IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS!

From Sharolyn: Rocky has relinquished our blog to me for the next week so I can announce some exciting activities here at Artsy Catsy. We've been very busy organizing new programs, creating new products … and capturing and finding refuge for the mama of the four feral kittens (here, here and here) we most recently rescued, along with two more of her kits.

Artsy Catsy’s mission is to help raise funds for kitties in need by offering artistic creations by cat lover for cat lovers. We’re pleased to announce two new ways to get those funds into the paws of the cats who most need them:

Cat Friends Helping Friends

We've been working with Robyn at the Cat Blogosphere, and we're excited to announce that, as of today, Artsy Catsy will donate 10% of all sales from our blog to Cat Friends Helping Friends to help blogging cats and families in need!

We hope that over time, as we launch our web site and expand Artsy Catsy, this will evolve into a substantial ongoing donation!

The Rescue Farm

As you know, Rocky has forbidden me from hiring any more cat staff members, so it's been a constant battle to find homes for the cats and kittens that we rescue here at Artsy Catsy. A few months ago I discovered the Rescue Farm, a non-profit no-kill rescue working to end euthanasia of adoptable animals. It's an unbelievably lovely organization run by a couple, Jodi (a former v.e.t. tech) and her husband Matt, who have dedicated their lives to becoming the "Best Friends" of the midwest. I've posted a few photos here, with lots more to come.

Artsy Catsy will donate an additional 10% of our proceeds to help the Rescue Farm with their important work.

Although they don't usually accept animals from the general public, Matt and Jodi gave the feral kittens we recently rescued a loving home on their 40-acre Rescue Farm. And this week they'll be welcoming with open arms the very feral mama of those four kittens, along with two more from her last litter. The Rescue Farm works diligently to arrange adoptions for their rescues, but in the case of ferals, they spay/neuter, give them vet care, and provide them with a loving home on their farm. From January through October of this year alone, Jodi and Matt have found loving homes for more than 650 cats and dogs.

I knew the Rescue Farm was a very special place when I met the blind horse they rescued and its rescued seeing-eye cow! I'll be telling you this special story this week, as I post lots of pictures and information so you can get to know the wonderful people at the Rescue Farm and meet some of their rescued animals. And every Friday we'll be featuring one of their kitties who needs a home!

Exciting New Products for Cat Lovers!

The biggest shopping day of the year, the day after Thanksgiving ("Black Friday" ) is almost upon us. To quickly start raising funds for the Rescue Farm and the Cat Blogosphere -- and to help you shop for Christmas without getting crushed in mall stampedes -- starting Thanksgiving evening, we're going to feature some great new gifts and Christmas items for all you cat lovers and the cats you love!

So try to visit us lots this next week, even though it's going to be a busy one for all of us! And please accept my apology for so blatantly inviting you to shop, but we'll use one-fifth of everything you spend to help your kitties and friends!

Write a Book Wednesday

Okay, I think all of us blogging cats should start compiling our memoirs because it could make us wealthy! This is Dewey, a rescued cat who lived for 19 years in a library in a small town in Iowa, and his life story has sold for about $1.25 million to Grand Central Publishing!You can read about it Wednesday's New York Times at "Iowa Library’s Cat Has a Rich Second Life as a Biography". So, I don't know about you, but I'm starting a journal: "The Story of Rocky's Life Which is Worth Lots of Money."

$1.25 million would by TONS of nip!!

Hey there, your cat Fracas here ...

... but you can call me Frack or Frackywack or Frickyfrack or even Frackles ... just as long as you CALL ME! (lol, haha, chuckle, chortle) Executive Vice President in charge of Sales, Marketing, PR, Product Development, Company Morale, Keeping Callie under Control ... whatever, I'm your man!!!! :-)

I'm here today to get you revved about what I've got my humans doing. You gotta tread softly with these artistic types (Focus, people, FOCUS!) but I had some good raw material here. Take for instance my human, Sharolyn. Man, she's a pawful! (AwfulPawful, I call her behind her back.) :-) But is this girl good with gourds, or what!! Check this out, dudes:
I used my purrfect PR skills to get her an interview in Crafts Report Magazine awhile back: http://www.craftsreport.com/september02/onlineexclusive.html

And, man oh man, am I primo or what? :-) I put that girl down in history when I got her a gig as an artist involved in the World's First Gourd Quilt:
Yessireebobcat, that quilt is made entirely of 4" pieces of gourd!! Here's the piece my girl AwfulPawful did:

You can read all about it at http://www.americangourdsociety.org/quilt.html Anyhoo, I've got her working on some absolutelyfantasmagorical gourd artwork for you cat lover types out out there. She's also into beaded cat jewelry, bookmarks, cat memorials, wall plaques ... you name it! You cat lovers want it, we got it, all coming up soon, so stay tuned!!

But wait!! There's more!!! So I'll keep my tail in your door and we'll catch you later with hot news about my other artsygirl, Suzanne, and my main art man, Jason, and give you a sneak peak at their ArtsyCatsy work.

Later, babe! Luv ya!!!!!!!!