cuddles, and simply being close to his people. He has such an easygoing personality that we truly believe he could fit beautifully into just about any home.

Sometimes the sweetest ones are the ones who get overlooked while they patiently wait. Knox isn’t asking for much just a family of his own, a warm place to curl up, and someone willing to give him all the scratches he deserves.

If you’ve been thinking about adding a new best friend to your family, stop by Furman Pet Supermarket and meet our handsome little cow kitty. 🐄🐾

Please share and help us find Knox the forever home he’s been waiting for! ❤️

🦨 PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: What to do when you encounter a skunk.

Since apparently this needs to be said…

If you see a skunk existing outside, walking through a yard, crossing a driveway, or wandering onto a porch, the appropriate response is generally pretty simple:

Leave it alone.

A skunk’s presence does not automatically mean it is aggressive, rabid, or needs to be killed. Wildlife lives outside. Sometimes that outside happens to overlap with our property.

If you don’t know how to assess the animal, don’t approach it, corner it, handle it, or decide that you’re suddenly a wildlife expert.

Keep your distance. Bring your pets and children inside. Give the animal an open escape route. Secure trash, pet food, and other things that may be attracting it. In most cases, it will move along on its own.

If the animal appears injured, sick, unusually disoriented, trapped, or is creating an actual safety concern, contact your local animal control, wildlife authority, or a permitted wildlife professional for guidance.

And if you simply don’t know what to do, that’s okay.

Call someone who does.

Being afraid of or unfamiliar with an animal isn’t a reason to kill it. We share this world with wildlife, and sometimes the responsible thing to do is nothing more complicated than giving it some space and letting it move along. 🦨❤️

Last week, a name came across my phone that I immediately recognized.

It was Susan Berry a Realtor I had the privilege of working with years ago on a transaction. In this business, you meet and work with a lot of people, but every once in a while, someone leaves a lasting impression. Susan was one of those people.

I was genuinely excited to answer the phone. I thought maybe she was calling about one of my listings, and I immediately loved the thought of getting the opportunity to work with her again.

After a few minutes of catching up, she asked me about Hearts of Valor Rescue and told me she planned to contribute.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the extent of her generosity or the amount of thought she had put into it.

I won’t go into the details because some things are too personal and meaningful to share publicly, but I can say that I was completely speechless. To know that someone thought about this rescue, the animals we fight for, and the work we are trying so hard to do and then intentionally made it part of her future plans is something I don’t think I will ever fully have the words for.

There are moments in this rescue when the need feels endless. And then there are moments like this that remind me that God has a way of putting people in your path long before you understand why.

God is so, so good. ❤️

Susan, I hope you know how profoundly grateful I am not only for your generosity, but for the thought, intention, and heart behind it. What you have done means more to me and to Hearts of Valor Rescue than I could ever adequately put into words.

I will never forget it.

Thank you, Susan. From the absolute bottom of my heart. ❤️🐾

These sweet babies are ready for their new home!

🐾 This week in rescue… and it’s only Friday morning.

This morning, 5 more feral cats are headed in to be fixed and vaccinated. Five cats might not sound like a huge number, but every single one represents kittens that won’t be born outside, struggling to survive and each one has a story.

🐱 One is a kitten from our Waffle House colony, which is almost completely TNR’d. This little one seemingly appeared out of nowhere and, based on age and appearance, is very likely Scarlett’s sibling from a later litter. Apparently somebody missed the memo that I was almost finished over there. 😂

🐱 Another is the momma of our five sewer kittens we rescued two weeks ago. Her babies are safe, and once they’re old enough to wean, Momma will be returned to the colony she knows — except this time she’ll be vaccinated, spayed, and officially retired from motherhood. ❤️

🐱 Then there’s one very smart female torbie from a fellow rescue’s colony. She had successfully avoided multiple trappers for several MONTHS and was becoming quite the legend. Challenge accepted. 😏

With a strategically positioned drop trap, some salmon, catnip, and about an hour of patience… we got her. 🎉

Her spay is especially exciting because it means we are one huge step closer to completely stopping kittens from being born at that location.

🐱🐱 And finally, two more are from a hoarding situation in Greer, where the property owner is currently incarcerated. Situations like this leave animals behind through absolutely no doing of their own, and we’re working to make sure the cycle of reproduction doesn’t continue while they’re there.

Five cats. Five surgeries. Five vaccinations. Five fewer contributors to the endless cycle of kittens being born outside.

TNR isn’t always the most glamorous side of rescue. It’s early mornings, late nights, traps, stinky bait, sitting quietly in cars, outsmarting cats who are often much smarter than we’d like to admit 😂, and a whole lot of patience.

But this is how you make a lasting difference.

You don’t stop an overpopulation crisis one litter at a time.

You prevent the next litter from ever being born. ❤️🐾

Another productive week for Hearts of Valor Rescue and five more little victories for our community.

🐾 Suzuki Update: Apparently, I Have a Supervisor Now. 🐾

Hi friends, Suzuki here! 💙

I’ve been pretty busy figuring out my place around here and learning how to navigate life with my foster brothers and sisters. For the most part, everyone seems to have accepted that I’m staying… although I’m pretty sure a few of them are still trying to figure out exactly what I am. 😂

But Scarlett? Scarlett has taken her job VERY seriously.

She has decided that I apparently should not be left unsupervised for any significant amount of time. She sleeps right outside my little bed area, just in case I need something. She’s shown me exactly where to go for breakfast in the morning — because obviously a growing boy cannot be expected to figure out where the food is on his own.

And perhaps most importantly, she has made it her personal responsibility to make sure I am properly groomed. Apparently, if I’m going to hang out near her, I need to meet certain cleanliness standards. 😹

So now I have a sister, a tour guide, a breakfast coordinator, a security guard AND a personal groomer.

