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Amy was born with a wellspring of compassion for animals and innate gift for connecting with them. The first animal she ever rescued was a dog when she was a mere 8 years old. Ever since she has been helping animals in need both personally and with various rescue organizations. In the last 15 years, she has worked with several different animal rescue organizations whose list includes; American Humane, Animal Rescue Corps, Brother Wolf (out of Asheville, NC), Humane Society of the United States, Kinship Circle, and Williamson County Animal Center.

For years while running multiple locations of her retail store Harmony Home, Amy fostered and adopted out cats from Williamson County Animal Center. In a 5 year period, she adopted out over 300 cats. Talk about making a difference and easing the continual overcapacity issue the shelter often faces! Following the closure of the retail storefronts, Amy continued to foster cats from WCAC and used several rooms in her home for fostering kittens and fearful cats.

When I first met Amy in 2015 while volunteering together at Williamson County Animal Center she was fostering kittens who needed bottle feeding (“bottle babies”) as well as helping socialize some cats who were fearful and needed extra tender loving care. Time and again Amy was able to connect with and calm the most frightened cat or dog that nobody else was able to reach. In addition, she has saved the lives of some of the most fragile kittens. And for those kittens who don’t survive, Amy mourns each and every loss. You would think a certain desensitization to loss would set in after awhile, but Amy forms such a deep bond with the animals who come into her loving care, it simply isn’t in her makeup to be hardened. Amy estimated she has had over 24 litters over the last 5-6 years, some for WCAC and some for other organizations.  In 2016 alone, she bottle fed 7 litters starting in February and ending just one month ago with her last one. On average each litter comprises 3 kittens, but one time she had 6, which was a handful!

Beyond all her rescue work Amy still finds time to juggle her thriving business and family life. Amy’s family is comprised of her husband Chris, son Evan, and daughter rose. While the home is a temporary refuge for the many animals who have been fostered in the past, it has become a permanent refuge to the family’s 7 rescue cats, 4 rescue dogs and Rip (Chris’ patrol-certified police dog). 

Of the 7 cats Bella, Bink, Bunny, Chester, Fuji, and Lily Belle were adopted from WCAC. They were all pretty much “foster failures” turned family members! While all fosters touch her heart, their are some her burrow a little deeper and make returning them to the shelter or a rescue impossible. Bella who was found outdoors and brought into WCAC was one big, dirty white mat of mangled fur. Scared and untouchable, she tore up several staff members and the vet when trying to hold her or examine her. Amy ended up taking her to my shop (Harmony Home) to live and now she lives at home with Amy. Bella is a relaxed, happy cat who loves affection. Bink, is another fearful cat (and “foster failure”) who proved to be unadoptable at WCAC, but not unlovable or incapable of loving back. It’s taken a long time to gain his trust and build his confidence, but slowly but surely progress is being made. Recently he crawled onto Amy’s lap last for the first time. It was a celebratory event! Bunny and Fuji were initially fostered as kittens and had a rough time start with being sick in the beginning. Chester was actually part of a 2 week old litter Amy rescued – found in an attic of a house being built in Franklin. Since the mother was never found the kittens needed to be bottle fed. All of Chester’s siblings were adopted out through WCAC. Chester who was an ugly duckling, the runt, and sickly didn’t have anyone expressing interest to adopt him. Amy loved his scrappy personality and couldn’t part with him. Chester is now a healthy and beautiful cat! Lily Belle’s was an unadoptable feral kitten from WCAC whom Amy took home to socialize. She is now thriving with her human family and loves her two boyfriends Bink and Chester. Last but certainly not least, Pancho was a rescue from the 2010 Nashville flood.  Pancho was brought into one of Amy’s shop along with his mom and 4 siblings. Amy found homes for the mom and siblings and kept Pancho. Being a “foster failure” has definitely filled the home with so much happiness, joy, and love! 

It was so much fun visiting Amy’s home and hearing all the adoption stories. I was immediately struck by how affectionate, good natured, and welcoming the cats and dogs were to me. The day I visited I had hoped to photograph all 7 cats, but knew it was an unrealistic goal. Bink, Bunny, and Lilly Belle are still a little timid and weren’t up for being photographed which was entirely ok. I defer to what is most comfortable for the cats and make every attempt to avoid situations they might perceive as stressful. Of the family’s 7 cats I was able to photograph Bella, Chester, Fuji, and Pancho. They are all such beautiful, radiant cats with endearing personalities!

