Ollie's Place = Awesome

I was walking home from a client this afternoon when I saw a store off of 26th Street that I thought was a pet store. I poked my head in and asked if they sold a certain kind of cat food, and the woman inside told me that it wasn't a pet store, but rather a pet rescue center.

I'd never seen an entire store dedicated to cat adoption, but it turned out that I was in Ollie's Place, which is exactly that. In the window sat Lovebug, a mush of a tabby who purred and nuzzled the second I picked her up. She really deserves a great home -- she was a total lap cat. On the second floor was an entire room of wonderful, free roaming cats, all looking for new homes.

I'm limiting myself to one Krazy Kat Lady reference per week, but Ollie's is a great place, especially if you have room in your life for a furry friend. Or you could at least make a donation online. Cat litter is expensive.

And Then, There's Val

Peppe gets the most air time on this blog, mostly because he's the gorgeous orange and white Persian, not to mention a bonafied LOLCat.

But Peppe has a little friend, a spritely stray I picked up back in April when I was in PetCo, shopping for some cat food. This little guy, Valentino, was in a tiny box, about three months old and all of three pounds. He was scruffy, hungry and gave everyone within a five block radius of him ringworm, but I took him from the young guy at the store nonetheless. He found Val in his backyard earlier in the day, and there was no way he could keep him.

Thanks in very large part to my friend Kim, who is a vet, we de-wormed and de-loused little Val, a process that took weeks. In August I got him fixed. $1,000 in vet fees later, Val's now 10 pounds of lean muscle and the sweetest little beast you could ask for. True, he's an oddball: he likes to hop into the shower and drink water straight from the tap on the sink. Everything for him is a toy, from plastic milk tops to Christmas ornaments. He likes to run out into the hall and into other people's apartments. (I've met all my neighbors!) He'll chew on your toes in your sleep. But he'll join you for a nap any time of day and purr ferociously throughout.

My point? Always give the scruffy guy/animal/cat a chance. Even if he gives you ringworm at first.

Will Oprah Start An Animal Adoption Movement?

I'm really glad Oprah dedicated an entire show to puppy mills last week. I really hope it inspires people to go to shelters to adopt pets instead of going through more nefarious routes.

The best place to find a pet or shelter near you is through Petfinder.com. I've found all my beasts through the site and all the animals were wonderful.

I know what you're thinking. You love one breed and you think that the only way to get one is through a breeder or store. The thing about Petfinder is that if you love Pomeranians or Siamese there are plenty available. I love Persians, and in the past two years I've adopted two as well as a Himalayan. There are a million reasons why an animal ends up at a shelter, and any home -- even a studio apartment -- is better than a cage.

Here are two shelters that I have worked with and can vouch not only for the quality of their animals, but the character and dedication of the people who run them.

S.A.V.E.: Located in Whitestone, Queens. This is where I found Peppe. They have lots of wonderful cats and dogs and they personally visit your home to make sure their creatures are going to a good place.

Canadian Pet Rescue: Two years ago I traveled all the way to Montreal to rescue Maestro and Mozart, who still live out in Greenwich. Maggie, the woman who runs the operation, started saving just Persians and Himalayans, but has since expanded to other breeds of cats and dogs. Make a weekend out of it and go get yourself a beautiful animal.

Every time I see Peppe conked out like this on my bed, it makes me so happy because just amonth ago he was sleeping in a cage roughly the size of a large microwave. He has a great home now.