Leroy is one of the outdoor cats of Riverfront Cats, Miami. Please click to enlarge image.

I wish for a day that every cat had a safe and loving home and that the streets and shelters were not overpopulated with literally millions of cats. Sadly, not only is that dream a long way off,  but many people don’t share that same mindset and that is why today, National Feral Cat Day, is so important. Feral, or outdoor community cats as would be the proper term, are part of the fabric of society and until the world at large has a greater knowledge about these animals, the battle of escalating overpopulation, misconceptions, lack of respect, and mistreatment will continue to exist and my hopes will be nothing more than an elusive dream…  Read more

This image of Gracie at her feeding station was how it all started. Gracie is no longer with us, having passed on a couple of months ago, nor are these iconic cat mansions that have been taken apart by Loews and left by a dumpster for trash pick up.

When the controversy with the outdoor cats residing on the Loews Orlando properties (the Portofino and Royal Pacific) versus the Loews management, specifically Operations Manager, David Bartek, began back at the end of 2011, it was originally a fight by a handful of cat advocates, myself included, and local organizations to keep them from being trapped and brought to a shelter, which would be an all but certain death sentence. Bartek actually reconsidered the decision and instead proposed his alternative – relocate them. While this may have seemed like a plausible solution for these cats on the surface, in actuality, relocating them would be equally as dangerous to their well-being and concerned parties quickly sprung to action to educate Bartek on the consequences of this newest decision with the assumption it would be a fair and rational discussion with him. 

Months later, still with no resolve, the cause and concern grew and after a long and vigilant rally by cat lovers, feral cat experts, bloggers, veterinarians, reputable organizations such as Alley Cat Allies, CARE Feline TNR, and even the USA Today, we pleaded our case over and over with sound and logical information as to why it would be so detrimental to the welfare of these cats to have them relocated. The bottom line, the 20 or so total cats in question were part of a managed TNR (trap, neuter, return) program that was spearheaded in 2004 by bellman, George Ricci, at no inconvenience or cost to Loews itself. The cats posed no health risks to guests and being that Loews was part of a “pet friendly” chain, all we wanted was for the cats to remain safely on the properties. Realizing that the argument was falling on deaf ears by Bartek, the fight went straight up the chain to Mr. Jonathan Tisch, CEO of Loews Corporation based in NYC and Co-owner of the Super Bowl Giants. Read more

Editors Note: When I wrote this post for a scheduled Saturday publish date, I had no idea I actually might be smiling for a camera… a camera by TV crews at a protest rally on behalf of the Loews cats who have been cruelly and inhumanely trapped from hotel premises these past couple of weeks. As I write this, I don’t know what the outcome will be, but I, along with the other devoted cat advocates who were able to take the trip to Orlando to take a stand against David Bartek and his cold-hearted actions, I pray we can make a difference for these cats. I thank all of you amazing people across the nation and the world for the overwhelming support you have given us to help spread the word against this travesty of animal rights. I will update you with details later, in the meantime, keep us and the cats in your thoughts today... Now, on to today’s scheduled post!

Remember when you had to hold film negatives up to a window to figure out what image number it was that you wanted to get re-printed? Nowadays you can access photo images in a split second on your phone or computer and print them instantly… Or email them… or post them on social media networks…

There is no doubt that I love my cats. I literally have THOUSANDS of pictures to prove that thanks to the talents of Dan and I am more than happy to share them all day long like the proud kitty parent I am. With digital photography now part of our mainstream life, we no longer have to wait for a roll of film to be finished to either drop off at our local pharmacy (which, by the way, back then, there was only one per town and not the mandatory CVS or Walgreen’s you find on EVERY street corner), a Photo mat, or in the mail in a prepaid envelope from York or some other company like that to have them developed and mailed back to you.  Some of these processes could literally take well over a week, and then you had to deal with the high probability that your film got mixed up with someone else’s and you have to prove that the picture of some strange guy in ladies underwear is not really your husband…. Okay, that never really happened, but you get the picture, so to speak…    Read more

Given the media’s propensity towards the clever, chic, hip, and trendy, it is no wonder the story of the numerous charming cat cafes in Tokyo, the reverent worship of the Maneki Neko (a cat sculpture known as the “Beckoning Cat” that is said to bring good fortune to the owner), the infamous “Cat Island,” and cats dressed up in designer outfits is so popular with mainstream social outlets as to how the love affair between the Japanese people and cats are portrayed. Truth be told, it makes great copy and what cat lover wouldn’t want to visit a cat café or an island of cats? Disaster and tragedy, however, is not glamorous and the public can only tolerate the brutal images and reality for so long before they change the channel or turn the page to something lighter and less mentally taxing.

These perennially endearing little Neko sculptures can be found in any number of retail shops in Japan.

That is why the aftermath of the Japanese disasters of last March 11th is such a complex and difficult story to tell – it just does not make sense that so many cats were homeless and abandoned in a nation of such devoted cat loving people. As I continued my interview with Japan Cat Network (JCN) volunteer, Jennifer Koca, the only thing that remained clear, was that nothing was black and white, simple, or easy to understand, especially when it came to this sensitive issue. Read more

There are certain events in life that cause one to pause and reflect where they were at that moment. I remember for me, March 11, 2011, the date of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the resulting Fukushima nuclear meltdown, that it was a Friday and I was already at work before I realized what was going on around me. The chain of events began unbeknownst to me at 12:45 am, EST, which translated to Friday, 2:26 pm in Japan. I originally found out from Dan via a text message that there was an earthquake – we did not have a television in my office and the enormity of the situation did not hit me until I got home and saw the news footage replaying the same devastating scenes over and over.

At first glance, this image looks like a jigsaw puzzle of matchsticks strewn haphazardly on the floor. In reality, this is an aerial view of the resulting debris from the earthquake and tsunami that struck northern Japan on March 11, 2011.

For the hundreds of thousands of people along the northern coast of Japan, first came the roar and rumble of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that had skyscrapers swaying in the wind and buckled highways, followed by gigantic waves as high as 30 feet that rushed ashore, whisking away cars and carrying buildings set ablaze by fires towards factories, fields and highways.  Read more