Clody Cates – Dear Liza

KITTENS!!

September 14, 2025

Dear Liza,

The kittens have arrived!!

Rescued by Northwest Animal Companions, reared by Enid Traisman, and introduced to us by Clody Cates at Gifty Kitty, Moxie ( the faded calico) and her sister Molly ( the grey tiger) have come to live with us!

As they got to know the house, Moxie lived up to her name by going everywhere all at once., stopping for just a moment to say hello to our resident stufftie, Harold.

On the other hand, Molly found the third floor first, passing Paris on the way.

And once we were all in the master bedroom (known for now as Kitten Central) Grandpa Nelson discovered the joys of Cat Fishing! It’s nice to see Mouse’s favorite toys being played with again.

And it wasn’t long before they wore themselves out, and us, too. Total cuteness overload as they fell asleep in an adorable kitten curlicue.

I will keep you posted on all the Kitten Adventures as they play out.

Love,

Grandma Judy

A Chilly Night in the Mississippi

Dear Liza,

We are expecting a full on snow storm, and last night the temperature was nearing freezing. So, (of course), we went out. Our first priority was dinner, and we tried Mississippi Pizza. Their gluten free crust is crisp and delicious, and their garlic and onion pizza has made us vampire proof. It was amazing.

The pizza shop is also a music venue and comedy club, and has all sorts of smaller rooms and hallways. The decor is chaotic and fun and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Mississippi Pizza was perfect because our goal for the evening was GiftyKitty, which is just up the street. GiftyKitty is the delightful store run by Clody Cates, Bridgett’s business cohort. She was having a “Meowgical Forest” display in her shop. This was part of Portland’s Festival of Light. All sorts of art that glow under black light were being featured, and that sounded too good to miss.

The street was nearly empty because of the cold, and the storefront was very dark. That’s because the interior was only lit with the black lights that make the art glow. Once inside, though, the effect was , well, “meowgical”.

We walked around and gawked as Clody told about all the artists. Eventually, we had to brave the cold, get back to the car, and head home.

It’s amazing what’s out there, if you just put on the big coat!

Love,

Grandma Judy

GiftyKitty

Dear Liza,

There is a new store here in Portland, and Auntie Bridgett took me to see it!

Clody Cates and her business partner Larry host this visually delightful shop at 3719 North Mississippi Avenue in North Portland. GiftyKitty is a labor of love that was conceptualized and designed by Clody, and their tagline, “Changing the world one cat at a time” cracks me up.

I was impressed, first, by the largest features of the decor. The giant Alice in Wonderland-style house along the back wall gives the whole place a fabulous air of silliness.

The wonderful manzanita shelving, built by Oakland based designer Cameron Kephart, is wonky and perfect. Cameron also worked closely with Clody on the design and creation of the whole space, as well as the up-cycled glass and wood displays that hold more treasures.

Then, I got to focus on the delights of the treasures themselves and was stunned by the variety and quality of them. There were large glass mosaics, aprons, paintings, carvings, and books, mostly made by local artists.

We saw old friends from the SideStreet Arts Gallery. Painted plaques by Amelia Opie…..