🏆 Cat People of the Month: The Two Crazy Cat Ladies

Our Cat Persons of the Month are Jae Kennedy & Adrienne Lefebvre!

When Jae Kennedy and Adrienne Lefebvre met, they both had cats – but still considered themselves ‘dog people’. However, as time passed, more cats just kept coming to them. For example, they found and rescued two kittens that had been dumped in a plastic bag on a Tennessee riverbank, and found another under a stack of pallets at a job site. One showed up in their backyard and refused to leave until he was welcomed into their home. As their family grew, so too did their desire to give their cats a good life.

When one of their cats contracted the feline leukemia virus, Jae and Adrienne researched ways to help. Having worked in the pet nutrition industry for many years, they knew there must be something that could help. However, they couldn’t find any resources that specifically helped cats.

In 2015, they trademarked the name Two Crazy Cat Ladies – to become the nutrition resource for cats they so yearned to find.

Today, they spend every day researching cat-specific solutions for health and happiness and share the information they learn with their community of cat parents on many social media platforms. This includes their Two Crazy Cat Ladies website and blog – along with a podcast called, “Back In The Closet” (and literally broadcasted from their closet).

Mewla: Jae and Adrienne, it’s so great to meet you! Finding two kittens left at a Tennessee River bank in a plastic bag must have been horrifying. By any chance, could Friday and Zorro, the two gorgeous black cats in the photo below, happen to be the two that you rescued there?

Jae: No… the kittens rescued from the Tennessee riverbank were Mama and Blue (sisters). That was over 20 years ago and they’ve both transitioned. 🙏🏼

Friday and Zorro were born from a feral cat in Illinois that a follower of ours named Paula was slowly trying to rescue from her yard. The pregnancy is what finally got the feral cat inside her home. She had four kittens in March 2018, but Paula couldn’t keep them and the shelters were full. Another follower of ours said she’d drive from California to Illinois to get the kittens, and that she’d take the gray and white pair if we’d take the black pair. We said yes, thinking she really wouldn’t go, but she did! She drove back through Vegas and brought Zorro and Friday to us!

Mewla: What a sweet story! I’m glad that so many kitties ended up with you, one way or another!

You two have been running your own website and blog for quite some time. What was your original intention when you started on social media, and did your focus change over time?

We knew from the beginning that social media was where the attention is – and where we’d be able to create community and reach more people – so we actually started our Facebook and YouTube channels before our website even launched.

Our motto has always been to “Learn, Share & Grow”, so our goal is and has been to learn everything we can about how to help cats live their longest, healthiest, and happiest lives and then share what we learn with the beautiful community of cat parents. We’ve now expanded this community into Instagram, TikTok, and podcasting as well.

Mewla: Wow! You two are busy! I’m curious about your background in pet food. How did that influence the choices you make for your cats?

Jae: We started working in pet nutrition in 2005 with my family business. We learned a lot about the pet food industry and the often scary ingredients that go into commercial pet foods. We immediately switched our cats to foods made by smaller, more trustworthy sources. After starting our venture as the Two Crazy Cat Ladies and learning more about felines’ nutritional requirements, our cats are now on a balanced, species-appropriate raw food diet.

Mewla: It’s sad that some cheap pet foods can contain more soybean meal, cereal, grain byproducts, and preservatives than meat!

I recall that some of your nutrition research was spurred by your kitty who suffered from Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and that this led you to discover FeLV support. How does the Feline Leukemia kit work?

Jae: What’s funny is that when we reached out to our holistic animal scientist in Oklahoma (the same one we’d worked with for 10 years via my family business) and asked if he had anything to help feline ailments, he was OVER-THE-MOON excited. He had rescued over 100 cats himself and was making natural formulas to help nurse them back to health. He created the formulas we now have in our Fleck Kit to save their lives. And it continues to do so for our customers by fighting the virus in the GI tract and building the immune system naturally.

Mewla: Awww. Your sweet kitty’s life was not in vain. I know FeL V+ cats cat parents out there will be excited to know about your FeLeuk Kit.

You summarize your research quite nicely for viewers on your website and videos. Likewise, you encourage cat caretakers to do web research on how to best care for their cats. What are some of your go-to sites for information?

Jae: It’s amazing to see more feline-focused resources become available over the past few years – and it’s tough to pick any favorites. We’ve learned so much from some of the most renowned holistic and integrative veterinarians, herbalists, and pet health professionals like Dr. Karen Becker, Dr. Judy Morgan, Dr. Odette Suter, Dr. Katie Woodley, Rita Hogan… There are MANY more, however, and they write as well as create content online for all pet parents to learn from.

Mewla: Thanks! That’s a great list! I also had a question on behalf of the cat caretakers we know who have limited funds. Do you have advice for cat parents who can only afford dry cat food?

Adrienne: Absolutely! Studies show that simply replacing a tiny portion of processed foods with fresh food can reduce disease markers by up to 90%!!! When you’re cooking for your family, gently cook some chicken, beef, broccoli, etc., and add it to your cats’ meals!

Mewla: That’s a fantastic idea. We do that occasionally but I’m going to make a point of sharing more. We’ve also been careful to make sure that the food we share doesn’t contain anything that can harm cats (like onions or garlic). I’ve also heard you talk about the importance of wet cat food in helping to keep cats hydrated. Some people add water to dry cat food. Can that help?

Adrienne: Moisture is so important for our cats because they are desert animals and have a low thirst drive. Adding water or bone broth to kibble can definitely help their hydration.

Mewla: Good to know – I appreciate all of this great information. And I have to say, your cats are absolutely gorgeous. Do they run your household?

Adrienne: ONE THOUSAND PERCENT. We do not own cats. They own us… and just let us live here. And thank you, we feel lucky to have such beautiful babes. 😊

Mewla: lol. I have one last question: Can you tell us about a funny habit of one of your cats?

Jae: All of our cats are a bit quirky, but Madison Grace is our 3-year-old calico queen and thinks she’s a parrot whenever Adrienne is around. As soon as Adrienne walks into the room, Maddie jumps on her back and climbs onto her shoulder or head – and stays there until required to move.

Mewla: That’s one heavy parrot, lol! Sounds like Madison Grace loves Adrienne very much! This has been so much fun, ladies. Thank you again for sharing about your accumulated cat knowledge and beautiful cats!

Okay, folks, if you’d like to connect with the Two Crazy Cat Ladies, check out their sites at:

Jae Kennedy & Adrienne Lefebvre blog is at: TwoCrazyCatLadies.com
Two Crazy Cat Ladies, visit Meet the Ladies – Two Crazy Cat Ladies

Check out their helpful tips on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube lives at…

Please leave your comments and questions about

the Two Crazy Cat Ladies article below.

Mary Tan

October 3, 2023 at 10:01 pm

I just love Jae and Adrienne! Thank you so much for featuring them.

Mewla
October 30, 2023 at 3:51 pm

Thank you, Mary! It was so fun to feature them.

Leah

October 3, 2023 at 12:56 am

Great article, Mewla! Rescuing kitties and researching important information on feline nutrition are important efforts indeed! Wonderful accomplishments!