April 28, 2021

One of the hardest days of my life was when Joey, a newborn kitten, didn’t survive. We’d taken in a young pregnant stray female during a horrific February blizzard and, although four of her six kittens were born alive, they weren’t healthy and didn’t live long. The temperatures were so bone chilling that our vet told us the kittens couldn’t survive a trip to their office, so we didn’t even try that route. I felt so helpless, holding each one against my heartbeat as life faded. I didn’t know what to say, so I would whisper to each that its

It’s a bird, it’s a plane . . . no, it’s the super-talented Keyboard Cat! Who, you might wonder, is Keyboard Cat? Well, it’s Nora, a beautiful gray Bullseye Tabby who was, according to her website, born to a “humble stray cat” and then taken home by Betsy and Burnell after they saw her at the local shelter. When Nora was about one year old, she revealed an astonishing talent – the ability to play the piano, either in a solo act or as part of a duet. Now, the kitty’s website proudly announces, she is an “Internet & International

Yes, I’ve started volunteering at our local animal protective league — and, yes. I already couldn’t resist taking a beautiful shelter cat home with me. His name is Toby. He lived with the same owner from the time he was a kitten until he was 14 years old. Then, when his owner died, he was taken to Friendship Animal Protective League where we met. In theory, I was at the APL to help my sister Tracy take pictures of the cats and kittens. These photos would go on the website and Facebook page of the shelter, to spread the word