The Teal Cat Project - The Who, What and Whys

The New Shannon

I've heard estimates that there are tens of thousands of feral cats in NYC, and it's not hard to believe. Just last night while we ate dinner on our stoop, we watched the five kitties who live on our street hang out and be cute in a distant, distrusting way. Of course, one street up from us there are another five cats, and the street above that there are another five. Think about how many streets are in Brooklyn. Now add Queens. Throw the Bronx in there... See where I'm going? Do the math. That's a lot of cats. And life on the streets isn't as ideal as Disney made it sound in The Aristocats. I've never heard of anyone stumbling across an all-feline swing band, and I'm on the internet a lot. 

Brooklyn native, vegan cookbook author, and all-around Post Punk Kitchen Bad-Ass Isa Chandra Moskowitz knows first hand how heart-breaking the NYC feral cat situation is, and has teamed up with Denise Muller and Anna Dorfman to create The Teal Cat Project. If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you're probably sick of hearing me gush about this outstanding program. But if you don't you might be asking yourself - What is The Teal Cat Project? 

Well, besides one of the best fundraising ideas for animals I've seen in a long time, for $25 (plus shipping) they will send you a cat tchotchke that has been "upcycled with teal paint, and outfitted with a numbered tag for authenticity" and that money goes directly towards their affiliated kitty rescue programs. They are currently sold out of their first run of blue kitty tchotchkes, but you can always donate one for the second run or get a t-shirt to show your support!

100% of the proceeds go towards The NYC Feral Cat Initiative and their Trap-Neuter-Release Program. Would you like to know more? You really should check out their website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter. They post cute craft ideas and all types of great stuff.

This project is close to my heart and my home. I hope you'll check it out and fall in love with it too.