Mine Original 11x14 framed painting: $500 Reduced size print matted to fit 11x14 frame: $35 Shiloh was labeled as feral after he was taken to an animal shelter when his caretaker died. Feral cats, also known as community cats, are those who are born wild and are often unsuited for life as an indoor pet due to extreme shyness or fear of people. Stray cats, who once had a home but were abandoned outdoors, are also sometimes mistaken for feral. The shelter ear-tipped him (a practice to let people know that a community cat has been spayed or neutered and will not add to the homeless cat population) and enlisted the help of Tenth Life Foundation to find him a safe outdoor home. But the barn home they found for him turned out not to be a good fit, and Shiloh turned out not to be feral at all! BrightHaven Rescue assisted Tenth Life in getting him some veterinary care he needed and networking him to find an indoor home. Shiloh’s forever home turned out to be mine! A donation of $5 from the sale of this print will be donated to BrightHaven Rescue, and an additional donation of $5 will be donated to Tenth Life Foundation. To learn more about these organizations or to make a donation, please visit http://brighthaven.org/rescue or www.tenthlifefoundation.org.
Coffee, Tea or Me? Original 11x14 framed painting: $500 Reduced size print matted to fit 11x14 frame: $35 Maude was an elderly, sick cat found as a stray and taken to Oakland Animal Services. A rescue group called Cat Town pulled her from the shelter and placed her in a foster home where she could recover. I saw her photo on Facebook and adopted her. Unfortunately she had a number of chronic health issues, and as a result, we only had ten months together. But I’ll never forget this lovely cat and I’m grateful to Cat Town for giving me the chance to love her. A donation of $5 from the sale of this print will be donated to Cat Town. To learn more about this organization, to make a donation, or to make a reservation to visit the Cat Town Café and Adoption Center, please visit http://cattownoakland.org/.
Don’t Stop Believing Original 8x10 framed painting: SOLD Reduced size print matted to fit 8x10 frame: $25 Getting pets adopted from animal shelters takes more than just opening the doors and waiting for adopters to arrive. These days, social media is an important marketing tool used by many shelters. A volunteer known only as RC at the West Milford Animal Shelter in NJ took it one step further by starting a Facebook page called The Real Cats at West Milford Animal Shelter. One of the ways she promotes adoptable cats is by combining a series of photos with captions to create hilarious cartoons. Panama is one of the cats featured in these cartoons. Have you ever seen a cat staring off into space and wondered what she was looking at? Well, according to this Facebook page, Panama has a tiny flying toaster friend with whom she sings 80s rock ballads! The Real Cats page is a brilliant marketing tool that highlights each cat’s personality. A donation of $5 from the sale of this print will be donated to WMASS. To see The Real Cats at West Milford Animal Shelter Facebook page, please visit https://www.facebook.com/TheRealCatsAtWMASS?fref=ts
Let Your Dreams Take Flight Original 11x14 framed painting: $500 Reduced size print matted to fit 11x14 frame: $35 Cat Town is an independent, non-profit organization that operates through a partnership with Oakland Animal Services. They began as an all-volunteer foster-based rescue organization in 2011. As shelter volunteers, they saw that cats at the municipal shelter who were scared, sick, older, or traumatized by having just lost their homes rarely made it into adoption and were even less likely to be taken by a rescue group. After starting with the hardest-to-place cats, in October 2014 they expanded their mission by opening the first cat café in the U.S. to find homes for cats who aren’t harder to place, but who are competing for space at the busy open-admission Oakland shelter. Cooper was just one of the many adorable cats who found a forever home after a short stay at the café! A donation of $5 from the sale of this print will be donated to Cat Town. To learn more about this organization, to make a donation, or to make a reservation to visit the Cat Town Café and Adoption Center, please visit http://cattownoakland.org/.
Ready for My Closeup Original 8x10 framed painting: $250 Reduced size print matted to fit 8x10 frame: $25 Lexi was originally rescued by my friend Cathy Ramsey, a tireless advocate for animals who saved many lives over the years. After Cathy passed away in 2012, some of her cats, including Lexi, came to Shadow Cats. She now lives in Cookie’s Place, the area within Shadow Cats Rescue for cats who have Feline Leukemia. On the Shadow Cats website there’s a link to a live Kitty Cam where people can watch the cats in Cookie’s Place, and Lexi is happy to be front and center! A donation of $5 from the sale of this print will be made to Shadow Cats. To learn more about Shadow Cats, to view Lexi and her friends on the Kitty Cam, or to donate toward their mission, please visit www.shadowcats.net.