I think I’m doing pretty well for myself. ❤️

Mom says watching us together has been one of the sweetest blessings. There’s something pretty incredible about watching animals simply accept each other exactly as they are.

Scarlett doesn’t see the little guy who came here missing two back paws.

She just sees Suzuki.

And apparently… Suzuki is her baby now. 🥹🐾❤️

🐾 SUZUKI’S BIG DAY OUT 🐾

Hi friends, Suzuki here. 👋🏼

Apparently, being the newest little celebrity at Hearts of Valor Rescue means I have appointments now. 🙄

Today, Mom packed me into what she calls a “cat carrier” and took me for a car ride to meet Dr. Sam and all the girls at Swamp Rabbit Animal Hospital.

⭐ Official Suzuki Review:
Cat carrier: 0/10.
Car ride: 0/10.
Getting released to zoom around the room and explore everything: 12/10. Would recommend. 😂

Mom had LOTS of questions for Dr. Sam about me—what my future might look like, how I’ll get around as I grow, and what we may need to do to help with my mobility since I’m missing my two back paws. You know… typical worried-mom stuff.

Meanwhile, I was busy proving that having two missing paws does NOT mean I plan on slowing down. 😎

We also learned something pretty cool about my eyes! Remember that funny little eye movement Mom was worried about? Turns out, Siamese-type kitties can have something called congenital nystagmus, where our eyes may wiggle or move back and forth. And yes, it really can be completely normal for us. So apparently I’m not weird…

Okay, maybe I’m a little weird. But not because of my eyes. 😂

Today was really about figuring out what comes next for me. Nobody can predict exactly what my future will look like yet, but Mom and the amazing people helping me are going to make sure I have every opportunity to run, play, explore and live one heck of a life.

And judging by the amount of zooming I did today…

I think I’ve got this. ❤️🐾

Thanks for following my journey, cheering me on, sharing my story and supporting Hearts of Valor Rescue. Every follow, share and donation helps Mom keep saying “yes” to little guys like me who just need someone willing to give them a chance.

Until next time…

Suzuki 🐾
Two paws short. Zero shortage of personality. ❤️

SUZUKI’S JOURNEY — DAY 1 🐾

8:00 AM. Pouring rain. A dog crate. A child’s suitcase.

That’s how Suzuki’s story with Hearts of Valor began.

This morning, I pulled into Greenville County Animal Care with five feral cats already in my SUV when something near the entrance caught my attention.

Sitting in the rain was a medium-sized dog crate with a small child’s suitcase inside.

Of course, the rescuer in me immediately stopped.

Surely no one left an animal out here. Not in this rain.

I flung my door open, stopped right in the middle of the driveway, and ran over to check.

And then I saw them.

Four soaking-wet kittens huddled underneath that little suitcase, trying to escape the rain.

I hurried inside for the appointment I was already there for and alerted the clinic staff. GCAC immediately stepped in, got the kittens out of the rain, processed them into the shelter, and had their veterinary team begin evaluating them.

I stuck around for a few minutes and offered to help however I could.

Because something in me already knew.

The moment I saw those little eyes staring back at me through the rain, I had a feeling one of them was going to need us.

About two hours later, the message came.

One of the four kittens would not be able to enter GCAC’s normal adoption program. He needed a rescue willing to take responsibility for continued veterinary care, diagnostics, treatment, and whatever his future might hold.

All I really knew at that point was that this little guy essentially had “nubs for feet.”

I didn’t know what caused it.

I didn’t know what his long-term needs would be.

I didn’t know what this was going to cost.

But I knew my answer.

Hearts of Valor would take him.

So I grabbed what I needed and headed back to the shelter to meet our newest intake.

They had named him Suzuki.
Yes… like the motorcycle. 😂

They brought out this tiny cardboard carrier, I opened the top, and there he was.

One absolutely beautiful, piercing blue eye staring back at me.

And my heart just dropped.

I love every animal that comes through our doors. Every single one of them matters.

But every once in a while, you meet one and immediately think:

There is something special about you.

Suzuki is one of those animals.

I have never personally cared for a kitten with his particular physical condition. We still have questions that need answers, and there may be challenges ahead that I haven’t even considered yet.

But I can promise him one thing:

We aren’t going to shy away from any of it.

From this moment forward, Suzuki will have what he should have had this morning shelter, warmth, medical care, food, safety, and someone fighting for him.

Tonight, instead of huddling beneath a child’s suitcase in the pouring rain, Suzuki is a Hearts of Valor kitten. ❤️

And this is only Day 1.

We’ll be documenting Suzuki’s journey here his veterinary evaluations, what we learn about his legs and feet, his progress, his personality, and eventually what his future and adoptability may look like.

And while Suzuki is going to need us, we also have many other cats and kittens depending on Hearts of Valor every single day.

If you’d like to be part of Suzuki’s story, you can help by donating toward his veterinary care, fostering, adopting one of our available animals, sharing his story, or simply following along and cheering this little fighter on.

For now, Suzuki is warm.

He’s dry.

He’s safe.

And he’s ours. 🐾❤️

Welcome to Hearts of Valor, Suzuki.

Your story starts here.

Hey y’all,

It’s me again. I need my tribes help. I founded a non profit 501c3 animal rescue that serves and rescues our communities vulnerable animals. Today while dropping off 5 feral community cats for sterilization there were 4 kittens left at the entrance in a dog crate in the rain. Greenville animal care is over capacity and asked if I’d take them. One has 2 “nubs” and will require substantial vet care. I also have some beautiful adoptable kittens that are ready for new homes, or even a foster home until adoption.

Anyone willing to help with these needs or even donate (which is tax deductible) for the rescues vet care. Hearts Of Valor Rescue