Just about every Monday morning, I help Barbara Carney feed the cats in her house. Barbara started Brick City Kitties a few years ago. I've gotten to know Barbara well over the last year. I've watched her run her rescue. I've seen her ups and downs. I've seen all she does to help animals and people. It's hard to summarize the generosity of this woman in one post but I am going to do the best I can. Her generosity really deserves it's own novel.

The amount of cats in her home varies from time to time but currently she's at around 160. I tell this to friends and their eyes pop out of their head and I have to restate, yes 160. These cats want for nothing. They are all fed twice a day. There are bowls of treats at all times. If they don't feel well they go to the vet. I have asked Barbara why she doesn't cut back knowing the financial hardship she deals with daily. She tells me these cats have all had such hard lives and she wants to do anything she can to make them happy now that they are in her care. Each week there is a new addition to her catio, another cat tree, new cats I've never met, the list goes on. Barbara takes in blind cats and special needs cats as well. No cat is too broken for Barbara. I walk in and shout out, hey Barbara. She greets me looking like a woman who has the weight of the world on her shoulders. It's hard to imagine that a house filled with this many cats can still look cheery and bright, but it does. She has each room set up for all their needs. The ones that are new go through protocols to ensure they are healthy and able to eventually be released to join the others without spreading illness. The ones with bad attitudes get their own space. Each week it comes together just a bit more. They all have names and she knows each one and the type of food they prefer. She knows where they came from and how they interact in her home. There is NOTHING she won't do for them. When they are in pain, she cries.

If this isn't enough info to see the person Barbara is, here is a bit more. With everything going on at home, Barbara still feeds her colonies in Newark. She has 16 colonies and about 180-200 cats at any time. Rain, snow, hurricanes, these cats are fed and cared for. If she sees any are super friendly or in jeopardy of survival, she brings them inside. Barbara is a true hero for homeless cats. Her generosity knows no bounds and if her home were as big as her heart, there would be an end to homeless animals.

I want to do something special for this exceptional woman. Her financial burden is unthinkable and i want her to be able to continue her work. Please contribute to my fundraiser. No amount is too small or too large. I'm setting the goal for this fundraiser high but make no mistake, it's needed.