Pulse Editor
Jacquelyn Lewis
Monday, December 9,2002
Oregon Daily Emerald
Inside
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worries to
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Page13A
Losing a
purr-feet refuge
Cat sanctuary The Ninth Life
will likely close this month
because of reduced donations
Jacquelyn Lewis
Pulse Editor
Leanne and Lorna Cook’s Pleasant Hill
house is bursting at the seams, but in a few
weeks, it might be completely empty.
A huge, shaggy dog guards the front door.
Inside the cluttered living room, countless
pairs of glowing eyes peer from beneath
blankets, under boxes and inside cages. Two
wiry-haired kittens skitter across the
kitchen floor.
The Cook sisters started their cat sanctu
ary, The Ninth Life, in 1992. The day they
opened their doors, stray and abandoned
cats began flooding in — and so did dona
tions. Cat Fancy magazine, as well as several
local newspapers, featured the sanctuary in
its pages, attracting individual and business
donors from all over the country.
Leanne Cook said the organization has
since found homes for 500 cats, most of
these near death or extremely “feral” (afraid
of humans) upon their arrival at the shelter.
They have also spayed and neutered more
than twice that many felines, with the help
of organizations such as the Feral Cat Coali
tion of Oregon (FCCO). In fact, the sisters
helped start the FCCO’s Eugene mobile spay
and neuter clinic five years ago.
These days, the Cooks said, the stream of
incoming felines remains steady. However,
the money has slowed to a trickle — so slug
gish, in fact, the shelter might be forced to
close for good.
“Before Sept. 11, we were getting about
$1,200 a month in donations,” Leanne
Cook said, stroking a wide-eyed orange
cat. “We went from $1,200 a month to
$200 a month.”
Both sisters have physical disabilities that
prevent them from working. Lorna Cook is
legally blind, while Leanne Cook injured her
back in a car accident in 1997. She later re
injured it after a fall in The Ninth Life’s res
cue room. Leanne and Loma Cook said their
financial situation has become so dire they
recently received an eviction notice.
The Cooks say they are not alone in their
struggles. Many organizations have experi
enced reduced funding post-Sept. 11, be
cause donors began pouring their resources
into charities closer to New York.
“Sept. 11 killed almost every nonprofit or
ganization,” Leanne Cook said. “You get to a
point where you have to say, ‘Stop. There’s
people and animals starving because all the
money is going to New York.’ You have to
keep the community going, too.”
Eugene resident and Stray Cat Alliance
founder Deanna Kuhn said her organization
has also experienced budgetary problems
this year.
“We’ve been okay, although we’ve been
strapped,” she said. “Sept. 11 has hurt be
cause people lose jobs — they don’t want to
give donations and they can’t afford to take
care of their own pets.”
Kuhn, a former FCCO coordinator, said
Eugene will likely feel the absence of The
Ninth Life deeply.
“I really think it’s a loss to the community
that they’re not going to bd able to contin
ue,” she said. “They’ve been a real life-saver.
We really believe in their mission.”
But Leanne Cook said The Ninth Life’s
mission has been fulfilled in many ways.
“We already made a huge difference,” she
said, noting that leukemia rates and unwant
ed litters have decreased throughout the
community since the sanctuary opened.
A tour of the grounds reveals some of the
fruits of this effort. Healthy and recuperating
cats fill every single room — 88 felines in all.
Cats peek out the windows of vehicles
parked on the acre of lawn. They weave
around Leanne Cook’s feet as she traverses
the terrain with her cane; they sniff hands in
the driveway, swish tails in the hall. Lorna
Leanne Cook cuddles with three of the 88 cats that share her home.
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name; they can tell a harrowing survivor sto
?ry for each cat. The sisters, along with
Leanne Cook’s caregiver, Jeannette Sleeper,
do a head count each night to make sure all
the cats are safe.
“These are our children,” Lorna
Cook said.
Many of these “children” will have to find
new homes when the sanctuary’s impending
closure comes to fruition.
The Cooks plan to hold an “adopt-a
thon,” where they will work for two days to
place 50 cats with permanent owners.
And what if all 50 cats aren’t adopted?
Some will go to Greenhill Humane Soci
ety, and the rest will return home with the
Cook sisters — wherever “home” might be.
