It turns out that Donald Tardy, the drummer for pioneering death metal band Obituary, runs a unique charity with his wife when he's not out laying waste to eardrums across the globe. The name of the charity? Metal Meowlisha.
According to the Metal Meowlisha webpage, the focus of the charity is on caring for and controlling the feral cat population in Florida. Tardy and his wife dedicate their time to trapping, sterilizing, and then returning feral cats to the wild in an effort to curb the growth of the population. They also care for any sick and injured felines they find while on their daily patrols of feral cat colonies in their community. The Metal Meowlisha pursues a no-kill ideology, and whenever possible the couple, in cooperation with local clinics and veterinarians, attempts to nurse ailing cats back to health.
Anyone who's interested in donating to the Metal Meowlisha can find a number of options on the charity's webpage. But, if you'd like to donate to a good cause while also enjoying an evening of awesome heavy metal and BBQ (and you live in the Tampa, FL area), grab tickets to Metal Meowlisha IV: A Headbangers Furball. For just $10 you can see 9 bands including Terrorizer and Exhumed, and you can eat delicious, slow cooked meat served up by Obituary's guitarist Trevor Peres. All proceeds go directly to Metal Meowlisha, and if you bring a can of cat food to donate you get a dollar off the admission price.
Honestly, the $10 price tag is a bargain just to see Terrorizer and Exhumed perform, but you'll also be helping a good cause in the process. If you live in Tampa and are free Saturday December 21st, head over to The Brass Mug and headbang to help kitty cats.
Photo courtesy of Metal Meowlisha Facebook
