Nice to meet you! I am a cat aficionado and I love to read, write, and talk about all things cat.

As long as I remember, I have always had a deep connection with animals. I grew up with cats, dogs, hamsters, birds, rabbits, ducks and horses. I loved playing with stuffed animals, cried at the end of Homeward Bound (Shadow!) and The Lion King became my favorite movie and soundtrack of all time.

In my young-adult life I began volunteering at different animal shelters and rescues helping with exercise, socialization, cleaning, transporting, adoption events, collecting donations and clerical help.

As I began a career as a dog and cat groomer, I learned about different breeds, genetics, handling and health. I was able to extend my grooming skills to my volunteer-work and help relieve neglected cats and dogs from their matted pelts, overgrown toenails and help to heal their skin issues.

I eventually shifted my career focus from grooming to boarding and daycare, and my brain expanded with info regarding the best practices for caring for our guests. I learned a variety of knowledge about medications, feeding, enrichment, building designs, sanitization and emergency preparation. I solidified my mindset that pet care is the same to me as child-care, and that fur-children simply speak in different languages.

Working with and caring for animals has been a life-long passion, however it wasn't until I began fostering that I realized my true gift in life. Quite a few foster dogs came and went through our doors, but if there was a divine fork in the road somewhere, cats soon became my clear path I took. What started because of a desperate need to save two adult cats that were in the wrong place at the wrong time turned into eventually helping foster over 200 cats and kittens that came in and out of our home over a five year period. I then had the opportunity to work at a private rescue shelter and was able to help save and adopt out twice as many in the span of one year.

Through those experiences, I realized how under-represented cats are on all sides of pet care, whether in rescue, grooming, veterinary, boarding, pet sitting, education, and even the law. A majority of what I saw online, in print, and what was talked about in daily conversation catered heavily to dogs, and cats were routinely added on as more of an after-thought or a side-note.

Ultimately, that is why I created Purrly Great: to edu-CAT-e, advo-CAT-e, share ideas, and simply enjoy a place where cats are always #1.

Now, excuse me while I go play with my own cats, because they've been trying to help me write this and it is hard for them to type with so many toe-beans everywhere.

Have a Purrly Great Day!

~Kelley