Today I'm sharing a cause near and dear to my heart: rescuing kitties in the greater Ottawa area. Every summer our city has a kitten boom when un-spayed mamma cats give birth (thanks to un-neutured tom cats). Within a matter of weeks, local shelters are pushed to the brink as they deal with the influx of new kittens and abandoned mother cats.
My kitties were both summer adoptions after they or their pregnant mothers were abandoned. It breaks my heart. In fact, the mamma of one of my kitties was dumped by her owner while extremely pregnant, and my tabby Don Alfonso wouldn't have survived without the help of the shelter.
One of the hardworking shelters that's currently at capacity is the Ottawa Stray Cat Rescue. So much so that they've had to stop accepting kitties because they simply don't have room. The two little guys above are Matcha and Oolong, rescued by the the shelter and currently being fostered by my friend Lindsay.
Lindsay happens to be the manager of The Body Shop at the Rideau Centre, and on top of being a foster she wanted to do even more to help Ottawa's abandoned and stray cats find homes. So this Friday, The Body Shop is transforming into The Cat Shop!
Now, right off the top I want to say this *is not* a pet shop event. No kitties will be for sale. Instead, there will be adoptable kitties at The Body Shop! This is your chance to meet some wonderful cats who deserve a forever home.
Location: The Body Shop @ The Rideau Centre (3rd floor near Nordstrom) When: Friday August 12, 2016 from 10:00am - 8:00pm
Can't adopt a kitty but still want to support the cause? No problem, there are plenty of ways to get involved this Friday. You can make a donation and receive a special 50% off voucher for The Body Shop, buy delicious treats and crafts with all proceeds going to the shelter, and enter the fundraising raffle with incredible prizes like local jewellery, fitness packages, and designer handbags.
I want to take a moment to thank some very special locals who have kindly offered up amazing raffle prizes for this event:
- Valamode Luxury Consignment for donating a designer handbag, designer men's tand luxury cologne
- Iron North Studio for donating a fitness package
There will be exclusive deals happening all day plus free skincare consultations and make-up applications from The Body Shop's in-house experts. Going out Friday night? Pop in for a makeover then hit the town!
Need to stock up on your Body Shop faves? Grab them for a deal! To make choosing easier, I've rounded up my top picks for summer '16:
On the left in the pic below: The Body Shop Polynesian Tiara Eau de Toilette, $28/50ml bottle. So affordable and smells like a tropical summer breeze. And on the right: The Body Shop Piñita Colada shower gel ($10/250ml bottle) and body butter ($21/200ml tub). It's like showering in a piña colada! Love that combo of coconut and pineapple.
A close-up of the gorgeous Polynesian Tiaré Eau de Toilette. For the $28 price tag, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better summer fragrance than this one. Tiare blooms, bergamot, frangipani blossom, yang slang, coconut, and vanilla. Exquisite!
And finally: The Body Shop British Rose collection. This line came out in the spring time and I'm hooked. If you love fresh, clean, classic rose, you'll want to scoop these up. I've been using the Petal Soft Bath Foam ($12/250ml bottle) and the Exfoliating Gel Body Scrub ($22/250ml tub) that contains real rose petals, and both are divine. Grab them for a steal on Friday!
Come on out and support the kitties, I'll see you there.