01/15/2025
In memory of Judith Ann McCullough, creator of Blue Rat / Ratherbee Catnip. She was a generous donor to Save The Animals Foundation fundraisers, and a very kind, loving woman. She was a vegetarian who loved all animals and the natural world. Condolences to her family and friends.
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/judith-mccullough-obituary?id=57199232
Judith Ann McCullough of Hatboro, PA passed away suddenly on Monday, December 30th, 2024. She was born in Philadelphia on April 1st, 1954 to William Thomas McCullough and Dolores Quaccia. She is survived by her spouse, Jay Anderson, her brother Thomas McCullough, sister Susan McCullough, as well as her niece Christine Black, nephews James McCullough, and Thomas McCullough, four great nieces, and one great nephew.
Judy was charitable and entrepreneurial from an early age. At the age of 8, inspired by local children's TV personality, Sally Starr's call to action, she and some of her friends planned and staged a successful backyard street carnival to raise money for The Muscular Dystrophy Fund, getting their names in the paper in the process.
While in her twenties, she ventured out on her own and bought a small house in rural north central PA with no electricity or running water. Surrounded by strip mines and vast expanses of open field and forest, she lived there by herself, often trekking around the area all day, hunting far and wide for certain wild plants to gather and sell.
She eventually returned to the Bucks/Montgomery County area where she was raised, and after many years toiling in factories, print shops and greenhouses, among other jobs, Judy created her own successful manufacturing business making imaginative, high quality catnip toys for cats, which are sold in stores throughout the country. Her company, Blue Rat, was born out of her deep love for plants and animals. She was an innovator who pioneered several aspects of the cat toy business, implementing ideas and techniques which are now common, industry-wide standard practices. Her most popular original creation, the El Gato Catnip Cigar, has been widely imitated, with upwards of a dozen copy-cats flooding the market at one point.
Judy was a talented, emotional musician who loved classical music and Motown groups from an early age, and later was inspired by everything from The Beatles, David Bowie and Genesis to traditional Indian music. She would often improvise her own expressive music that conjured visions of mysterious, faraway places, sounding as if it was being pulled through the mists of time for a fleeting moment before disappearing into the ether once more. Judy was also a talented visual artist; her big, bold, expressionistic paintings are vibrant and colorful, just like her personality.
A fierce advocate for nature, Judy believed in the magic and mystery of the natural world and that we could gather wisdom and friendship from the plants and animals around us. She nurtured plants, fed the birds and created homes for the frogs, ducks and many other animals who visited and made her yard their home. She was a knowledgable herbalist who could craft cures and remedies from any number of plants, often collected and harvested from her own property.
Judy strove for a peaceful world and believed that "love one another" was Jesus' most important lesson. She always put the needs of others ahead of her own and would spring into action to help anyone in need. Whether it was a hurt animal, neglected plants, or a local senior citizen who needed regular assistance and companionship, Judy did not hesitate to lend a hand. Steadfastly honest, loyal, forthright, and compassionate, she was always generous with her time and nurtured lifelong friendships.
Judy was a familiar presence throughout Hatboro, where she was quick to offer a kind greeting to friend and stranger alike. Many in the area knew her by name, and many more were surely familiar with "that girl on the bike." She would ride her beloved blue bicycle fast and far, nearly always standing up on the pedals, speeding along off the beaten path to her favorite spots where she would commune with nature, sitting among her favorite trees in the local parks and cemetery.
Already greatly missed by those who knew and loved her, Judy has left the world a better place and we can all carry her message of love in our hearts and cherish the memories we shared with her.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to The Arbor Day Foundation or The Montgomery County SPCA.
View Judith Ann McCullough's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.
You can support STAF when you shop at Amazon. STAF will receive a donation every time you make a purchase.
