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No toys, please
 Meredith Ghizzoni poses with Yoda the cat Saturday at the Attleboro home of Angelcat Haven co-operator Angela Frankudakis with some of the cat food she received for her eighth birthday instead of getting conventional gifts. The
food was donated to the 3-month-old nonprofit cat shelter operated out of Plainville by Frankudakis and Rose Gates. (Staff photo by MIKE GEORGE)
Top Headlines When it was time for Meredith Ghizzoni's eighth birthday party, the invitations went out and a simple request was made: Please, no toys. Instead, Ghizzoni requested that her guests - 12 of her best girlfriends - each bring a bag of cat food for a planned donation at a local feline shelter. "I love cats. They're funny," Ghizzoni said. "And I have too many toys." On Saturday, Meredith and her mom, Lindsay Ghizzoni, brought the 12 bags of cat food to one of the foster homes of Angelcat Haven, a 3-month-old nonprofit cat shelter operated out of Plainville (the Ghizzonis' hometown) by Angela Frankudakis and Rose Gates. Angelcat Haven, according to its brochure, was formed to help save a 4-month-old stray kitten named Maddie, who was turned away from other shelters because of her extensive physical injuries. Although Maddie unfortunately did not recover from her health problems, Frankudakis and Gates wanted to create a haven for other cats when shelters weren't able to keep them. "It just kind of happened to us," Frankudakis said. "We're here to catch what falls through the cracks. We help where we can." The shelter is serving mainly parts of Bristol and Norfolk counties, but has transported cats from Worcester and as far away as New Hampshire and Connecticut. Right now, they have 12 cats and are very proud to announce they placed six cats into adoptive homes last week. The shelter hopes to work hard in areas where other shelters find their resources strained, including spay and neuter programs, and developing community trap and rescue programs. Right now they're looking for volunteers and donations, and more people like the Ghizzonis. "I think Meredith is absolutely amazing," Frankudakis said. "To do something so unselfish and so kind is pretty unbelievable." Meredith's generous spirit wasn't news to her mother, although some of the guests' mothers were a little skeptical. "I really had one mother call me and said, 'Meredith doesn't want gifts?'," Lindsay Ghizzoni said. "To be honest, Meredith didn't surprise me, but I think it's pretty amazing." For more information about Angelcat Haven, visit www.angelcathaven.com.
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