March 2013 Newsletter

Greetings Dear Purrfumery Friends!

Spring is nearly here – it’s a time for love, renewal and whimsical delight! Here at the Purrfumery, we are celebrating all three with...

A Tale of Two Pigeons

The kitties and I are delighted to introduce our newest Purrfumery friends, Polka Dot and Pansy! Theirs is a true love story that began when Polka Dot limped through my cat door late last year. Of course, I was thrilled to meet him and knew I wanted him to stay. He was injured, so I took him to WildCare in San Rafael, where I used to volunteer before I had my Purrfumery. While staff at WildCare nursed him back to health, he met a little roller pigeon and the two became very attached. I decided to bring both birds home, and while they were convalescing, we built them a beautiful redwood aviary on the deck in the sunshine. It is absolutely adorable to watch them out there, kissing and preening each other. Knowing that we have given these two birds – who would either be dead from injury or euthanized – a chance at love and companionship makes me enjoy my home even more! And thank you to Elizabeth, the pigeon rescue expert at MickaCoo, for getting me started with all I need to care for them! newsletter-28-a

Weaving Animal Protection with Art

Some of my friends wonder why I didn’t just shuffle Polka Dot right out the door and forget about him. Here’s what I tell them: I live and breathe animal protection, whether it’s a wild animal who needs my help, a domestic animal who needs a home, or a lab animal who needs an advocate. I live in awe of the natural world and I combine my love of animals with my work in the Purrfumery every day. In late February, I visited UC Berkeley to talk about how I have merged by passions for animal protection, natural perfumery and art. I was so excited to speak to students about this work and answer questions that will help them develop their own humane missions. I was so proud of each one of them! I was also deeply troubled to learn during the talk that pigeons are used extensively in animal research. I plan to learn more about this. I left the talk thinking about how much animals need us, and how pleased I am to be part of raising awareness on their behalf.

Artisan Fragrance Salon at Fort Mason is March 24!

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Have you bought your tickets for the 2nd Annual Artisan Fragrance Salon? Better hurry! It runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 24 at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. This year, the event is part of the International Chocolate Salon – I can’t wait to check out all the perfumes and chocolates! It’s going to a divine and delicious sensual event – I will be holding a raffle and giving away collector’s edition bottles of my bewitching Black Cat eau de parfum, a mouthwatering blend of cocoa, ylang ylang and blood orange with a hint of aniseed myrtle. Stop by and see me, my dear Purrfumery friends!

One More Little Pigeon Story

I looked in the aviary the other day and noticed that Pansy had laid two tiny eggs. Of course, I love the idea of baby pigeons but I really don’t want more birds – one aspect of animal protection is controlling animal populations. I rarely tell folks what to do, but I can be quite pushy when I explain why spay/neuter is so important for cats and dogs! Elizabeth at MickaCoo told me that if you swap the real eggs for fake eggs in the first few days, you can control the population while respecting the parents’ instincts. But how do you swap the eggs? Polka Dot and Pansy were very protective, taking turns sitting on the eggs. It took me about half an hour to muster the courage to make the swap – I dreaded upsetting the birds and heard that pigeons will give you a wing slap when they feel threatened. Finally, I reached in and very gingerly replaced the real eggs with fake ones. Little Pansy sat there calmly – no wing slap, thank goodness! Instead of composting the eggs, I put them on the fence for the ravens to eat. I felt very satisfied – the pigeon population at the Purrfumery is under control! I’m sure I will have more pigeon stories, my dear Purrfumery friends! Until next time... Peace, love, purrfume, and kitty cats, ~XOXO, Laurie