For those that follow this blog, you may well have thought I fell off the earth it’s been so long since I’ve posted and in many ways I have. Once this COVID pandemic really kicked in several months ago, forcing the Cat Writers’ Association to cancel their 2020 Cat Writers’ Association 26th Annual Conference and Awards Banquet that was supposed to have been held July 16 – 18, 2020, in Iselin, NJ in conjunction the CFA/Garden State Cat Show and Expo, my life took on a whole new direction.

As President of the organization, with the support of my conference planning committee (Paula Gregg, Amy Shojai, Marci Kladnik, Robbi Hess, Ramona Marek, Ruth Thaler-Carter, JaneA Kelley, Alana Grelyak, Carol Lowbeer, Bonnie Koenig, and Lynn Thompson), we made the decision not to let COVID bring us down, so even though we canceled the full conference, we decided to hold a virtual awards ceremony to reveal the winners of our annual communications contest.

We thought, how fun! Let’s give people something to look forward to and celebrate! A few “and the winner is…” and call it a day. Let me tell you, what sounded so simple on paper ended up being far more work pulling together than I ever could have imagined. Talk about herding cats. Between still working remotely from home for my day job, already taxing as it is, there was scriptwriting, sponsor relations, graphic design, marketing, sound, music, scheduling presenters, lighting, learning Zoom, figuring out how to pronounce people’s names, collecting headshots and bios, videography and on and on and on. I haven’t slept in months, the list of things to do never seems to end and I’m sustaining myself with coffee, wine, chocolate, and potato chips.

The story of my life right now…

We might not be the Oscars, but I swear it’s taking us the same amount of effort to coordinate the whole thing and we’ll be down to the last second wire before the event, trying to finish things up. And to make things even more stressful, albeit wonderful, we threw a fundraiser for Tabby’s Place Cat Sanctuary in the mix, too! And did I mention the endless proofreading and editing? No matter how many times we look at things – lists of presenters, award winner names, names of awards, names of sponsors, etc., we find an error. For an organization that focuses on the best of the best in the writing industry, you’d think we’d be perfect out of the gate, but alas, because we’re mere humans, we’re not, and even with the sharpest eagle eyes looking things over, I’m sure there will be mistakes found after the fact.

Glammies or Jammies – how will you be watching the virtual ceremony?

But never mind all that, let’s get to the celebrating part! If you’re free, want a break from all this COVID stress and want to have some fun with your fellow cat-loving friends and talented colleagues who could possibly win a coveted MUSE Medallion or one of many cash award prizes totaling over $13,500, join us for our From Glammies to Jammies Virtual Awards Ceremony to be held live, this Saturday, August 8 from 7:00 to 10:00 pm, EST.

While viewers won’t be on screen, the event is still interactive, and we invite you to have FUN! Dress up in your finest finery and post a selfie on our  or if you want a more casual and cozy night, slip into your cutest feline-themed pj’s and share that picture. The event will be streamed both via Facebook live where you can interact in the comments, or via Zoom, where you can interact in the chat room with other viewers. If you decide to go with Zoom, to join the webinar, please click here for the link.

Passcode: 324979

Or iPhone one-tap:
US: +12532158782,,82330842216#,,,,,,0#,,324979# or +13462487799,,82330842216#,,,,,,0#,,324979#

Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656
Webinar ID: 823 3084 2216
Passcode: 324979
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kh7bf3vp0

If you want to watch us on Facebook, just go to our CWA page at @CatWriters and you’ll find us streaming there.

We’ll have guest presenters including CWA V.P., Paula Gregg of Sweet Purrfections; writer and editor, Ruth E. Thaler-Carter; Carol Bryant of Fidose of Reality; Sterling Davis, TrapKing; Shelley DelRocco of Pet Tree Houses; Janiss Garza of Summer/Sparkle Cat; Robbi Hess of All Words Matter; performer and blogger, Alana Grelyak; Dr. Lynn Bahr of Dezi & Roo; Peter J. Wolf of Best Friends Animal Society; pet-sitting consultant, Erin Fenstermaker; author and editor, Lynn Maria Thompson; and Dawn White of Lola the Rescued Cat.

There will also be Felissa Elfenbein of Pets With Opinions; Chloe DiVita of Perceptive Presence; Dr. Robin Downing; Dr. Jennifer Schori; Briony Scott of the Bryi’s Pet Sitting; Samantha Martin of the Amazing Acro-Cats; Stacy LeBaron of Community Cats Podcast; Joette White of Park Cities Pet Sitter; Dr. Elizabeth Colleran of the AAFP; Dr. Jane Brunt of the CATalyst Council; author, speaker, and radio host, Arden Moore; Dr. Bruce Kornreich of Cornell Feline Health Center; America’s Veterinarian and founder of Fear Free Pets, Dr. Marty Becker; Christopher Knight (yes, Peter from the Brady Bunch!); Annie Butler Shirreffs of Catster; Beth Stultz-Hairston of Pet Sitters International; previous CWA President, Fran Pennock Shaw; Shannon Supanich of Pioneer Pets; Sharon Melnyk, CWA Social Media Chair; author and performer, Amy Shojai; Kate Benjamin of Hauspanther; and Darrell Newkirk, president of the CFA.

Added to the fun, we are so excited to announce despite canceling our conference, we’re still holding our fundraising event for Tabby’s Place Cat Sanctuary of Ringoes, NJ, that we had planned on raising funds for at our book signing event we had to cancel. Tabby’s Place rescues cats from hopeless situations, with special needs cats the heart, and the soul of the organization. With them currently closed to the public, they need help more than ever to fund their cage-free sanctuary that provides kitties with medical care, food, TNR needs, litter, toys, and so much more.

Whether large or small, every donation can help make a difference for the kitties of Tabby’s Place.

For every donation made, you are automatically entered to win one of many raffle prizes from CWA sponsors Fear Free Pets, Iris Scott Fine Art, MyLap Pet Beds, Pet Safe, Pioneer Pets, and Vital Essentials that total over $1000 in retail value! Drawing to be held Sunday, Aug. 16, 3:00 pm, EST, at Tabby’s Place when we virtually present them with a check for donations raised and you do NOT need to be present to win. For full details on the prizes and the donation link to our safe and secure Paypal payment button, please click here.

Win a raffle prize from Vital Essentials, MyLap Pet Bed, Pioneer Pets, Iris Scott Fine Art, and Dr. Marty Becker!

Win a raffle prize from PetSafe!

We’re also thrilled to announce additional CWA sponsors CATalyst Council, Clawguard, Dr. Elseys’ Precious Pets, Goodnewsforpets, Hartz, International Veterinary Sciences, Pet Sitters International, Pet Tree Houses, and World’s Best Cat Litter have donated over $12,100 in monies and product to Tabby’s Place!

So yeah, that’s kinda what I’ve been up to, how about you all? I miss everyone so much and am looking forward to the days ahead when things calm down a bit and I can start blogging again. Take care and hope to see you on Saturday!