Our profit from your orders pays for the 16 cats that live with us! We've been caring for 16 cats, most of whom were abandoned or born during the pandemic. Several needed medical care. Some needed to be spayed or neutered. All needed a safe place, food, clean water, baths, flea treatment, grooming, claw care & love.

One abandoned little kitty wandered out of the woods with a rubber cat collar stuck around her neck & under her left front leg. The collar had embedded into her underarm pit causing a huge open gash. She was bleeding.

It was clear someone had deliberately put her into the collar. It had to hurt so much, but she didn't cry. We took her for three surgeries. She chewed the stitches twice. The wound healed well. Now she lets us check it to make sure it's okay. Her name is Miss Mimi.

We tried to find homes for all but to no avail given the cats had so many needs. The shelters were full, & clinics were closed. Therefore, temporary shelter was not available & veterinarians were not spaying, neutering or performing surgeries. Miss Mimi, because she could not be spayed, ended up having two litters with the open wound. It was hard on her. All five kittens survived her first litter. She had 9 kittens in the second litter, but only one girl survived. Her name is Chica.

Over the years, the cats have become family. We love them & they love us. They also love living, eating & sleeping with each other! They are like a tribe. It's not unusual to find two or three sleeping soundly together in a big kitty bed or small cardboard box top.

We have one mom with her three grown kitties, & one full family with mom, dad, & their six grown kittens. Dad, who is Mojo, lives upstairs now. He has a persistent skin condition, & his kitties, thinking they were helping him, would groom him till he bled.

Needless to say, it has been very expensive caring for 16 cats. Giving them to a shelter or splitting them up is unthinkable. To tend to all their needs, we hope, -- at our store -- you find something you just can't live without! 

The felines have been eating Purina Naturals Originals dry food but now several have skin signs showing they need more moisture in their diets. Water is not enough.

Some of the cats gain weight on the dry food, & others don't. One cat needs serious dental surgery which means eating hard kibble hurts. We have estimates for the surgery which could be more than $1,000. (Yikes ... let's see, 100 16G nose stud jewelry sales might cover it ...lol!)

Our Care Credit Card balance is near its limit! $700 of it includes the death of our beloved Hobie-cat, who died from kidney disease in January. We rescued him, too. He came to our door on January 25, 2013. It was a cold wintery night. I let him in, & he never left until he died on January 25, 2024. Our hearts continue to break.

Our air conditioners were old & went on the fritz last summer. If we continue to please our customers, we hope to add central air to our furnace this summer, so that the kitty room evenly cools.

Over the years, we've used several fans, which have proven to be expensive & hard to manage. We often give the cats cool sponge baths to make them comfortable. Our electric bill is now high year-around (the little buggers are worth it).

Of course, litter adds to the costs. We order five boxes every five to six weeks from Chewy. We get a good price for a 40-lbs. box. We scoop the litter boxes every 2 hours, which keeps them clean. 

The kitty room is our attached garage with heat. It was insulated but not enough, & the pink fiberglass was exposed. We had a friend staple large chewy boxes to the studs, which help to insulate the room & make it safe. The garage is large with lots of shelves. The cats love to chase each other, jump up & down, & hide on the upper shelves.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. We hopeyou find it sincere, & makes you want 2 visit our store to find a thing or to you like! All 16 kitties will appreciate you. The names of the 14 pandemic cats & kitties are Abbey, Bender, Benny, Chazz, Chica, Ella, Gibbs, Izabella, Jaco, Mimi, Mojo, Roach, Tessa. & Ziva.

In addition, we have Bailey & Benson, who are two rescues from before the pandemic. During the summer of 2013, Bailey's litter of newborns was found in a driveway, which our girlfriend discovered. She nursed Bailey to health. He was tiny with no fur. We took him in when she asked. That was eleven years ago. Benson was going to be homeless, so we took him in. I took Hobie in at the same time. He was with me & my heart for 11 years.

Let me say one more time, thank you for reading about our pandemic rescued cats. We know how much they appreciate our care, & we know they will appreciate your finding a piece or two of body jewelry or a vintage treasure that you just can't live without!