Apifera Farm - where art, story, animals & woman merge. Home to artist Katherine Dunn

Apifera Farm is a registered 501 [c][3]. #EIN# 82-2236486

All images

©Katherine Dunn.





Friday, September 16, 2011

Miss Elberta Peach is here



Note: Miss Peach pointed her tail on 9/27/11. She's sending "Love Floats" to....well, read more at this post.

Miss Elberta Peach has arrived at Apifera. She wants one of you to get a copy of Love Floats. If you don't know the story, it goes like this:

One day, I was minding my own business, and a cat fell out of the sky...via a casual trip to the vet to pick up dog wormer. I entered the clinic and chatted with the staff at the front desk who know me well after eight years. Just then, a very grumpy woman came in the door and sternly announced she had a stray cat in a trap, in her car, and "was not taking it home no matter what." The staff politely told her they were full up [they already have many cats dumped that they care for until homes are found], and the woman repeated several times she was "NOT bringing that cat back home". We all looked at each other instinctively knowing that cat's fate cat would be a roadside dumping.

"I'll take her, " I said, not knowing what the cat was or what shape it was in.

The clinic was kind enough to take the cat in on the spot and look her over. She was a lovely, tame orange female tabby - quite rare. And she was spayed. She liked to be held too. When the woman trapped her, it was in the middle of a two week heat spell of 95+ degrees, and we think she left the poor cat in the live trap for a couple days - she was panting heavily and was dehydrated.

Since the woman who brought her in was no help in giving us more info about who might own the cat, if anyone, we decided to keep the cat at the clinic to make sure she was okay after her long, hot entrapment, and to see if anyone would claim her. The woman had trapped her just a couple blocks away, and everyone in the small town knows of the only vet clinic so would go there if they lost a cat.

But no one claimed her. So she has been reborn as Miss Elberta Peach.

The vet graciously gave her free room and board for 7 days, and a free exam. But her meds, tests and vaccines cost $98. So, I will send a copy of "Love Floats". to one of you. Just pay your $5 and Miss Peach will point her tail at one of your names later next week. Of course you can pay more, but this makes it easy for everyone to play along with Miss Peach.