Hat tip to Mollie Hunt for making us aware of Cat Lady Day, an unofficial holiday that is part of an effort to reclaim the concept of the “cat lady” through positive association.
That’s a noble goal, and at PITB we’ve long scoffed at the idea that gender makes a difference in appreciating felines.
Cats are paradoxically regal yet derpy, imperious yet loving, and their antics are always amusing. Those are qualities that can appeal to anyone regardless of gender, nationality, age or cultural background.
But I think we should also use a day like this to thank the innumerable cat ladies in every city, town and village across the country who work tirelessly to improve the lives of strays, ferals and shelter cats.
These are the people who walk the walk, who do the hard work of TNR (trap, neuter, return), managing colonies, and protecting cats without homes from animals and mean-spirited humans.
Cat ladies find homes for friendly strays, keep colony cats fed, and obtain veterinary care for the sick and injured.
More often than not, they provide help out of their own pockets when donations can’t cover all the costs.
Not only is it thankless work most of the time, but misguided bureaucrats sometimes take it upon themselves to make life more difficult for the cat ladies caring for local strays and ferals.
Yet these women persist because they’re driven by one thing — love for our furry friends.
That’s absolutely worth celebrating.
Pain In The Bud 
Thanks for sharing my post. And …”paradoxically regal yet derpy…” So funny and true.
LikeLike
Thanks for making me aware of Cat Lady Day. All cat ladies deserve our thanks.
LikeLike
❤❤❤❤❤
LikeLike
Yes, they are amazing. A special kudos to my local volunteers who take care of community cats all over my area, the volunteers of Ohlone Humane Society. And the occasional male TNR volunteer also.
LikeLike
There are no statistics for this sort of thing, but it would be interesting to see if more men are are getting involved in things like TNR.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Pretty sure more men are getting into tnr. My neighbors, a couple, share the duties. Husband does most of trapping and wife feeds colony. A stray wondered into the garden and got stuck so i offered to help trap it. Busy teachers with 2 kids.
LikeLike
Where do they congregate, behind restaurants and places like that?
LikeLike
They get fed behind restaurant. Thank goodness owners they have no problem with it. After eating they jump back to where they stay. Which is a whole block of open garden and are safe.
LikeLike
Did anyone ever interview The Trap King? And all stories i read about cats being saved abroard have been men. Most recent story of man in Japan saving cats and dogs where people had to leave area where reactor went off and were not allowed to bring pets.
LikeLike
I didn’t even know there was a Cat Lady day. Cool! My Mom and myself have been feeding the few strays we have in our neighborhood for a few years now. We just got our outdoor kitties a brand new cat house. I’m hopeful this one will be a better shelter in the winter than the last one we had. Minnesota winters can get a bit bad.
Long live the Cat Ladies of the world! And all the other people that rescue unwanted cats and dogs. Thank you for your caring service to needy animals everywhere.
LikeLike
To carmenblake. See if you can get an insulated shelter. If anyone is handy with some tools i hear you can build your own. Maybe Youtube has some sort of info or a cat rescue group can tell you how. The easiest one i know on how to make your own is a huge foam container and cover with surround with plastic bag. Then put straw or hay inside that keeps them warm.
LikeLike
I know all about the cooler cat houses. If I was making a kitty condo place, I think I’d go with those as they’re cheaper to put together. We bought one instead of making it because we wanted one that was heated. Also, having a house with a flat bottom inside lets us put their food inside when it gets too cold. The new house I got is heated and made of wood. Up on stilts so hopefully it’ll stay unburied next winter. This one even has space to add a “kitty cam” if we want to.
It’s worth it to us to spend the money to get a pre-fab house. It pays for itself being easy to take care of. The kitties seem to love and so do we. But thank you for the advice. It’s always welcome. 😊
LikeLike
Your winters are just as bad or worse than ours. I hope those kitties stay warm.
LikeLike
You guys got pounded this past winter. I think all our snow was dumped on the East Coast. The past winter here was just plain weird. Not a lot of cold or snow, but when it did come, the winds were outrageous! The winds were so bad they buried our kitty house. Trying to find it was an adventure for sure! The poor kitties must’ve thought we didn’t like them anymore. Poor babies. The new house I just bought is up on stilts and made of wood. Hopefully, it won’t get buried next winter.
LikeLike
I really don’t know how they survive that kind of cold and snow.
I get seasonal affective disorder every year and it was getting really bad before I adopted Bud, but this year was brutal. I really have to move.
Thank you for providing housing for homeless cats. They’re the same as our little buddies, just without homes.
LikeLike
@Big Buddy
I don’t know how they survive either. Both my Mom and myself were talking about it one day and we decided we needed to do something to help them. We couldn’t stand the thought of those poor babies out there with no food and no home. Luckily, we don’t have a lot of strays here where I live. So with our tiny operation, we feed and if they want it, shelter, the few that are near us.
I wish we could do more for them. I know they appreciate it and that means the world to me.
LikeLike