Update on Winter Pet Food Drive – After the Reindeer Are Fed, Remember the Cats and Dogs

We urgently need dry dog and cat food The Winter Holiday Pet Food Drive is underway. We are supporting the striking pet owners of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh along with our colony caretakers and modest income pet owners. Scroll down for donation information. We have 68 households registered caring for over 700 animals. Each […]

Community Group Partners with Striking Post-Gazette Workers on Pet Food Drive

New Guild of Pittsburgh holiday logo

This wasn’t a difficult decision, I thought when considering if the Dr. John P. Ruffing Pet Food Pantry could help members of the the Guild facing their third holiday season on strike. Technically, it is month 26, the longest ongoing strike in the United States. Our pet food pantry was created to fill gaps in […]

This is My Appeal Post

This is the post where I confuse you with my various appeals. On a personal note, I still have a GoFundMe to help with my ongoing legal expenses and my personal expenses. Quite a bit of my great reduced income goes to this blog. Income from advertising is limited and scratches only the surface. I […]

We Need 160 cans of cat food? The NaBloPoMo Post

pet food drive cat lady

November distribution starts tomorrow. We have enough to give each caretaker 12 pounds of dry and 16 cans of wet. If we can rally to generate 160 more cans today, each caretaker will receive a full case. A case means one can almost every day. You can use our wishlist or go rogue and shop […]

This Pittsburgh Pet Food Pantry Running Out of Cat Food

50 households caring for 650 cats. That’s how many folx are enrolled in The John P. Ruffing VMD Memorial Pet Food Pantry. And we do not have enough food to distribute for November. Obviously we don’t try to feed all 650 cats, but we do try to give something to each household. They are colony […]

Was Dr. John P. Ruffing Your Veterinarian? Celebrate His Birthday!

Dr. John P. Ruffing

He would be 58 on Wednesday Sometimes, I wonder how life would be if he had lived past the age of 41. But then I realize that is pointless. I am pretty sure he would not read my blog (all the reading!) and would proud of my awards. I have countless stories. Right now, I’m […]

Support These Veterans Taking Care of Cat Colonies on This Veterans Day

You might be surprised to learn how many veterans from the United States military forces are cat folx. They have pets, they volunteer, and many have memories of cats (and dogs) they encountered in their service. And some are caretakers of cat colonies … continuing to serve their communities by feeding and TNVRing cats. This […]

Annual Dr. John P. Ruffing DVM Memorial Pet Food Drive

Dr. John Ruffing

Did you know Dr. Ruffing? He started as a vet assistant in the 1980s and practiced as a veterinarian until disability forced him to stop in the mid 2000s. He passed in 2007. John’s legacy was embedded in his intimate bonds with his clients. He was a “get on the floor” vet who soothed scared […]

Santa Claws Magic for Denise in Carnegie

For the holidays, we are asking you to adopt a community cat caretaker to thank them for their year round work. Denise and her husband moved to Carnegie about ten years ago. Like many caretakers, it began with one homeless cat. Denise fed this little girl and after she realized the cat was pregnant, she […]

Honor the Life and Death of Dr. John Ruffing With a Pet Food Donation Today

Dr. John Ruffing West Mifflin

Today is the anniversary of one of the saddest days of my life. November 9, 2007, my beloved friend and quasi-big-brother died unexpectedly at the age of 41. His name was Dr. John P. Ruffing VMD. Each year on his birthday (April) and this date (November), I write a post. I feel his loss so […]