For The Love Of Cats

Cat Lady Julie says, "I believe in rescuing animals, and they saved me from the most difficult year of my life."

About 5 years ago, Julie adopted Bowie and Tess, brother and sister cats rescued from a pet hoarding situation. Sadly, in 2009, Bowie (pictured at left) became ill from several health issues and passed away at the age of three. That same month Julie lost a dear friend to brain cancer and finalized a difficult divorce.

"I learned to never say...'it can't get worse'. Not sure why I was being tested and no one knew what to do or say to help."

"Needless to say Tess and I were so sad and lost, all we could do is cuddle and cry. Then an old classmate contacted me, asking if I would be interested in adopting her 7-year-old cat Seesaw. She lived with inlaws and someone was allergic... I knew we needed some happiness and Tess needed company in the house so I said yes. We renamed him Ceasar, the most social cat I have ever met. He made us laugh and brought a little sunshine back into our life. Then in May of last year, I got a text of a picture of a cat. It was from my sister's boss whose aunt just died and had 3 cats to place, one left --Smokey (Bones), so I said of course!"

The terrific trio pictured here are a testament to the healing power of cat love!
________________________________________

Whatever you do, don't call this lovely structure a "barn".

Cat Lady Dee operates a private cat sanctuary in a remote area of South-central Pennsylvania "as a living memorial to my daughter and only child, who died unexpectedly almost 10 years ago. I am presently caring for 40+ cats - the majority are feral. All are spay/neutered and vaccinated."

Recently, Dee was forced to move her cat sanctuary. "You would not believe how few places have the zoning that will allow a multitude of cats! Even agricultural areas! One farmette I looked at would have been perfect - but we couldn't have cats! Oh I could have a thousand hogs if we wanted, but no more than 10 cats!"

She and her husband eventually bought a small parcel of land that would allow for a cat sanctuary and are currently building a deluxe "cat house" (it may look like a barn, but for red tape purposes it is not. Dee's beautiful kitties certainly are not livestock after all!). Best wishes to Dee for continued success with her living memorial to her beloved daughter.

______________________________________________

Meet Cat lady Geri and her two bi-color beauties, George and Gracie. She explains, "While they are definitely a 'Comedy Team,' they were really named after my grandparents!"

Upon seeing her portrait with her kitties she said, "It brings tears to my eyes, because it shows the joy I feel when I am with my kitties. THANK YOU so much! You just made my day SO much happier!"

Thank YOU Geri! Creating art like this brings ME so much joy and I am thrilled and honored to be able to create keepsakes to represent the love that pet owners feel for their furry friends! Thank you, pet lovers, for sharing your stories with me!