Chelsea L. McGowan
cmcgowan@weatherforddemocrat.com
Ro Williams has had a schedule for the last four years. Every other day she made the rounds, setting out food for feral cats in the Willow Park and Aledo areas.
One day, much like any other, Ro discovered she had an ally in her crusade for kitties.
“I noticed the food in the kitty bowls at one of the spots was a different brand,” she said. “I thought, ‘Wow, could I get this lucky? Could someone else care about these homeless kitties as much as I?’”
Ro went home and created a brightly colored sign to put near the food bowls, asking whoever was feeding the kittens to give her a call. That’s how she met Kari Breen.
“She was a local gal, and more than a decade younger than I,” Ro said. “We talked for what seemed hours sharing our love for all animals and especially the homeless cats — the ones behind restaurants, in alleyways and even sewer drains.”
Ro and Kari set up a schedule that allowed them to rotate feeding duties, alleviating some of the financial burden as well as the time spent on the project. Both also approached business owners who had feral cats on or near their property.
“We told them if they didn’t mind the kitties living there, we would spay and neuter them and give them food and shelter,” Ro said.
Every business owner they approached has taken the organization, now called Cattailz, on as a partner to reduce over-population and aid in the crowded conditions at the Weatherford/Parker County animal shelter.
“Now we are known as the cat ladies,” Ro said. “Cats can live anywhere and be an asset to most businesses. As Kari and I became more active in live trapping, neutering and releasing, we took on a new volunteer. But we’re still only using personal funds for this project.”
Cattailz is now a 501c non-profit organization that works with three Parker County veterinarians to spay and neuter wild cats. The organization is still in need of donated food, pet carriers, bedding and mostly volunteers.
“We just want to get the word out,” Kari said. “We truly love these babies and what we’re able to do for them.”
Faces
Spay it forward
- Faces
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Riding to the top
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Amazing Grays, Amazing Grace
It didn’t really start when a failed campaign for Douglas County Commissioner in Omaha left author Lynn Baber, now a resident of Poolville, without an outlet for her unflagging energy.
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A lifetime in the making
He’s a 1991 graduate of Weatherford High School who returned to his alma mater to teach for three years before pursuing a career at Lockheed Martin. Most recently he has accumulated $68,803 in winnings on Jeopardy.
Who is Buddy Wright?
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Brock students take ‘trashy’ tour
Windy conditions were probably an advantage Thursday afternoon as the odd odor hit the bus load of students in store to see the 800 to 1,000 pounds of trash delivered daily to the landfill.
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Women experience the great outdoors
If you are a woman who loves adventure, being outside and learning things that are somewhat unusual for your gender, an up-and-coming event called Women in the Outdoors may be for you.
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Coming of Age
Winning a slew of ribbons in her first year showing horses was the last thing on 62–year-old Carol Lea’s mind when she bought Silky, an unseasoned Palomino. No, for this former Ms. Senior Parker County contestant, it was proving you’re never too old to fulfill life-long dreams that motivated her to train day after day.
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Megan Parks — She shoots horses, doesn’t she?
Meg Parks was on her way to becoming a successful artist until the day she died. In her new life she’s still an artist but she’s replaced her paintbrushes with cameras.
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Adrenaline Fix
A bull rider was thrown off at his last rodeo, but determination and perseverance pushed him to compete again.
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Local Rockabilly star returns for benefit
Mac Curtis with Chris Zalez and The Pistoleros will perform at Craig’s Music Store Saturday, March 13, to benefit the American Legion Post No. 163.
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Brother to Brother - Eagle to Eagle
WEATHERFORD - It is a special occasion when a Scout reaches the goal of the Eagle rank, and to celebrate two Eagle Scouts in one family is even more special.
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