It was an early Saturday night in SF, and Jo’s date was set to arrive in an hour for a fancy night out. Primping and polishing had begun, when Jo got an urgent call from Toni: five kittens and a mom needed a foster home ASAP! Could Jo help?
With her priorities in perfect alignment, Jo rushed out the door, and in 15 minutes had picked up the kittens and mom at SF Animal Care and Control (SFACC).
30 minutes later Jo greeted her date, Jim, at her front door, fetchingly outfitted in baby food splattered t-shirt and jeans.
Did they reschedule? Or did Jim disappear into the not-for-me matrix? Nope, Jim sat his dry-clean only pants onto Jo’s bathroom floor and let the hygiene-challenged kittens snag and stain his pants all date night long. Jo’s heart swelled and months later Jim and Jo were engaged.
TKR not only fosters underage kittens, it fosters romance!
Jo grew up with dogs, so her first cat belonged to a cat-owning roommate. “I never knew how fun cats are,” she recalls. She began fostering in New York City, bottle feeding kittens. There was lots of trial and error, since unlike TKR the NYC shelter didn’t offer much support.
“The training at TKR is so good,” says Jo. “And somebody from TKR is almost always in the volunteer room at SFACC, ready to share stories or answer questions. The TKR community is great!”
Jo does not limit her compassion to cats. Her business, Move the Message, provides professional development to individuals and companies focused on ending the suffering and abuse of all animals.
Twenty one years ago, 
Jo was arrested for helping close down a fur salon on 5th Avenue and 57th Street in Manhattan. Her cellmates were vegan, so she went from being vegetarian to vegan in jail! Lucky girl, her fiancé loves to cook and experiment with vegan recipes. Here’s a favorite soup recipe.
TKR is blessed to have Jo on team TKR. And Jo feels deeply honored to help. “To hold a kitten life in your hand and see it unfold,” says Jo, “it’s very emotional and intimate.”
