Sarah Brown
On May 17, the community of Sweet Home, as well as all of Linn County, lost one of its best volunteers, Vicki Lindley.
She grew up here, raised a family, and worked as a rural postal delivery person until her retirement, after which time she gave the rest of herself for working to end cat overpopulation and abuse.
Vicki, along with Doris Garron, started the nonprofit Kitty Angel Team Adoption, which unofficially began in the 1990s.
Vicki invested so much of herself into her family, friends, and, of course, cats. Lots and lots of cats. After she retired, she started by trapping feral cats in her neighborhood to get them fixed. Doris attached herself to Vicki, and the two worked side by side rescuing cats doomed to death.
They found cats in storm drains and culverts, blackberry bushes and dumpsters, homeless encampments and areas where cats were dumped. Vicki even spent hours rescuing a kitten that was wedged under the boulders at the dam.
Over time, the two turned their focus to cats who could be rehomed as indoor-only pets. It was a costly investment, but Vicki would give thanks to God as her main supplier.
“If it wasn’t for the Lord, we wouldn’t still be going,” she had said. “Money comes in when we need it, and I just trust.”
Vicki’s unexpected passing has been a bitter pill for those who knew her, worked with her, and loved her. She left behind memories that her friends and family will cherish forever. She had favorite quotes that many recall fondly.
For example, when a cat would cry because it was in a carrier, Vicki would say, “There’s no crying in baseball,” or she would say to cats, “Work with me, people!”
She always explained her nonstop devotion by reminding us, “It’s all about the cats,” and “That’s what we do.”
She said she planned on continuing her work until she couldn’t move any more. For all of her friends, that day came too soon; but for God, perhaps it was His perfect time.
Vicki always said that what she did was “a labor of love.”
Her work and example has made an impact in all of Linn County.
No one can count the number of homes who are blessed with a KATA cat’s love, and no one can imagine the percentage of cats that would have roamed the county as a feral if Vicki hadn’t done trap-neuter-return.
It should be noted that Albany’s resident, Jodi Harmon, is one of the few who continues the hard work of TNR from Vicki’s example. She recently made a suggestion to everyone: get a cat fixed in Vicki’s honor.
I make one notation in her honor, as well: don’t trap and dump your neighbor’s cat. It’s illegal and exceptionally cruel on many levels.
And to those who knew her, I’ll leave them with this Vicki quote: “Keep rescuing animals. You may lose your mind, but you will surely find your soul.”
– Sarah Brown is a staff writer for The New Era, among other activities which include volunteering with KATA.