Mothers Day is fast approaching (May 8) and this is the time where children of all ages are scrambling around with glue, glitter, fancy papers and all sorts of craftiness to make a token of love for their mamas and grandmas. Crowns, corsages, pasta jewelry and much, much more is crafted with love by little fingers. Older kids just hit the store. Lucky the woman who will be the recipient of these, and the breakfast in bed. A day just for her.

But not every woman is so lucky. There are the cat mothers. These are the women who have cats in their lives. They may have 1 or 2, or 10 or 12 cats who live with them that they love and care for. Sometimes the cats are their children, or they may be just another part of the family.

And then there are the women who go and care for the feral cats in communities. Sometimes they are called the  Cat Lady, Cat Ladies or Crazy Cat Lady and they drive near and far, to urban and rural places and leave food, water, and provide shelter for cats that have no homes, no owners. They do this in all weathers – heat, hurricanes, snowstorms. They arrive after the tornadoes and hurricanes have struck to care for lost and displaced cats. They trap cats in Havahart traps to take them to clinics for shots, neutering, and emergencies. They often work in isolation, and sometimes work stealthily to protect the cats and avoid animal control finding and rounding them up. They take part in trap, neuter and release programs which revolves around large numbers of cats. They ensure that cats are cared for, their numbers are controlled and that they are humanely treated.

On Sunday May 8 many of these women won’t get breakfast in bed and will be out checking on their cats. Spare a thought for them. If you love cats maybe you can consider making a donation of food, supplies or money in honor of these women and what they do. Go to your local animal shelter and drop off some cat food, or blankets or make a donation to your local shelter or to the ASPCA. If you are lucky enough to know one of these woman, thank them for what they do. Without them the cat population would most likely be out of control and there would be many unhealthy cats struggling to exist.

On Mothers Day find a cat lady and thank her!