Purr-fectly Unprecedented for Cat Care Society: 2015 Tails of the Painted Cats Gala Dinner and Auction Passes the $100K Mark!

Cat Care Society's (CCS) Tails of the Painted Cats (TOPC) committee members are on Cloud 9, and rightfully so having orchestrated the organization's first benefit dinner raising more than $100,000, Saturday evening, October 10th, at Pinehurst Country Club.

The preliminary estimated total is $106,000 for the evening's itinerary of games, silent and live auctions, paddle raiser donations and new shelter cat-themed donation cards. And, the total will most likely climb higher for the event overall, when all the accounting details are finalized, which -- among other things -- includes donations by mail still coming in from those who were unable to attend the 2015 TOPC Gala Dinner and Auction.

Denver's 'Auctioneer Extraordinaire' Doug Tisdale returned for a third year to run the live auction, serving as a Siamese Savior event sponsor. Joining him on stage was 9News Reporter (and life-long cat lover) Steve Staeger as Master of Ceremonies.

Topping the winning bids for live auction painted cats was Africat by Jane McFadden Dorsey.

After a bidding war of the highest order, TOPC reached a new high for a single painted cat at an amazing $13,000. With the agreement of the winner and Dorsey, the runner up bidder is also going to be able to purchase their own Africat for $13,000 as well, which Dorsey will be creating during the next few months (before the sixth chapter of TOPC 2017 commences shortly after the first of the year).

Our appreciation to Jane McFadden Dorsey for her dedication to CCS and TOPC. This is the second year in a row that she is creating a duplicate painted cat as top bid Live Auction artist. Last year, the top bid on a painted cat was $5,000 for Richard Parker, also created by Dorsey, and she created a second upon agreement of the winning bidder.

In addition, Africat received the People's Choice Award (based on voting by the People of Denver during the 2015 TOPC Summer Tour). As the artist, Dorsey, received a gift card to Piatti Ristorante in Cherry Creek. Piatti is a multi-year donor of the People's Choice gift card and a multi-year participant in the CCS Feasting For Felines program. Piatti's owner is an adopter of a CCS shelter kitty.

The remaining Live Auction painted cats yielded the following top bids: Route 66 by Wendy M. Luck, $7,000; La Catrina by Amanda S. R. Salazar, $4,000; Lil Ms. Sunshine by Ella Buchholz, $2,500; and Botani-Cat by Jody Rigsby, $2,100. If you're calculating, yes, the TOPC Live Auction cats provided a mind-boggling $41,600 for the CCS shelter cats and community outreach programs. Stopping here, we must mention how grateful we are for this amazing infusion of funds now available to help CCS and its mission helping cats!

The Live Auction also awarded two trips for a South African Photo Safari at the Zulu Nyala luxury resort and a demo painting by Botani-Cat Artist Jody Rigsby. Plus, not to be done yet, five high bidders received $100 gift cards to these beloved area restaurants during the Live Auction: Elway's, ChoLon, Cru Wine Bar, 240 Union and Bonefish Grill.

In the Silent Auction, four painted cats received Buy It Now (BIN) purchases: Cosmos Cat by Barb Benik; Eva Diva, Jane McFadden Dorsey; Cat Scan, Cortnye Rusch; and Typurrgraphy, Amanda S. R. Salazar. Flat cat 'Three Little Kittens' by Shirlee Akemi Miyake received a BIN and these five Clay Cats also received BINs: Black Cat Vase By Barbara Donovan, Raku Cat Moon Bowls By Diane DeBaun, Cat Pasta Bowl By Mara, Big Blue Cat Bowl By Melony Sawyer and Tuxedo Cat Covered Jar By Bette Rehner.

This year's winner of the Raffle Cat, Dale Cat-Huly by Carla Pawlewicz, was long-time CCS Volunteer Kay Higgins.

In addition to Tisdale & Associates, LLC, event sponsors included: Lakewood Arts Council Gallery, Main Street Fine Art in Evergreen and Art of Life Gallery, LLC. Gala centerpieces were again provided by Dave Barnes of Scenographics in Denver.

Working on the event for over a year now, the committee (including, in alphabetical order, CCS Volunteer Marsha Crest, CCS Board VP Clyde Dawson, CCS Volunteer Coordinator and TOPC Program Coordinator and Artist Jane McFadden Dorsey, Helen Hanks, CCS Advisory Board Member Maggie Holben, Committee Chair and CCS Volunteer Kathy Husband, CCS Volunteer Jeannie Menor, CCS Volunteer and TOPC Artist Carla Pawlewicz, CCS Director of Outreach Suellen Scott and Jane Young), plus a bevy talented Denver area artists, event and artist sponsors, and CCS volunteers held the TOPC Gala Dinner and Auction at Pinehurst Country Club for a third year. This was the fifth year for TOPC event, which has now produced 106 of the colorful, uniquely themed fiberglass cats, that the community only seems to grow fonder of as time moves on.

In addition to funds raised surpassing all expectations this year, attendance at the Gala also grew to over 200 guests for the first time.

Supporters for the cause included: Linda and Jack Robinson, Lynn Brevard and Michelle Brevard, Harold & Christina Taylor, Tracey McCullough, Steve Holben, Sheree Reiners, Paul and Victoria Brown, Marty and CCS President Gail Tinianow, Barbara Dawson (who again played the piano during the cocktail reception), Steve and Dayna Drown, Warren Hanks, Stephanie DeGraff Bender, Andria Kennoy, and Melissa and Michael McClure. Other CCS board members attending included Treasurer Marggie Dassler, Director Linda Brandon with husband Mark, Director and Golf Tournament Coordinator Ken Dobrovolny with wife Jackie, Director Michael Gawell and guest Dr. Karen Larson, and Advisory Board Member Kim Sporrer and guest Kat Burns. New CCS Shelter Manager Heather Allen was also in attendance.

The TOPC Gala Dinner and Auction is not returning until 2017 -- the exact date is still pending. Artist recruitment will begin shortly after the first of the year.

If you are interested in being a Tails of the Painted Cats artist in the future, contact Jane Dorsey for more information at: jdorsey@catcaresociety.org or 303.239.9680, ext. 16.

For links to view the 2011-15 TOPC painted cats, visit http://www.catcaresociety.org/how-to-help/tails-of-the-painted-cats-gala-dinner-and-auction.

Link to view the 2015 Video Gallery Slide Show

Link to view the 2015 Facebook Photo Album

Please note: design of the Tails of the Painted Cats is a trademark of the state of Colorado and all rights associated with this trademark extend until October 18, 2016.