ANDREA NIX stretches her arm over the side of her recliner and pushes the cloth-covered lever forward. The footrest pops upward, elevating her legs. She savors interactions with students, but this spot — and the menagerie of felines huddled against almost every inch of her blanket — is her happy place.
Although a self-proclaimed “crazy cat lady,” Nix also shows compassion toward baby bunnies nibbled by a friend’s barn cat, barely feathered baby birds, prairie dogs, and a host of other discarded, lonely, or ailing animals.
“Cats are amazing from the tips of their cute little ears to their precious little toe beans. I think anyone who says they hate cats has never gotten to know one. Their personalities are just as varied as people. Their purrs are soothing and healing. When a cat chooses to love you, it makes you feel like the most important person in the world,” Nix said.
Nix spent 27 years as an art teacher at Southside Elementary School (SES) and retired following the 2022-23 school year. But like her love for pets, her love for students led her back into the art room. She now co-teaches with Jo Jo Bills at Cascade High School. She has an adult son, Braden, and nine of her own cats, including a hairless Sphynx named Orion. In March 2024, she began fostering kittens through A Nutter Cat Rescue.
Her love of cats began as a child. “My first cat was a fluffy orange cat named Ginger. I didn’t realize until recently that female orange cats are pretty rare. But the pet who had the greatest impact on me was a beautiful long-haired Siamese named Simone. She adored me and followed me everywhere. She would paw at me to pick her up and laid across my shoulders. I still miss her.”
After moving into her own home, she adopted her first two cats from the Bedford County Animal Control. Because of her love for Simone, she longed for another Siamese.
“Luna captured my heart with her beautiful blue eyes. She is my diva. She would prefer to be the only cat if I would agree to get rid of the rest. Sol came the day after I brought Luna home. My son said she needed a friend. He’s a super friendly ginger.”
Orion, the Sphynx, is the only cat she paid for. Then came three siblings: Tilly, Jeffrey, and Jordy, rescued from starvation.
“Jeffrey is a FIP survivor. FIP is the feline version of the coronavirus, and until recently, it was always fatal. With the help of dear friends who raised the funds, I was able to pay for the very expensive medicine to save him. It took 84 injections, and he has some neurological side effects from the disease, but Jeffrey lived.”
A few of her cats were what she calls “foster fails.”
“Buff was from the first litter. He is a scaredy cat who will only let me touch him. Purrcey was a fluffy bottle baby that I couldn’t turn loose. He’s almost 13 pounds now, but still thinks he can fit in my pocket. Finally, Ernie is a polydactyl tuxedo cat. He is 8 years old and was with a lady in assisted living. When she was moved to a nursing home, he ended up with me. He’s just the sweetest old man. He lets me know when it’s time for bed with his deep ‘meow.’”
You wouldn’t expect a home ruled by felines to welcome rodents, but Nix has a soft spot for all creatures.
“I rehabilitated a baby rabbit found on the playground at SES and two baby mice whose mother met an unfortunate end. I saved the mice by feeding them kitten milk with a clean paintbrush. They lived for four years! At one time, I owned four prairie dogs. Lily was 10, which is quite old for a prairie dog, and Pip was 7 when he died from cancer. My remaining ‘babies’ live in two two-story ferret cages that are connected,” Nix said.
Her love of prairie dogs stems from the four summers she spent leading educational animal shows at schools and libraries across the Southeast.
Following the deadly flooding on July 4, Nix flew to Texas with Blake Nutter from A Nutter Cat Rescue. “The Lord commands us to love and help one another and to bear one another’s burdens. I knew I needed to heed that call to help people and animals displaced by flooding.”
The two ladies worked alongside Kerrville Pets Alive. “We were astonished at the amount of donated supplies sent from all over the country. Loads of pet food, cat litter, blankets, and other supplies were delivered one truckload after another.”
When Nix returned home, she and Nutter were featured on Channel 4 News. “Two hours after our first interview, Kerrville Pets Alive received a $10,000 donation from a group in Tennessee.”
In a house full of whiskers and wonder, Andrea Nix proves that love multiplies when you make room for others. GN
Follow A Nutter Cat Rescue on Facebook for more information.
