(Click for larger view.)

Back then Kate was teaching at Rutgers University while preparing to open her "Pet Project" grooming facility. One day, browsing through the Rutgers bookstore, her eye was drawn to a display of stationary that included a "funky" drawing of a lady in her front yard surrounded and covered by piles of cats! Aunt Kate had ONLY four cats at the time, mind you, but felt an immediate kinship with this friendly "cat lady" waving to folks driving by! And not only that... her name was Kate, too! That same drawing - on a postcard - bore the title "Greetings from Kate's Kitty Jungle!" Needless to say, the decision was made... should she ever be able to fulfill her dream, Kate's Kitty Jungle would be its name!

Ten years later, the dream became reality. In addition, Kate was able... through the internet... to contact Kevin Pope, the artist who had done the "inspirational" drawing. The original used for the line of stationary, now more than 20 years prior, had been sold, but Mr. Pope graciously offered to do another original drawing of the scene which now hangs proudly in the entryway of our facility.

Please enjoy the picture as much as I did. If you'd like to see the original, stop by the Jungle for a visit sometime... and if you'd like to see more of the artist's work, you may visit his site at www.kevinpope.com.