What Is It About Those Cats? Belle Remembered & More

Publisher’s Note: This column is the seventh in a series “countdown” highlighting the ten 10^th Anniversary Goodnewsforpets.com iPad^th contest winners, a bit of the “story behind the story. Winner and videographer Taylor Kearns is another cat lover extraordinaire. What struck us about Belle, That Wiley Thing and the picture he submitted was the pure charm of the photo and his passion for cats of all kinds. Don’t forget to check out the link to Pawmetto Lifeline his local rescue group that received his $500 matching donation to help other pets.

By Taylor Kearns

I’m a video nut and love making short films… every so often I check onlinevideocontests.com to see if there’s anything I could enter.

I saw the Goodnewsforpets.com 10th Anniversary Contest and immediately thought of the picture and story of Belle, our cat who climbed into our Christmas tree. Not to mention the fact that I’d been bugging my friends and family for an Ipad!

Usually I try for videos… but this particular story just seemed right. Having just lost one of our two 14+ year old cats in December, I was feeling especially nostalgic.

I’ve been using the iPad around the house… and at work as well. I do a lot of writing and note-taking working at a TV station, so it comes in handy. Whether on the scene of breaking news or sitting at my desk, I have a use for it.

Since I was a kid we had a soft spot for cats. Our neighborhood thankfully didn’t have a lot of strays walking around, so on the occasion that we did see one, we’d always try and take it in. Some of them came, some didn’t.

Our first two, Sneakers and General, stayed for a few years. Belle was the first one we got as a kitten. She was the one in the litter that was literally climbing the screen to get to us… we took that as a sign and brought her home. That was 15 years ago.

I selected Pawmetto Lifeline because they’re a trustworthy group here in town that I’ve worked with before. Working in news gives me a lot of exposure to non-profits and various animal groups — Pawmetto Lifeline seems to be the most sincere and honest group in the area. They’re also tough and VERY proactive.