I do highly recommend you build your daily plan around your cat.

Each day, I have a plan. I set some goals and make an effort to meet them, with varying results. But I revise the plan and move forward. I try not to define things as failures, simply disappointments. And I try not to think about the next day unless I must. I know people in […]

After Five Years, Today I Held My Cat Spencer Cassadine for the First Time

Black cats

Spencer came into my life with great reluctance and a lot of fear in March 2021. I trapped him, his brother, and their mother on the Northside. His mother, Helena Cassadine, was a shy little thing who was gorgeous. Stefano DiMera is a friendly, sweet cat with a ginormous personality that belies his teeny little […]

Volunteer to Distribute Cold Weather Cat Shelters This Wintry Weekend

UPDATE: Please read this post for an update on the pet food pantry being robbed. There are all sorts of winter shelters to help colony cats endure the worst weather. Some are heated where this is electricity, some are made from multiple layers inside a big Rubbermaid tote, some are cute little wooden houses painted […]

Impious and irreverent ‘sweary’ calendars are good for your mental health

I like calendars – being oriented to date and time are good mental health practices. I like calendars with attitude. And cats. In 2025, I had three wall calendars and one daily tear away calendar. The tear away was filled with women’s quotes, but in a bland way that focused on traditional messages. But I […]

Pet Food Pantry, Allegheny City Brewery Host Winter Cat Shelter Community Service Event

Why winter shelters? Winter shelters are vital for community cats. A safe warm place to get out of the elements is a fundamental tool to manage a cat colony. A simple version made from a sturdy Styrofoam cooler, a contractor bag, tape, then stuffed with straw (not hay) is quite effective. Our focus is on […]

Fort Faulsey Finds Another Lost/Missing Cat or Why You Should Donate to #PghCatFolx

His name is Checkers. He’s been on the lam since escaping his carrier at Humane Animal Rescue (HAR) Northside a few days ago. Marie saw the flyer online and sprang into action. While I posted around the nearby Facebook groups, she headed out with treats and a carrier. Starting at last reported sighting, she “thought […]

Happy 5th Anniversary to the Fort Faulsey Community Cat Colony

This colony sprang to life before roads were paved or houses built, when the confluence of waterways, plentiful food, and the lush green life by the riverside flourished in this region. We are told that domestic cats arrived with colonizers, they were not native to these lands. But people were. Some of those people had […]

Your Gently Used Items Helped These Five Northside Cats

Carl and Billie Bean live in separate households, four or five blocks apart here in Manchester on Pittsburgh’s Northside. They are both cats, both female, and both went missing from their homes. We jumped into action when we learned about Carl, lending a heated bed, a trail camera, and related items to Carl’s human. I […]

Giving Your Extra Pet Stuff Saves Lives, Helps Families #GivingTuesday

Ok, so more the spirit of #GivingTuesday Carl and Billie Bean live in separate households, four or five blocks apart here in Manchester on Pittsburgh’s Northside. They are both cats, both female, and both went missing from their homes. We jumped into action when we learned about Carl, lending a heated bed, a trail camera, […]

The Thanksgiving Cats Who Need Your Help

It has been quite a week. Our little colony of Fort Faulsey has five resident cats: Pretty Girl, Tony DiMera, Mx. Pajamas, Callie, and Oksana. I’ve ben caring for them since December 2020. All have been (or were) TNRd. They have a pretty good life – heated shelters, heated water bowl, decent food, clean water, […]