When talking about her cats and dogs, Amy emphasizes how they are not treated as animals but as an integral part of the family. She believes “they are capable of deep feelings and emotions maybe not as deep as a human level, but there is something there to understand and study with each individual pet.” While recognizing more work is part of the package, the bond that exists makes it all worthwhile and believe those who don’t have animals are missing out in life. She goes on to talk about guardianship being a two way street and adds “we are not only their guardians, but they are ours as well.” Because cats and dogs are both companion animals for the most part, Amy is a big advocate of people having more than one pet. While there are always some exceptions, most usually want and need companionship from other animals. “And for people won’t have another pet because they have mourned too hard for a lost pet, all I can say to offer solace is to not get held back with our human emotions, but to keep our hearts open to new pets, because those animals in the shelters need us.” 

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“Love at first sight” is a common expression shared by guardians when talking about the first time they met a beloved cat. Kate, who has always loved all things cat, and is a huge cat lover, shared the same sentiment when talking about her three kitties. All three are rescue cats. Scotchy (Kate’s first cat) was adopted from Metro Animal Care and Control, Filbert (her second cat) was adopted from Williamson Animal Care Center, and Boomer (the third family addition) was rescued in the Tennessee countryside.

Since this project was for Williamson County Animal Center, I’m focusing a little bit more on Filbert’s adoption story, though all three kitties are loved equally. The day Kate met Filbert she didn’t intend on adopting a cat. At the time she was a guardian to her cat Scotchy and was living a busy life. Her visit to the shelter was October 7, 2014, and was simply to pass some time while her school application was being processed next door at Columbia State Community College. Well you know what they say about plans. Plans change! When Kate laid eyes on Filbert something in her heart shifted! Filbert, who shared the cage with his siblings, Pecan, Peanut, Almond (all named after nuts) was a terrified, little, black ball of fluff hiding in the very back of his cage. Filbert was so small, fragile, and precious. Moments later Kate found herself in the visitation room with him. In minutes Filbert stole her heart with his big yellow eyes and cuddly nature. Adoption paperwork was filled out on the spot and the deal was sealed that day for Kate and Filbert!

As with many new and exciting life transitions, bumps in the road are frequently met along the way. This proved to be the case with Filbert who ended up with a terrible upper respiratory infection. Though common with shelter and rescue cats and kittens, upper respiratory infection can be both scary and serious. It’s especially worrisome when the kitty isn’t eating. This was the case for Filbert who wasn’t eating, wasn’t acting like a normal kitten, and was sleeping non-stop. He was so sick at one point Kate was afraid he might not survive. Per the advice of her vet, Kate force fed Filbert a high-calorie food and water with a syringe every few hours. She did this for about two weeks. Feeding him around the clock was an intense experience and Kate felt like a human newborn’s mother. The day he ate the warm, wet food she set out on a plate was a day of both relief and celebration. She knew he was turning the corner and was going to make it. In no time at all Filbert was behaving like a normal kitten and playing with his big brother Scotchy. Filbert quickly became an essential part of Kate’s life and is thriving with his brothers Scotchy and Boomer. Kate is beyond grateful she met Filbert the day she visited Williamson County Animal Center. Thinking his original name fit him so perfectly, Kate decided to keep it! Filbert has many nicknames such as Filbmeister, Regis Filbin, Filby Cheesesteak, Filbatross. He is Kate’s buddy, her little “nut”, a member of the family.

Photographing someone whom I’ve met for the first time can be a little nerve wracking for both parties. When doing a Bouddoir Kitty-Cat Session I go to the home of the cat and guardian. This is the situation I believe is most comfortable for the cat, since they are in their own environment where they feel secure. I know guardians might feel a little nervous about a stranger coming into their home to photograph them as well. It is my hope all nerves quickly subside within moments of interacting with both cats and guardians. When I met Kate and her three handsome boys, I felt like I was meeting an old friend. Her boys were full of charm and seeing Kate’s face radiate with a smile whenever they did something cute was so heartwarming. Our time together evaporated so quickly. Meet Kate and her family!

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