Eight years ago this month, West Seattle's Judith (Escano) Davis, the "ultimate cat lady" as she was known to friends, and perhaps, felines, was stalking stray cats to rescue when the former High Point public-housing project was being bull-dozed. Well over 100 cats lived under the homes there, hiding during the day and coming out at night to hunt for food. The cats were trapped as the houses were surrounded by a chain-link fence, and some stayed put to protect their kittens.

Davis, director of the West Seattle-based cat-rescue group Friends of the Animals Foundation, or FAF, had lived in the High Point since 1991. "They've gotten used to the sound of my truck," said Davis in a Seattle Times article on July 5, 2003. "They know it means food."

She humanely trapped and rescued many of the cats, both the former house pets left by vacated residents, and feral felines.

Davis died last May 28. She was 66.

West Seattle's Teri Ensley of the popular Furry Faces Foundation that helps cat-owners who have financial challenges with food and veterinarian care, volunteered for six years with Davis before starting her Foundation in March, 2006. Ensley is now helping to organize to host the gathering for "Celebrating Judith's Life".

CELEBRATION:

Date: July 23rd
Time: 2 pm - 4:30 pm
Location: Big Al's Brewing Company Tasting Room
Address: 9832 14th Ave SW
Website: http://www.bigalbrewing.com
Phone: 206-453-4487

"We encourage people to bring their stories about Judith and photos of the cats and kittens they adopted from her," said Ensley. "Everyone will have an opportunity to help create a collage of cats, kittens, written words, etc., around a photo of Judith. This collage will go home with Judith's daughter and son.

"She was an important person to the community," said Ensley. "She taught me a lot about humane trapping of feral cats."

Dr. Timothy Kraabel, Lien Animal Clinic:

"We knew her through the (FAF) organization, said Dr. Timothy R. Kraabel, who operates Lien Animal Clinic just west of the Alaska Junction with his wife, Dr. Elizabeth A. Fritzler.

"Judith was really good at knowing how to spread her funds around to try to take care of as many creatures as she could with little available backing," said Kraabel, a Vashon Island resident. "We took care of the really ill animals she had. She also had a really good veterinarian at the (Seattle Animal) Shelter who spayed and neutered. She had theories about why certain diseases might happen, how she looked at upper respiratory infection, and how she could avoid her population being effected. She tried to think of her rescued cats a group as well as individuals.

"I always enjoyed how committed she was to the kitties," he added. "She could walk into a room with 30 cats and she'd know every nuance about how each cat was behaving and what was wrong with them. When she got sick, I think part of her therapy was taking care of the kitties."

Friend Jan Thompson:

"I met Judith about 12 years ago when my family decided it was time to adopt a cat," said her dear friend, Jan Thompson, a Highland Park resident for 38 years. "We checked out the cats at the Friends of Animals Foundation and Judith happened to be there. We hit it off. Something about us clicked, and were friends ever since.

"I think that Judith's passing is a great loss to the West Seattle community and to the animals in the area. She was smart, funny, and totally devoted to her volunteer work. She was the epitome of volunteer. I began volunteering for her, too. I have never met anybody more dedicated to the care and well being of animals than Judith. Judith's laugh should go done in history.

"After we adopted the first cat from Judith we adopted two more," Thompson added. Then Judith had this really darling little gray and white tabby so small and sick. Judith took care of her and set her in a little shoe box and didn't expect her to live through the night and when she woke up the next morning this kitten was alive and bright. Judith named her Hope. She brought Hope over to us while she was bottle feeding her and knew my husband would just melt and would want to keep that cat. That was six years ago."

Son Jason & daughter Paula:

"She really was selfless when it came to cats," said her son Jason Oehler, 42. "Countless times she'd stay up all night with a feral baby cat. When I came back from serving in the Army in Desert Storm, that's when I really learned about all the things my mom was doing. She didn't have a ton of money coming in and frankly the money she did get she'd spend on cats. If she won the lottery she'd probably live in the same small apartment and take care of more cats in the community."

Judith lived with her daughter, Paula, on Delridge, where they survived a serious apartment fire four years ago.

"Three of my mom's kitties she had for a long time were killed in that fire," said Paula. "She never was quite the same after the fire. That really did something to her."