The Foundation's Logo

Zoe was selected as the official logo for the foundation back in 1989. Her likeness (right) is now registered with the US Patent & Trademark Office. (Click image to enlarge)

During the early life of the foundation it was not a nonprofit organization. I was working to acquire funds solely through product sales, then donated a percentage of those dollars to needy animal organizations. My work revolved, to a great degree, around domestic cat products.

Zoe was given to me by a very close artist friend (Kata) who had already named her. Zoe in Greek means Life in all its Manifestations. I fell in love with this extremely intelligent cat and decided her illustrated form would make a fitting logo. Originally it was a ‘small cats helping big cats’ direction because my sales and research efforts were directed primarily at domestic cat owners.

As the years passed, and after I met Dr. Bleyman, the focus of the foundation became more targeted. We received our non-profit status and now focus on saving the tiger. But Zoe remains our logo because she's my inspiration and has been here from the beginning. It may be a little confusing for some people to see a Manx cat as a logo for a tiger project, but as the project moves from planning to reality her association will be solidified.

It’s still small cats helping big cats to a great degree because many domestic cat owners have a greater appreciation for the felids than do people who do not own, and maybe just don’t really understand, cats. Of course, this is not always true, but ten plus years of consumer research on this subject points to that conclusion.

That’s the story of our inspiration and logo - Zoe, the world's #1 Manx!

Zoe the Manx

Zoe was a rambunctious bi-color, (black and white), full rumpy Manx. She weighed about sixteen pounds. She was given to me by a very close friend, Kata, who is a fine portrait artist who now specializes in Elvis Art.

Zoe was born on July 28, 1987 behind a bed in a ninety year old farm house in Georgia. I located the lady who owns Zoe's parents. She raises Manx cats and places the kittens with families close to her home so she can visit them. Zoe is the only kitten so far who got away from the area. A friend of Kata's brought the kitten from Georgia but did not tell the lady she was going to leave the state with her. She actually gave Zoe to Kata as a gift. Kata gave Zoe to me because the fellow she was going to marry was allergic to cats.

Zoe's grandparents were two wild Manx cats that were found near where she was born. Kata named the cat Zoe after the Greek word zoe meaning 'life in all its manifestations'.

I had Zoe for nine years as an only cat. Her new roommate,Ben, was a shock to her being.

Ben
August 1, 1988 - December 19, 2009

Ben is a bicolor, (orange and white), twelve pound stumpy? He's a Japanese Bobtail. I met Ben while I was working on a historic home on Savage Street in downtown Charleston, SC - my home for forty years. He was found shortly following hurricane Hugo and adopted by an older, retired gentleman that everyone in the area called 'The Mayor of Savage Street'. His wife told me he just loved the cat although he never really liked cats until he adopted Ben. Ben would follow him up and down the street as he walked the neighborhood greeting workers and friends.

Mr. Hewitt, 'The Mayor of Savage Street' died suddenly one morning. When EMS came they scared Ben. He seemed lost and alone after Mr. Hewitt's passing. Ben was wandering around a busy street, and Ann, Mr. Hewitt's wife, was moving to a smaller home several blocks away. She decided she could not take Ben and asked the neighbors if anyone wanted him. Only one of the neighbors, who all loved to pet him, was interested. However, the woman who offered traveled extensively which meant it would have been difficult for her to keep him. That's where I came in.

I said I would love to take Ben. Mrs. Hewitt really wanted one of the neighbors to adopt him, but she decided it would be best for me to provide him with a home. I built a new fence off the back of the studio and installed cat fencing so he and Zoe could not wander. I installed two cat doors so they could go in and out when they wanted. Zoe had been an indoor cat all her life, so when she got out it was a new and wonderful experience. Ben is a very gentle, playful cat.

(Click images to enlarge)

Samson
June 1, 1993 - October 10, 2003

Samson was a great cat. I’ll never forget the day I saw him as a kitten screaming all get out from atop a tall, wooden fence next to a gas station I frequented in Charleston, SC.

It was Thanksgiving Day - 1993, and I had stopped to put some gas in my truck before continuing to a friend’s home for dinner. I heard this little cat, seemingly lost or abandoned, meowing at the top of his lungs. I went over and took the cat off the top of the six foot high fence and placed him in my old pickup. I asked the attendant if he knew the owner of this fur ball, but he did not.

So that little cat stayed in the truck all afternoon while I ate dinner and watched football with Marvin. You see, I lived a fair distance from my host, so I didn’t have time to take the cat home.

The following day I placed notices up in the neighborhood, at the station and in the paper. No responses. That’s how Samson came to live with my mother, Louise.

Samson lived with my mom and her cats and dogs until we moved to Raleigh in 1997. Zoe and Ben were my only charges. When my mother passed away in 1999 all the dogs and cats came together. It took a while for them all the get use to each other, but eventually they were all hanging out together.

Photo three has Samson and Kiwi (11/30/89 – 4/5/03) opening their presents Christmas Day 2002, and photo five shows Samson on the sofa with Ben (foreground) and Suki (1985 - May 2002).

Samson had a great personality. Sometimes I would watch him race around the back yard climbing a few feet up each tree as he passed. Toward the end of his life he curled up beside me when I was napping.

