Hey First name / friends!

 

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know it's no secret that I'm kiiiiind of a crazy cat lady. (Said in the most loving way about myself 😅)

 

Today, I wanted to share a quick story with you about something that's close to my heart. I promise, your weekly prompt is at the end as usual!

 

I’ve been an animal lover since I was a kid. Cuddly ones like cats, dogs, bunnies, pigs, plus the critters I'd catch outside as a kid like bullfrogs, skinks, box turtles and snakes…  I'm obsessed with all of them.

 

But, back to kitty cats. 😹

 

Living in Thailand has made animal welfare much more personal for me. There are street cats and dogs everywhere here, and once they steal your heart, it's hard to look away. 

 

Nowadays, I'm basically the adopted mom of all the street cats in my neighborhood. They’re all sterilized and vaccinated, plus they get food, flea/tick treatment and regular medical care as needed. (I also gave them all names, but I don't think they care as much about that. 😜)

 

 

My favorite part of the day is going outside every morning to feed everybody breakfast. I plop down on my camp chair, sip coffee & read my emails with a cat on my lap. (9 out of 10 times it's Odie in my lap hogging all the affection.) 😹

 

 

But let me back up: A few years ago, I impulse-attended a local meetup called “How to help street dogs in Thailand”. I'm SO glad I did, because that’s where I met the woman behind Hand to Paw Thailand. Amandine and her team at Hand to Paw do incredible work for street dogs and cats — but the thing that makes the biggest long-term impact is their mass spay and neuter events. Hand to Paw organizes mass sterilization events for animals where locals here can get their dogs and cats spayed for free, entirely funded by donors. (Up to 150 animals in one day!) It’s incredible impact. 🙏
 

It's not just about preventing future litters. When animals are sterilized, there's less fighting, less territorial aggression, fewer injuries and infections, and a lower risk of certain cancers. It creates a healthier, more stable environment for these animals across the board. It's one of the most effective long-term solutions for improving animal welfare here.

 

That’s when I started getting involved. Big launch in my biz? Time to fund a spay day! Bday present to myself? Gonna splurge on 50 cat spays. Collab w/ a brand that has a give-back initiative? I ask them to consider Hand to Paw.
 

I also volunteer at these events on weekends. I'm no vet and my Thai is still pretty crummy (I’m learning), so my job is pretty simple: I clean and repackage surgical tools so the vet team can reuse them throughout the day. (We even use a rice cooker as a portable autoclave, which I thought was a pretty clever idea when I learned about it.)

 

 

Giving back has always been a cornerstone in how I run my creative business. My parents had a rule that 1/3 of my allowance each week had to go to charity. I picked the local animal shelter. The life lesson stuck and I’ve been donating to nonprofits (mostly animals) ever since. 

 

Every time you purchase a class from me, a portion of that sale goes to impactful organizations that are doing amazing work all over the world. You can check out the full list of organizations I donate to each year in my Year in Review blog posts. (2025 brought me up to a total of 10 nonprofits I support monthly.)

 

 

I recently lost one of my beloved street kitties, Marshmallow, and so I wanted to give back in her honor.

 

From May 11th through May 21st, I'm matching every donation to Hand to Paw dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000. 💛

 

$4,000 funds an entire mass spay event — that's roughly 130 to 150 animals in a single day. So together, we can absolutely make that happen.

 

And yes — I'll be volunteering at the spay event(s) that this funds! I'll share photos and updates so you can see exactly where your donation goes.

 

 

In honor of this week's focus on animal welfare, I want to challenge you to create an illustration featuring your favorite animal. Dog illustrations are having a moment right now, but I'm always all about the cats!

 

I sneak cats into my artwork every chance I get. I've woven them into all kinds of illustrations over the years. I even hid little kitty cats in my new mahjong collection, which just got picked up for a licensing deal! Anywhere I can add a cat, I will. 😅

 

 

I can't wait to see your animals! Make sure to share using the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq and tag me @catcoq in the post (not just the caption) so I can see what you make! I can't wait to see your take on this prompt! ✨

Here are a few of the amazing submission from our last challenge! 

 

Make sure to click on the photos to see each artist on Instagram and give them some love! When we help each other grow, we all rise : )

 

Have a fabulous week!