Photo of Siglinda Scarpa and kitty courtesy of Jeramy M. Lange for The New York Times
Everything about this story is beautiful to us: The beauty of the artistic Italian woman who lives in the North Carolina countryside and loves and saves animals, and who in turn, have saved her; the beauty of the pottery she creates and the magic spell she casts over her forested domain and the lucky animals who live there...we could go on forever.
She's known as "the Mother Teresa of animals" and on part of her 16 acre property, she runs an animal sanctuary called the Goathouse Refuge that houses over 250 cats and other sundry animals in need of a home. In addition, Scarpa keeps at least 40 cats and seven dogs in her home-but according to the article, a hoarding situation this is not. Scarpa runs the refuge as a nonprofit with five staff and 15 regular volunteers, and her tidy home is arranged for the benefit of her beloved animals and the making and display of her pottery and other art pieces. One of the veterinarians who frequently makes house calls to Scarpa's property says, "She goes above and beyond what a lot of people would do for her personal pets." Example: A pet chicken who kept Scarpa company in her pottery studio had a leg amputated to remove a tumor and lived another 18 months.
But how this lovely woman came to love and be loved by animals is the real heart of this story, and we won't spoil it for you-enjoy!
Everything about this story is beautiful to us: The beauty of the artistic Italian woman who lives in the North Carolina countryside and loves and saves animals, and who in turn, have saved her; the beauty of the pottery she creates and the magic spell she casts over her forested domain and the lucky animals who live there...we could go on forever.
She's known as "the Mother Teresa of animals" and on part of her 16 acre property, she runs an animal sanctuary called the Goathouse Refuge that houses over 250 cats and other sundry animals in need of a home. In addition, Scarpa keeps at least 40 cats and seven dogs in her home-but according to the article, a hoarding situation this is not. Scarpa runs the refuge as a nonprofit with five staff and 15 regular volunteers, and her tidy home is arranged for the benefit of her beloved animals and the making and display of her pottery and other art pieces. One of the veterinarians who frequently makes house calls to Scarpa's property says, "She goes above and beyond what a lot of people would do for her personal pets." Example: A pet chicken who kept Scarpa company in her pottery studio had a leg amputated to remove a tumor and lived another 18 months.
But how this lovely woman came to love and be loved by animals is the real heart of this story, and we won't spoil it for you-enjoy!
3 comments:
You're right...this is a beautiful story...thanks for sharing
You're welcome, Gizmo. It gives us so much pleasure to share such a fascinating and beautiful story...
Oh yes, we read this in the Times. SUCH a beautiful article about an amazing lady and her beloved animals. :)
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