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"That‘s what bothers me so much," said Weber. "The numbers are just terrible." "They were all cats that didn‘t have a home and needed a home," said Weber. It‘s all in an effort to help those cats and kittens from becoming another horrible statistic â€" the more than 1,600 cats euthanized by the Kâ€"W Humane Society in 1999, the last year the organization released those records. Wearing cat print socks and modelling an interesting catâ€" themed broach, Weber jokes that A friend to felines The Webers have also taken in unwanted kittens from people whose pets had unexpected litters. But it‘s more personal when it comes to rescuing cats, especially the strays that have been left to fend for themselves. Over the years she‘s saved 10 cats from the mean streets of Waterloo. Weber, the owner of the Paper Tree in uptown Waterloo, is used to taking on reclamation projects. She and her husband Bill helped refurbish the old Waterloo Hotel in 1997, helping to restore the Waterloo landmark which first opened in 1890. But with each act of kindness the trust is restored, until once again they are accepted and accepting. Their names are Jazzy, Mister Grey, Max and Puma, and these cats have become part of the Weber family. "Through the years they‘ve just turned up," said Weber. "They‘re a little bit afraid of people because they‘ve been chased and wanderâ€" ing for a while. "You start feeding them, and talking to them and gradually they become friendlier. They all like petting and affection." Local woman rescues stray cats from the streets of Waterloo hese are accidental strangers I that come by Marian Weber‘s back door with broken tails and sunken spirits. They go nameless at first until their visits become more frequent. But they never leave without a litâ€" tle something in their stomachs, even though they don‘t have much faith in the hand that feeds them. That‘s where the more than 20â€" year mission to help save alley cats started, with a little kitten named Willy, who lived with the family for 20 years until cancer and old age caught up to him. The latest addition is Puma, who joined the family just before Christmas, and replaced Kitty who passed away in February. Weber‘s love of felines came from a more honest, altruistic place and began when she worked as a librarian at the Kitchener pubâ€" lic library. A coâ€"worker brought in a litter of unwanted tabbies, lookâ€" ing to place them in good homes. Cat rescuer Marian Weber sits in front of a mural of her four cats painted by local artist Laurel Pedersen. The feline fancier is pushing for a local spay and neutering program that would see all stray cats sterilized before they are adopted out by the Kâ€"W Humane Society, and avoid the terrible waste of euthanasia. inemebraasisl Her passion is more about preâ€" venting the tragic waste of perfectâ€" ly healthy animals killed because they have no homes, she said as she relaxed in the Elephant room of the couple‘s hotel. she‘s not one of those "crazy cat ladies," with a house full of cats that people hear about in the news. LIFESTYLE Then one day he disappeared. All attempts to find him, from The Webers nursed him back to health, and even had a badly injured eye â€" removed _ from Thomas. "It made him always look like he was winking," said Weber. Memories of a cat named Thomas still causes Weber to choke back the tears. The black and white tom cat, with a tail that hung down, was a survivor who had obviously seen better days when he came scratching at the Webers‘ back door. "He belonged to somebody at some time, but he must of been on his own for a couple of years," said Weber. "He made a wonderful pet, and these cats do when you rescue them. It‘s almost as if they know that they‘re very lucky again." And while there is joy with each new addition, there has also been heartbreak for the Webers over the years. Weber has since become an outspoken advocate for a local spay and neuter program that would see the Humane Society spay and neuter strays that come into its facility before allowing the animals to be adopted. Weber thinks the stresses of that last year on the run helped contribute to his illness. She was tired of all the mistreatment that she saw these strays go through before they reached a safe haven. That should cut down the popâ€" ulation of unwanted animals The Webers took him to the vet, where they heard the tragic news that Thomas had cancer and was dying. They put him down to end his pain. posters to pilgrimages to the Humane Society‘s animal shelter on Riverbend Drive, failed. A year later he mysteriously reappeared, looking the worse for wear. Continued on page 11 808 vRBANAC RHOTO 11 â€"<y4®./â€"I _ 746â€"1666 & JA Asktor details WATERLOO NORTH Worthfleld at the Parkway 0% The fundraising goal is $1,000 and students will collect pledges before and during the event. The swimâ€"aâ€"thon will begin at 2 p.m. Friday in the school‘s Athletic Complex. For more information, conâ€" tact Dean Boles at 884â€"0710, ext The event also includes Laurier celebrity relays from 3â€" 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The workshops will take place at the Joseph Schneidet Haus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $30 for one workshoap and $50 for two workshops. For more information, call 747â€"5139. Swimâ€"aâ€"thon supports Special Olympics Members of the Wilfrid Laurier University swim team will take part in a 24â€"hour swimâ€"aâ€"thon March 9â€"10 to raise money for the Special Olympics swim team. Thirty Laurier students will swim continuously in relays for the entire 24â€"hour period. The second stage will focus on rediscovering family stories, conducting informal interviews, interpreting and â€" recording materials; doing family research at libraries and archives; and writing a family history, beginâ€" ning a geneology, and displaying family furniture and antiques. The first stage will focus on giving museumâ€"grade care at home to heirloom papers, books, photos, furniture, texâ€" tiles, clothing and metalware; showing the benefits of conserâ€" vation principles and archival quality materials, and what to do with damaged heirlooms; and using the best photo albums, scrapbooks and framâ€" ing materials. Photographic Memory will teach individuals how to preâ€" serve their family memories in a twoâ€"day workshop called Preserving Your Family Heritage â€" Out of the Shoebox and Into the Limelight. Workshops dates are March 10 and Oct. 20 for stage one, and March 24 and Oct. 27 for stage two. Preserve memories FINANCING