When the employees at Tara's of Hilton Head began feeding a stray cat a couple of years ago, they couldn't have known that he'd become a fixture at Fountain Center, or that they'd play a role in sending the beloved feline on the adventure of a lifetime. Maybe they should have suspected, considering that the stray seemed to have no trouble charming his way into the hearts of the humans around him.

John and Amelie Ratliff — the father-daughter musical duo that comprises Strings for Strays — first got the idea to raise money for shelter animals a year ago, shortly after adopting the family's latest four-pawed member, Cosmo the pug, from Hilton Head Humane Association.

In 2006, a small group of Daufuskie Island residents banded together to deal with a growing population of feral cats living in appalling conditions and becoming a nuisance for residents and businesses. The large number of cats lacked the care and attention that we felt they deserved. We decided to take action on this shameful situation. 

Tony Crosby of Hilton Head Island walks his dogs every morning. A few years ago, he noticed he kept seeing kittens that were obviously feral. So he started feeding them.

“There would be more and more cats and kittens, so I added a second feeding location. Then a third,” said Crosby, a hair stylist and makeup artist at Tara’s salon. “I went to Franny Gerthoffer, executive director of the Hilton Head Humane Association, and said, 'I see all of these events to help dogs. What about the cats? No one thinks about the cats.’ ”

Hilton Head resident Lisa Cleaver spent seven years helping her mother fight cancer, and when she lost that battle, Cleaver was lost as well. Luckily, a Crash saved her.

“I’m a psychotherapist, but I know that grief is a grand leveler. You respond to grief just like everybody else. I knew I needed to have a special soul and spirit to take care of — and that was Crash,” says Cleaver of her 3-year-old Mal-Shi, a Maltese and Shih Tzu mix. “Crash is such an uplifting, loving spirit, I can’t even call him a dog. I call him Crash of God. He really saved me from crashing and burning.”

If it involves training, showing, grooming or boarding dogs, Janet Rahn has done it.

She had a pet and grooming store on Hilton Head for 20 years before selling it in the 1990s.

She traveled the world with Purina’s Performance Agility Team. When an injury sidelined that endeavor, she quickly found the next one.

Now, she crisscrosses the country with show dogs as their handler.

Hilton Head Monthly's 2015 Cutest Pets

Hundreds of readers sent in photos of their cute pets for our annual “Cutest Pets” issue. This year’s contest was decided by the number of “likes” each photo got on our Facebook page. In a heated battle, the adorable Monster won with 415 “likes,” beating out the super cute Goose who had 357 “likes.” The victory prize for Monster was a special package from Tail Wiggles, sponsor of the contest. /p>

HOW TO PUT THE BRAKES ON PET CAR SICNKESS

By Kim Salerno

Many of us plan on hitting the road with our pets this month for a little summer fun. However, for some four-legged family members, road trips can mean upset tummies.

That feeling of dread when you realize you cannot take your pet on vacation with you. The worrying about who will take care of your four-legged friend, handle an emergency and ensure your pet gets enough daily exercise. Don’t sweat it! Evergreen Pet Lodge is the perfect spot for your furry friend while you are away.  No need to sit around on your vacation stressing about it.