PiCATsso

A bouquet of colors on a white bacground.

This first painting was called something like "Rain Forest" but it looks more to me like a "Flower Garden." It was the first painting in the auction and went for a song at $60.

Painting with white puffs on blue background.

This one is "Cloud Dreams."

Sparse pastel colors on a white background.

I purchased this painting for $145 and called it a bargain since it was under my "limit" of $150. I probably would have gone higher as I expected to go home with it. The painting reminds me of a Japanese water color and was made by a collaborative effort between a cat and a dog, Puss and Boots.

Energetic vision of color.

This painting is alive with color and energy.

Paintings and a painted box appear in this photo.

This year's gallery feature painted three dimensional objects. This box (the 2nd place winner) and another box is just out of the frame to the right are the first entries of their kind.

A painted keepsake box.

"My Blue Box" was purchased by friends of ours. It's a one-of-a-kind keepsake box. The painting is by Katy, a cat who cannot completely control her body and requires a support mechanism for her hind legs.

A frenzy of color.

This painting, "Autumnal Fantasy" won first place and was owned briefly by us. Due to a mixup by the auction judges, our paddle was recorded as the winner. After we paid for the painting, a woman approached us to express that she believed she had won the painting, which was true, so we agreed that she should have it.

Two paintings appear in this photo.

I like both of these paintings, but found the one on the right to be particularly charming. It was created by a dog and sold for quite a bit despite its small dimensions.

A couple of women viewing the paintings.

Friends peruse the paintings.

The auction room audience.

Spay and Stay director, Sandy Kooper, addresses the audience.

A photo of the audience.

More of our friends listen prior to the start of the auction.

Bidders are at the ready with their auction paddles.

Our friends stand ready to bid ...

Auction bidding.

Our friends bid up a painting. The three in the foreground were very active in the auction.

Whether you attended this year or not, we hope you can attend in the future. We think you'll find it to be very unique and a great opportunity to support Spay and Stay's mission. The group strives to support a life-affirming alternative to wild cat population control. Trap, neuter and return is shown to be effective at stabilizing feral cat populations when we achieve a 70% or better spay/neuter ratio within a colony. Alternative methods, such as trap and kill, often lead to faster rates of breeding becuase of the way they are carried out.

Even though these creatures are born in the wild and many will never be able to be socialized as house pets, we believe they deserve the opportunity to live. Under the watchful eye of a colony caretaker, they are afforded food, some shelter, and needed medical treatment. Those that are trapped are microchipped for identification and examined for health risks in addition to receiving the spay or neuter procedure.

Visit the group's website for more information on the progress they are making in Lake County, Illinois.

PiCATsso is a unique fund raising event, hosted by Spay and Stay. It features artwork created by cats (and dogs in 2006), as well as a silent auction, raffles, door prozes and more. This year's event was held at the Byron Colby Barn at Prairie Crossing, Libertyville.