“We’ll just keep struggling,” Lorna
Cook said.
In addition to the “adopt-a-thon,” Leanne
Cook said Petco is helping The Ninth Life
wun cat tooa aonauons.
Petco is also sponsoring the sanctuary
through their “Tree of Hope,” a program
where customers can purchase Christmas
trees for $2 to 810. Proceeds will be donated
to local charities, including The Ninth Life.
Leanne Cook said she will miss many
aspects of the sanctuary.
“Our very favorite part is when the phone
rings and people call to say, ‘This is the best
cat I’ve ever had,’” she said, with tears in her
eyes. “We take throwaways and turn them
into house cats. That’s why we do this — for
that one, stupid phone call.”
The Ninth Life is still seeking volunteers,
and its “adopt-a-thon” will take place Dec.
14 and 15 at The Cat’s Comer & More, locat
ed at 29th Avenue and Willamette Street,
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Contact the Pulse editor
atjacquelynlewis@dailyemerald.com.
‘Guide’ is conversation about sex
Book review
Mason West
Movies/Music/TV Columnist
When someone gets a book as a
present, the general response is: “Oh
...a book. How nice.” But if that book
happens to be the “Guide To Getting It
On,” the receiver will be bouncing off
the walls.
The following assumptions must be
made before continuing: Wanting to
know more about sexuality will not land
you in hell. People like being physically
intimate. Intimacy does not just mean
intercourse. Nobody knows everything
there is to know about sexuality. Still
with me? Good.
While “The Guide” could be written
off as a gag gift, much like a penis en
larger or cucumber vibrator (both of
which I have seen surprise unsuspecting
friends on birthdays), it’s no joke. The
700-page book presents an honest,
straightforward and extensive discus
sion about physical intimacy and all the
baggage that comes with it.
Its length may be more intimidating
than the subject matter, but “The
Guide” is divided into thematic chap
ters, such as “Balls, Balls, Balls” and
“Sex During Pregnancy,” to be used as
needed. However, some of the more
cryptic titles such as “Techno Breasts
and Weenie Angst” require a quick skim
to decode.
The book’s main point is that it’s
natural for people to be apprehensive
about their sexuality, and coming to
terms with it requires a lot of trust and
faith. Finding out what makes every
person tick (and writhe, and moan)
can only be done with a little show and
tell... or just go through the book with
a highlighter and discreetly slide it
someone’s way.
Though other self-help guides may
preach the same practice, “The Guide”
is different because it is an open con
versation with its readers. Author Paul
Joannides comes across as a friend
rather than a professional by avoiding
a stern, authoritative tone. He regular
ly admits his own uncertainties or
shortcomings, reinforcing the need for
sexual exploration.
In addition to his own honesty, Joan
nides includes letters and confessions
from readers (the book is in its third edi
tion) adding breadth and perspective.
These extra voices also help with the fe
male side of things. And for the hard to
please, “The Guide” recommends other
books and videos for further interest.
It’s stunning just how much Joannides
takes on. As mentioned before, one of the
chapters deals with sex during pregnan
cy. There are also chapters discussing sex
when disabled, homosexual relationships
and various kinky explorations.
Turn to Guide, page 14A
Copperfield brings
weak performance,
tricks to Eugene
Pulse review
Peter Hallinan
Fine Arts Columnist
He has escaped from Alcatraz, walked through the
Great Wall of China and made the Statue of Liberty dis
appear. And Wednesday night, David Copperfield
brought his world-class illusions to a packed audience at
the Hult Center.
Copperfield walked through a solid sheet of steel,
shrank to a foot in length and made 13 randomly select
ed people disappear. He performed the traditional “pick
a card, any card” routine, but with a twist — a deadly
scorpion found the chosen card. With audience mem
bers on stage, Copperfield magically produced a vintage
1950s convertible.
His magic was stunning, but his performance was
half-hearted. Copperfield rushed his lines, mumbled,
cracked weak jokes and tried to be hip when he is obvi
ously not. The magician still had that charismatic grin,
but there was no soul behind it; he looked like a man
who has spent too much time jumping in and out of
shiny boxes.
Turn to Copperfield, page 14A