[Vision2020] Caturday (October 5, 2013)

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of Cleveland.com at:

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/10/stray_cat_blues_no_more_cat_la.html
 
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Stray cat blues no more: Cat Lady of Collinwood Debbie Gulyas gives 'em shelter with boutique cat hotels, er, I mean, shelters
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- No more beggar's banquet for these little midnight ramblers -- the cats are finally getting some satisfaction.

And while they may not get all that they want, Debbie Gulyas is making sure they get what they need.

You might know Gulyas as the Waterloo business district activist in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood. She co-owns Blue Arrow Records, Blue Arrow Boutique and This Way Out vintage shop.

She’s also, well, let’s just call her the Cat Lady of Collinwood.

Gulyas runs the Waterloo Alley Cat Project, which has helped more than 200 feral cats in the Waterloo area of Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood – trapping, spaying, neutering, vaccinating and providing shelter for them.

At 7 p.m. Friday, the W.A.C.P. will unveil its latest feat: the Alley Cat Housing Project.

In September, Gulyas received an Artist in Residence grant to make and decorate shelters for homeless cats in the neighborhood. Six artists were summoned for the effort: Tony Williams, Noah Hrbek, Meg Wilson, Savannah Quesenberry, Barbara Finley and Sarah Isenhart.

While this might sound like some boutique cat hotel, the issue is more about substance than style.

“When we opened our store in 2009, I noticed a large cat colony behind our building and there were six kittens,” says Gulyas, referring to Blue Arrow Records, which also doubles as HQ for her cat program. “I decided that I can’t be here everyday and not do anything about it.”

The shelters will be unveiled with a party at Miller’s Gallery One Sixty 160008 Waterloo Road, as part of the monthly “Walk All Over Waterloo” street wide event. The show includes a performance by the Rainy Day Saints, a fine Cleveland power-pop band led by a cat lover, Dave Swanson. Appetizers and beverages will be provided -- though don't go expecting Fancy Feast. Free.

“We’re focusing just on the Waterloo business district,” says Gulyas. ‘But we’re hoping other groups and neighborhoods join together to share information on how to deal with this problem.”

The problem is larger than a gang of bad-ass cats roaming the streets for mice.

“This is a serious problem all over the country due to foreclosures and people not getting their pets spayed and neutered,” says Gulyas.

"I'm not just some crazy cat lady," adds Gulyas. "“It’s an important issue not just for the animals, but for people and our neighborhoods."

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Freeway was rescued from Interstate 90, where someone had thrown him from a car. He now resides at Waterloo Alley Cat Project headquarters at Blue Arrow Records & Boutique, 16001 Waterloo Road. It's co-owner, Debbie Gulyas, has led the charge to find shelter for cats in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood.



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Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"There's room at the top they are telling you still 
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill 
If you want to be like the folks on the hill."

- John Lennon
 
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