Another interested aspect I thought a little unusual. In the final year of his life he developed diabetes. I had to give him two shots a day – one in the morning and one in the evening. When it came time for his shots he would come right over, kneel down and wait for his shot. He never seemed to mind.

A year into the shot regimen he was diagnosed with cancer. I did all I could do to save him, but it was too late. Six weeks after diagnosis he was gone.

He was a wonderful asset to my life. I’ll miss him. God speed Samson.

Suki
July 1985 - July 2000

I mentioned Suki in Samson's information.  In April 1985, about a year after we moved to Johns Island, I was out on a ten mile run.  About two miles from the house I spotted this solid black kitten wandering on Main Road.  He couldn't have been more than a month old.  There were no homes close by and no sign of other kittens or cats.  So I picked him up and ran the two miles back to the house with this tiny cat clutched between my palms.  I presented him to my mother who immediately took him in.

Suki was an indoor/outdoor cat who repeatedly managed to get in fights.  I found him next to the house one day so torn up I thought he was dead.  I placed him on a make shift litter and took him to the vet.  He survived another close encounter.  I believe he had more than the prerequisite nine lives.  As he grew older he began to mellow.  He was another fine companion.

(Click images to enlarge)

Update: (12-11-97) Zoe and Ben are fine up here in North Carolina. We moved in July to help with the tiger program. They have a much bigger cat fenced yard, but Zoe rarely goes out. Ben is out all the time. They get along a little better.

Update: (02-19-01) Zoe and Ben are still hanging in there. Zoe still doesn’t go out much although she has a half acre of cat fenced area to roam. She gets along fairly well with Ben, but she still doesn’t like Samson, a male short hair. Maybe because he has a tail?

Update: (07-15-01) Zoe is fine after a tooth extraction several weeks ago. A tissue sample was also taken for cultivation and frozen storage at Lazeron. Ben and Samson are fine.

Update: (March 17, 2000) Suki passed away.

Update: (May 2, 2002) Zoe passed away today.

Update: (October 10, 2003) Samson passed away today.

Update - May 28, 2009:  Ben has had quite a few problems in the past two years.  He is on medication for high blood pressure, which took his sight, and a thyroid issue. The vet thinks he has a form of cancer on his nose. From a practical standpoint it is untreatable due to his age and frailty. He also has a problem with a sack that developed off his colon. He now weighs about six pounds and holding. He's hanging in there however. He's now almost 21 years old.

Update - The Final Days:  December 19, 2009;  this was a very hard day. I knew for the past few days Ben’s time was drawing near. He fought a courageous battle against age and his Basel cell carcinoma. Yesterday he came forth with some forlorn vocalizations. He was not sleeping as most cats do most of the time. He was seeking me out and sitting in my lap whenever I was around, which was now most of the time.

He was drinking a profuse amount of water, which seemed to go right through him. His temperature was also below normal. I had taken him to see the vet only a few days ago to get an antibiotic for an infection that was causing him to get blood in his urine. The shot seemed to clear that up, but there were too many other things going on.

This morning he was restless. He was drinking a lot of water, but eating very little, as had been the case for the past few days. He was vocalizing more; seemingly trying to tell me it was his time.

I never wanted him to suffer. To this point he was eating, drinking, getting around well, and in no pain. But he had lost two thirds of his body weight. I decided to have him put to sleep. I asked the vet about giving him something to calm him so the ride to the hospital would not be noticed. She gave me a valium mixture that she said would give him a kitty high that would be pleasant. Giving him that liquid was a mistake I’ll never forget.

When I squirted the mixture in his mouth, he immediately fell to the floor. He tried to get up for his water, but could not stand. I held him up, but he could not drink. His head went limp in the small, red water bowl causing water to be inhaled. This was a disaster. The valium could not have taken that immediate type of effect. I didn’t know what to do. I took Ben with me to the couch and held him in my arms. I hated the way things went. He was having trouble standing. I hoped that was due to the valium taking effect, but I could not be sure.

I placed him on his small blanket in his carrier and took him to the hospital, which was only a mile away. I said my good byes through tears. That was the last time I saw this wonderful cat – Ben.

In retrospect, after digesting information I learned from the vet, I should have made a different decision. I did not want to see Ben die, but that would have been the best decision. I initially asked the vet if she could come to the house and administer a sedative to knock Ben out before administering the lethal drug. She said that all sedatives stung at the injection site, so you would probably see the animal hurting before the sedative took effect. This I did not want. That’s why I opted for the valium. I thought that would be an optimal solution, but the reaction I described was dreadful and will be hard to live with.

The vet said the barbiturate they use to put animals to sleep does not sting at the injection site, so the animal does not deal with a painful administration. Upon injection, the animal loses consciousness and drifts away. That is what I should have done. I should have asked the vet to administer the injection at the house; in Ben’s comfortable surroundings. I just didn’t want to see him die. That was selfish. I will regret my decision forever. I hope Ben can forgive me.

My vet did not do routine blood pressure checks beginning at age seven as recommended.  Please, if you own a cat(s) get their blood pressure checked. High blood pressure is the leading cause of blindness in cats.