Hip cats in the art world
Cats let loose on finger paint for animal center fundraiser
BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY SCOTT FRIEDMAN Mel adds his signature touch to the canvas as he and other cats from the Angel PAWS Pet Adoption Center in Colonia created paintings with their paws on Saturday. The paintings will be offered in a fundraiser auction later this year.

WOODBRIDGE - Pablo Picasso may have been one of the most recognized figures in 20th century art, but the cats at the Angel PAWS Pet Adoption Center in Colonia showed off their own painting skills over the weekend creating eight "Pawcassos."

For the first time, members at the center, 390 Inman Ave., mixed five of their most energetic cats with some blue, green, pink and yellow finger paint.

"We actually didn't know what to expect," said Cindi Baltzer, who has been volunteering at the center since its installation in 1999 and sits on the board of directors. "Our biggest concern was to find a nontoxic paint."

The members let loose five out of their 56 cats at the center - Mel, Ashley, Page, Jordan and Delilah - on 8-by-11-inch white canvasses on Jan. 19.

Lisa Palasits, of Port Reading, who has been volunteering since 2005, and Marie Auricchio, of Colonia, who has been volunteering since 2004, held out toys for the cats to play with during their painting session.

Some cats were trying to shake off the paint and some were licking off the paint from their paws and some thought the finger paint was food.

"Mel, he was the star, Delilah didn't want anything to do with it … [in the end] wemade eight Pawcassos [paintings]," said

the art world

Baltzer of Garwood.

Angel PAWS has teamed up with AJRoss Auctions - Ross Gallery in New York to hold a "Pawcasso Gala" fundraising art auction with live entertainment at the Colonia Fire Department, 250 InmanAve., on Feb. 3.

"We will auction off the eight Pawcassos, and Ross Gallery will have artworks and sports memorabilia available," said Baltzer.

Baltzer said the pet adoption center is always holding fundraisers, but the art auction fundraiser is the first of its kind.

"My mom, who lives in Pennsylvania, brought the idea to my attention when she read in the newspaper that a center in her area did an art auction," she said. "I made up the name Pawcasso, and we had fun making and mixing art names with some of the cats' names [such as Stubs Renoir au Paw and Georgie Kincat]."

The center, which was founded in July 1999 and moved to its space tucked in a corner on Inman Avenue in April 2002, houses about 56 cats.

"We have held dogs, gerbils, ferrets, and guinea pigs in the past," said Baltzer. "Our space, however, is not fit to hold dogs and ferrets."

Angel PAWS [Angel Pets Animal Welfare Society Inc.] is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to relieving the suffering of and finding permanent homes for stray, abandoned and homeless animals.

The center's public hours are from 7- 8:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon-3 p.m. on the weekend.

For more information about the Pawcasso Gala, call (732) 340-1199 and for more information about Angel PAWS visit www.angelpaws.org.