We sat down with Ann Marie Itamura, Cat Town volunteer and 2023 T-Shirt design contest winner, to learn more about her craft and her involvement in the community. Her “All Things Cat Town” design has already proven to be quite popular, and we’re doubly excited that it was created by someone who knows each of the cats featured in the new shirt. Take it away, Ann Marie!
Cat Town: Have you always loved cats, and do you have any at home?
Ann Marie: Yes! When I was growing up, my family had a dog. I got on the family computer and made powerpoint presentations about why we should get a cat, explaining the things I'd do to take care of them and how responsible I’d be. I was 7 years old.
We got a cat when I turned 8 — and it turns out, I was NOT responsible (haha). In fact, I was actually allergic to cats. I'm still allergic, but now I take allergy medicine. Why deprive myself of one of my favorite joys? When I was 12, I volunteered at Valley Humane Society. I took care of a cat for a week through their Critter Camp, and we ended up adopting him as well.
Right now, I have one cat, Tilly, and I started fostering for Cat Town in 2021. Ben and Jerry were my first fosters, and I helped other Forgotten Kittens before they came to the Adoption Center — like our herby girls (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme), who had a medical scare while at the shelter and needed urgent placement.
CT: How did you come up with the design for "All Things Cat Town”?
AM: I was thinking about how many pictures I have of all the cats at Cat Town, and how many of those cats make the experience of being there so rewarding. With the theme of “Community” in mind, I thought, “The cats are our community too!”
I also wanted to include the ways we interact — like the toys that volunteers bring in, and the Party Mix treats we give guests to give to the cats when they’re sleepy in the afternoon. I have a video of Sage running toward the big windows, and then the other cats running after her to look at the pigeons outside.
There are just so many little pieces that make Cat Town a wonderful place to be. I tried to put all those things into my design.
“There are just so many little pieces that make Cat Town a wonderful place to be. I tried to put all those things into my design.”
Ann Marie offers Padrick a treat at our Adoption Center. Photo by David Yeung.
CT: Can you tell us a little about the other volunteer work you've done for Cat Town?
AM: I made a cat bed for Cat Town after talking with staff about how some of the beds were looking well-loved (and weren't that cute anymore). I learned that Cat Town tries not to waste anything, so I repurposed an old bed and used all of its materials to make a new one. I made Rosemary a tiny pillow too, and just loved seeing her use it. I know the cats aren't using what I've made to be nice to me — they're using them because they like them.
Jerry snoozes in a cat bed made by Ann Marie.
I also took on a project to fix the upholstery on the chairs. I noticed the seams bursting on some of the chair covers, and saw staff struggling to get them on after they'd shrunk from countless washings. I was like — I have a sewing machine, and know how to do this. If it makes anything about the experience better for everyone, why not ask if I can try to help? I let out the seams, and everyone was so appreciative of the difference it made!
I'm planning my next Cat Town project right now: touching up the paint on the mini buildings in the big room at the Adoption Center! The cats put a lot of wear and tear on those buildings, and I have the time to give them some extra TLC.
“If it makes anything about the experience better for everyone, why not ask if I can try to help?”
CT: What type of creative projects do you like best?
AM: I like to paint... walls and furniture (haha). But in all seriousness, I never really took up what people might consider "traditional" art, like oil painting, but I LOVE crafts and interior design. It feels so good to enhance a space, and I take inspiration from design work I see around me. I also watch interior design shows and YouTube videos.
I love making things from fabric. Anything you can sew, I've attempted. I've sewn a lot of cat beds, and I made Tilly little blankets, pillows, and sheets for her tiny IKEA bed. I find it so satisfying when she actually uses it like a bed! I've embroidered a couple of collars for Tilly too.
I only recently picked up illustration during the pandemic. I started painting watercolors of my cat after he passed away in 2020, which was therapeutic. I've tried my hand at linocut prints too. The process of carving the stamps makes a huge mess — much to the dismay of my partner. Almost all of my watercolors and prints are cat portraits.
CT: What inspired you to learn sewing and craftwork?
AM: My mom used to make my sister and I very elaborate Halloween costumes. She'd be up sewing at 1am the night before to finish them. When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to make a costume for one of the school plays, and she helped me with that. Then I picked up loom work, knitting, and crochet. After college I got access to a sewing machine again, and got back into sewing. I made quilts for cats — my own and other people's cats — and started making my own clothes.
CT: Do you have a favorite project in your portfolio?
AM: I did a lot of DIY for my wedding last year, which was so fulfilling. I made my own wedding dress, and I bought a plain veil, then handsewed little pieces of my mom's veil onto mine. Our wedding was in my mom's backyard, and we planted plants a year in advance to create beautiful landscaping. I made our invitations and save-the-dates, and created our floral arrangements with my sister and cousin. It felt incredible to make the vision my partner and I had a reality.
CT: What are you currently working on?
AM: For every finished project I have two other unfinished projects. Everything is a work in progress. There's lots of ongoing little things that I work on every day, while finishing small projects in between. My current big project is restoring some antique furniture my aunt and uncle handed down to me!
CT: Do you have any advice for artists looking to get more involved with their community?
AM: There are more creative opportunities as a volunteer than I ever thought! My advice is to get to know an organization doing something you care about, and then offer to help with the things you're good at.
I didn't realize that using my arts and crafts for Cat Town would be so beneficial and helpful. I never would have expected crafting to make a big impact on cat rescue, but I got involved, and in doing so, I learned about those needs. Usually this type of support isn't something that's explicitly written out, but if you have the skills to make and repair things, you can see the little things and address them. In my experience, those projects have been deeply appreciated.
“My advice is to get to know an organization doing something you care about, and then offer to help with the things you're good at.”
Ann Marie and fellow volunteer Laurie pose in their “All Things Cat Town” T-shirts. Photo by David Yeung.