Happy to provide a smile on this Wordless Wednesday for any of you that might need a tiny stress relieving break! Harley is our couch potato extraordinaire and it’s a shame that she just can’t relax…

Thank you to Karen Brademeyer for this very popular quote, but I could not find any information about her to share!

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

To see full beauty of image, please click to enlarge

I cannot even pretend that this quote was not written specifically for me. My cats have me wrapped so tightly around their little paws that even a stranger could recognize that fact. Oh well, I would wager a very strong bet that most of you reading this would swear that quote was written specifically for you as well…

Bill Dana (born October 5, 1924) is an American comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He often appeared on television shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show and began his career as a page at NBC’s famous Studio 6B while performing comedy in nightclubs around New York. He has been on The Imogene Coca Show, The Danny Thomas Show, and The Martha Raye Show. (wikipedia)

I was very happy to be presented with two wonderful opportunities recently to talk about my favorite things – cats and writing. In her “Spotlight on Amazing Women” series I was interviewed by freelance writer and fellow CWA member, Stacey Ritz, for Examiner.com. This series focuses on women who volunteer in communities, who operate their own businesses, or who are authors, so it was a perfect showcase to talk about how my writing career began and where it has led me to. To read the full interview, please click here.

The next opportunity was also presented to me by a fellow CWA member, Lorie Huston, DVM, for her animalCAFE podcast where I was able to discuss the pending situation with the feral cats being trapped and removed from the Loews Orlando resort properties as well as the misconceptions of feral cats. To read the full post and listen to the podcast, please click here.

I thank both of these ladies so much for reaching out to me and it gives me great pleasure to continue to help inspire others to follow their dreams, whether it be to write, volunteer, or crusade for the well-being of cats.