October 20, 2008- It was FREE ADOPTION weekend at the famous cathouse (the only cathouse in Hudson, as they like to remind us) and A Very Smart Cat author Mario Picayo joined the good cause. The event was a success with many kittens and cats finding families to love them, and many children taking home the cat-in-the-book as well. Campanita Books shared half the proceeds of the sales with the host organization, Animalkind, Inc (http://www.all-creatures.org/ak/).
Katrin Hecker, director of Animalkind, invited Mario when they met at the Cat’s Meow Gala in Catskill, NY, where the book was released. A Very Smart Cat is a perfect match for Animalkind, since it is a story inspired by the antics of a real cat that was adopted, and lives just a few miles away.
Animalkind’s staff did a wonderful job covering Warren Street with flyers for the book signing (rumor has it that volunteer staff member, Chip, was very active in that department).
The highlight of Saturday’s event was supposed to be Mario’s book signing, but the Very Smart Cat (VSC) made a quick visit and stole the show. How do we know? Well, none of us saw the VSC, but volunteers Patty, Pam and Tina knew there was something odd when one of their cats was caught trying to turn Chip’s camera on, while two other cats posed. A definite sign that the VSC had given them a lesson in picture taking. Later, a young man named Jamie and his mom took a very interesting picture, which proves that the VSC was in Hudson on Saturday.
Mario stayed after the book signing and chatted with Katrin and several staff members about the superb job that this organization does and their dedication to the neediest felines. The place needs to be described with that over-used word, AMAZING, which in this case is totally appropriate. The dedication of everyone involved in caring for these animals is admirable. We urge you to visit their website: www.animalkind.info (make sure you go to .info), and make a donation. Mario left a few signed copies of A Very Smart Cat for future kitty parents, with half the proceeds staying at Animalkind.
Before leaving Hudson, Katrin had a final request. It had been a very busy day for everybody, especially for the cats, Could Mario read the story to the tired, sleepy kitties? Our cat-loving author (and owner of 16 adopted cats himself) happily obliged, and found them to be a great audience, even if none had money to buy books. A great way to close the day. Our thanks to Katrin for the invitation, and to everyone who makes Animalkind possible.
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