Storyteller Original 11x14 framed painting: SOLD Reduced size print matted to fit 11x14 frame: $35 Getting pets adopted from animal shelters takes more than just opening the doors and waiting for adopters to arrive. These days, social media is an important marketing tool used by many shelters. A volunteer known only as RC at the West Milford Animal Shelter in NJ took it one step further by starting a Facebook page called The Real Cats at West Milford Animal Shelter. One of the ways she promotes adoptable cats is by combining a series of photos with captions to create hilarious cartoons. Lizzie is one of the cats featured on this page, which described her as The Bravest Cat on Three Legs. Cartoons showed her continually accosting other cats to tell them the story about how she lost her leg…but it was a different story every time! Some of her stories included handling the Snoopy balloon at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, participating on the Jamaican bobsled team, and accidents involving an Easter egg hunt, a motorcycle, roller derby, a plunging elevator, a Ferris wheel, and the Dumbo ride. The Real Cats page is a brilliant marketing tool that highlights each cat’s personality. A donation of $5 from the sale of this print will be donated to WMASS. To see The Real Cats at West Milford Animal Shelter Facebook page, please visit https://www.facebook.com/TheRealCatsAtWMASS?fref=ts
Soul Sister Original 8x10 framed painting: $250 Reduced size print matted to fit 8x10 frame: $25 Cathy Ramsey was a friend of mine as well as a tireless advocate for animals who saved many lives over the years. The day Cathy passed away, Mark Morgan spotted a kitten who had been abandoned in a remote camping area. He had no way of capturing her at the time, so he drove home to get a trap and sleep, then drove back the next day. Once he had the kitten safely back at his home, he and his wife named her CathyCat in honor of Cathy’s memory. CathyCat is now a much-loved member of their family. I used mostly shades of blue in this painting because it was Cathy’s favorite color, and the title is based on one of her favorite songs she listened to while battling cancer. (Image of CathyCat based on photos by Mark Morgan)
First Date Original 11x14 framed painting: NOT FOR SALE. Reduced size print matted to fit 11x14 frame: $35. Poor Rex; he’s in love with Gladys but she’s oblivious. Rex joined my family in January 2015 after his previous owner, who rescued him from a neglectful situation, began showing signs of dementia. He was transported all the way from North Carolina! Gladys, who is deaf, was surrendered to a local shelter by her owner, and I adopted her from a rescue group in August of that same year. Both are around 15 years old and have multiple health issues. While Gladys first arrived and was still quarantined in a separate room, Rex began bringing toys and leaving them outside her door. Unfortunately, once the door was opened, it became clear that Gladys would prefer not to mingle with other felines, even love-stricken Rex.
Tongue Tied Original 8x10 framed painting: SOLD Reduced size print matted to fit 8x10 frame: $25. Bernie was a very special cat. He was abandoned by his original owner in horrible conditions, but was rescued and sent to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. My friend Jade Campbell, who is a caregiver at Best Friends, fell in love with him. She adopted him as a hospice cat after he was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer of the jaw. At the time she was told his life expectancy was three days so she decided to give him the best three days of his life. Well, once Bernie experienced a loving home, he decided he wasn't quite ready to go. He lived another 6.5 months with a good quality of life before Jade finally had to say goodbye. His tongue was often visible because of the tumor. (Image of Bernie based on photos by Jade Campbell)
Because I’m Worth It Original 11x14 framed painting: SOLD. Reduced size print matted to fit 11x14 frame: $35. My friend Christina Zimmer first saw Noah huddled in the back of a cage at an animal shelter, absolutely terrified. He quickly bonded with her and felt safe so long as he was with her. Surprisingly, he loved to travel so the two of them took many trips together. Noah faced a variety of health issues, including two surgeries for a blocked urinary passage, an irregular heartbeat, diabetes and kidney problems. Plus he had been declawed on all four paws before ending up in the shelter! People sometimes questioned whether he was worth so much money and effort, but it never crossed Christina’s mind to give up on Noah. A little extra effort was nothing compared to the wonderful quality of life they shared together for 16 years, before they said their final good-byes in April 2015. (Image of Noah based on photos by Christina Zimmer)
King of Hearts Original 8x10 framed painting: SOLD. Reduced size print matted to fit 8x10 frame: $25. Jill Williams’ 5-year-old son, JJ, had been asking for a kitty friend, so the family went to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to adopt a kitten for their busy household, which included JJ’s 7-year-old brother, Harry, and three large dogs. Dexter was a frail, toothless 20-year-old cat who came to Best Friends after being rescued from a hoarding situation where he lived with 100 other cats. Something about Dexter prompted the family to abandon their plan to adopt a kitten and to bring him home instead. He immediately bonded with them, especially JJ and their 120-lb Malamute, Flora,. He spent two blissful years bringing joy to the Williams family before he passed away in 2016. As Jill says, “It’s never too late to save a life. There are so many great animals waiting to find their forever home in shelters across the country.” (Image of Dexter based on photos by members of the Williams family)