[Vision2020] Caturday (October 23, 2021)

Sat Oct 23 05:37:46 PDT 2021

Creator of Kitties Found Home Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit: "When I get a kitten, I try to find it a home, but if after three months I still have it, I give it a name and this is its home." 57 kitties later, it's time for Caturday.

Courtesy of the Ellwood City Ledger (Pennsylvania) at:

https://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/story/business/2021/10/21/ellwood-city-man-rescues-dozens-stray-cats/8512650002/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

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Kitties Found Home rescues stray cats and gives them a good home

ELLWOOD CITY — Rick Venezie never planned to be responsible for 57 cats, but they all live happily with him and his rescued aging Pomeranian dog, Max.

No matter how many cats there are, though, Max is the top dog.

Venezie, the creator of Kitties Found Home Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit, said recently, "Occasionally there are noisy fights that last 30 seconds and it spooks the rest, so it's like a pinball game going on in the room, but Max doesn't pay any attention to it." 

A house full of meows, purrs and an occasional hiss costs at least $560 a month for food and litter, and in recent months, Venezie has had $3,000 in vet bills. All the cats are neutered or spayed and range in age from 1 to 9.

Each cat has a name, and Venezie makes sure each feline receives attention.

It all began when a stray gave birth to five kittens by his house. Venezie took them in and named the mother cat Pregnant Mother. He was able to find a home for two kittens to people who promised they would keep them inside and the remaining three he named Peter, Paul and Mary. Most of the cats are named for singers or musicians and the others for the differences in their appearance.

Chief Six Toes got his name because he has six toes on each foot, one goofy skinny cat is named Cher and Tommy Gray is a 30-pound gray tomcat that is big and beautiful.

"Jaw bone got his name because he had a skin infection on his face and I had to keep peeling it, and Tuxedo Mama got her name because she looks like she's wearing a tuxedo and she had a couple of litters of kittens before I was able to trap her and get her fixed," Venezie said.  "When I took in these stray cats and kept them in, the neighbors were happy because the cats weren't digging up their flowers and using their flower beds for the potty and spraying their outdoor furniture."

Venezie continued: "When I get a kitten, I try to find it a home, but if after three months I still have it, I give it a name and this is its home."

He has found homes for 25 cats.

"Cats can do without people, but they do much better with them," Venezie said. "They have their own personality and give you attention if you want it."

He did not set out to take in cats, but when he saw them cold, wet or muddy, huddling under a bush or having kittens under someone's porch, Venezie reacted.

People would leave off strays, and one day his attorney called him and said, "There's a starving cat outside my door and I can't take it in."

"I told him, 'I don't need any more cats,' and then I took it," Venezie said. "Lots of people don't like cats, but they need a friend and my personality parallels a cat's."

Growing up, Venezie's mother Millie always took in strays and he recalls that whatever time of day or night a stray cat got hit by a car, they took it to the vet and all of them recovered.

"My mom and I had a unique bond. She was so great at nursing them to health," he said.

When Millie died in 1995, she had five cats and Venezie's brothers didn't want them, so he took them in. The last one died in 2005.

"As a young person working I didn't feel it was fair to have a pet and not have time to give them the proper attention," Venezie said.

For 35 years, he was the distribution manager for the Post-Gazette until it was no longer distributed in the area.

Venezie is the creator and star of The Ricky V Show that airs on WXED 107.3 FM from 7 to 8 a.m. and is repeated fro midnight to 1 a.m. daily. It's an hour of music with lots of Venezie humor and energy.

After graduating from Lincoln High School in 1978, Venezie was the wrestling coach at Lincoln and Laurel high schools for 20 years and also coached girls and boys track and girls tennis.

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Photos . . .

http://www.tomandrodna.com/MoscowCares/Caturday/Caturday_102321_01.jpg

http://www.tomandrodna.com/MoscowCares/Caturday/Caturday_102321_02.jpg

http://www.tomandrodna.com/MoscowCares/Caturday/Caturday_102321_03.jpg

http://www.tomandrodna.com/MoscowCares/Caturday/Caturday_102321_04.jpg

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“Caturday” by Linus Petit
http://www.tomandrodna.com/MoscowCares/Caturday/Caturday_by_Linus_Petit.mp3

Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.MoscowCares.net

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

“A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met.”
- Roy E. Stolworthy
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