Sunshine's Creative Endeavors: Going to the Cats

Cats - those graceful, seductive creatures that people either love or hate. People have long since categorized themselves as either cat-people or dog-people and sometimes a lover of both species. These fascinating creatures have been a part of my life for many years, all starting with a stray named Samantha who was named for the character in I Dream of Jeannie for one minute she would be here and the next she was gone.

Samantha graced our family with at least two litters of kittens each year, one litter she gave birth to was in our laundry room behind the clothes washer. She also became the one cat who later introduced us to the need of spaying and neutering one's feline companions. Over the fourteen years she spent in our yard, as those years passed, it became harder and harder to find homes for her offspring. She was the mom to two of my first feline house mates - an orange tabby named Fritz and a grey tabby named Ollie born a litter apart.

In 1997, my mom became one of the founding members of a feral cat welfare group. We learned about new programs like that run by TEAM (Tait's Every Animal Matters) - a mobile surgical unit that travels our home state spaying and neutering felines - feral and housemates alike. This same surgical unit became a model for other similar ones in Pennsylvania. Long story short, the pyramid of offspring that can result from just one pair of cats is a striking number and that's if one kitten from each litter survives.

Just this year, I was asked if I could lend a paint brush to some sculpted cat resins to help raise money for the Cat Guardians of Illinois and you bet I jumped on it! These five figurines were sculpted by Marcy Osedo (Studio Cute), cast in resin by Deb and Randy Buckler of Resins By Randy, and painted by me (Sunshine's Creative Endeavors's Arcadian Creations).

Chris Wallbruch is selling the cats via auction with all proceeds going to help her Cat Guardians and the final day to make a bid is September 8. Feel free to contact Chris (wombats AT earthlink.net) to place a bid!