Joy Mattice, kind cat lady of NoMi
(Photo by John Hoff)
Janet Joy Mattice -- who goes by "Joy," most of the time -- has spent many years in the real estate biz. I met Joy through a would-be real estate deal that didn't go through, but at least I had the Joy of knowing Joy.
Joy's real passion is the welfare of animals, in particular cats. The mortgage meltdown has thrown many people out of homes, and this disruption of the social fabric keeps rolling downhill until it hits hard the most helpless in our society: poor dumb animals.
Joy goes around North Minneapolis (NoMi) with "live traps" and captures roaming felines. She puts out food for the felines until they can be live trapped. She then takes steps to assure the felines go to "no kill" shelters and are adopted. Joy has also done things for non-feline animals.
When I ran into Joy a couple weeks ago, she told me about shelling out more than $6,000 to take care of about half a dozen young pit bulls. These were her own personal funds. Joy doesn't have a non-profit but she is happy to accept donations, including donations of cat food. She also told me about the time she rescued a guinea pig which somebody had just put in an alley in North Minneapolis -- cage and all -- and left to die.
I asked Joy if she was wearing a real fur coat, and Joy responded, "REAL people wear FAKE fur."
If you know of stray cats, give the critters a break and call Joy instead of Animal Control. The odds of a cat being adopted in a so-called "shelter" are about as good as your odds of winning at pull tabs. Here is Joy's contact info to give her cat information or to arrange for a donation:
Janet Joy Mattice
11200 Commerce Drive North
Champlin, Minnesota 55316-3166
Phone number 763-569-5661
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Comments
Joy Matice " the cat lady "
i have known Joy now for about 3 years and what she does is either crazy or amazing.. She spends more thatn she actually has on either food, gas to feed over 200 cats a day. She also gives food to owners who have none for their 4 legged critters. She also pays for those who can not afford to fix their 4 legged critters on occassion. Joy's dedication to feeding her 200 critters a day is just mind boggling to me along with her passion to do this for around 40 years now. If anyone with an extra ( 1 ) dollar or more can help her, i know Joy would just feel so blessed for her critters and that some one cares out there for what she does ea and everyday. These cats live in alley's and abandan houses that renters and home owners leave when they move or who do not get their animals fixed and they go in heat and they kick them out. So please give if you can.. Nancy
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