“I learned when I was 19,” she said. “I was working at the liquor control board at the time, and someone there taught me to knit and crochet. But I prefer crocheting; I find knitting a little too cumbersome for me.”

Since that time she has made lap blankets for nursing homes, blankets and afghans for her children and grandchildren, and even Christmas tree skirts.

But these days she spends most of her crochet time creating individualized “pet pads” for the cats at the Harrisburg Humane Society as a cozy source of comfort while they’re waiting for their forever homes.

“My cousin was making these pet pads for the Gateway Humane Society in DuBois, and I though, ‘Oh, I can do that,’” Morrow said.

“So I made a few for the Harrisburg Humane Society, and they said the cats loved them — could I make more? They put them in the crates for the cats to sleep on, and when the cats get adopted out, they get to take their own pet pad with them.”

A pet pad is a small, single-layer crocheted blanket that is about 15 inches square.

“I crochet corner to corner,” Morrow said. “If I don’t do anything else but crochet, I can make one in about two days.”

During COVID, Morrow spent most of her time from March through September 2020 at her camper in DuBois, Pennsylvania, and found that crocheting helped keep her mind occupied during those trying days.

“I made about 70 pet pads, working off and on, during that time,” she said.

Morrow likes to get creative with the color combinations and designs.

“Every cat is unique, so every pet pad should be unique too,” she said.

Having made thousands of them over the last 20 years or so, you might think she would run out of yarn, but Morrow said, “There’s no problem with yarn. People give it to me, or I buy it at thrift stores and yard sales.

“A woman bought a camper at the campground where I go in DuBois, and cleaning out the shed, she found boxes and boxes of yarn that she gave to me. I have so much yarn — it’s going to outlive me for sure!”

A lifelong animal lover, Morrow has always had cats as pets, and currently she has three that “go everywhere I go,” she said. “I just love them; they’re my family.

“When I take the pet pads to the Humane Society, I can’t go in because I just want to take all the cats home with me! So I just drop them off with the staff. They understand. People call me the crazy cat lady — and that’s OK with me.”

Morrow recalls that the gifting of the personalized pet pads to the new owner of an adopted cat started with a Christmas promotion years ago at the Humane Society.

“They advertised that anyone who adopted a cat got to take the pet pad with them since it belonged to that particular cat — people loved that! So when they asked me if I minded if they kept doing it, I said it was no problem. I can easily keep making them.”

An avid traveler, Morrow isn’t really able to do any scheduled volunteer work on a regular basis, but making pet pads is something she can do on the go and feel good about, knowing she is making a difference.

Her one-of-a-kind pet pads are not for sale; she only creates them to be given away.

“It’s not just the cats at the Humane Society that like them,” she said. “My cats love them too. I’ve usually got two or three going at a time because my cats insist on sitting on one while I’m working on another.”

In addition to her travels, and her work on the pet pads, Morrow also keeps busy by working as a nationally ranked gymnastics judge.

“My daughter did gymnastics from the time she was 5, and then my granddaughter did,” she said. “I was at a meet one time while my daughter was practicing, as I often was, and one of the judges asked me if I would be interested in becoming a judge myself. I said, ‘Why not? I’m here all the time anyway!’”

Morrow had to study the rules of the sport and was tested on her knowledge — and she passed easily.

“So I started judging high school meets, and one of the coaches from the club competitions said, ‘Why aren’t you judging private club meets?’ So I took the test for that, and that’s what I still do.”

She has traveled to several neighboring states to judge. Since 2009, Morrow has enjoyed traveling to Trinidad every year to judge a national competition.

“It’s a great experience,” she said. “I stay with friends there, and we just have a great time.”

As many folks who judge or referee high school, college, and club sports can attest, being an official can have ups and downs. Morrow is no stranger to those sometimes uncomfortable interactions with overzealous fans.

“It’s very competitive, and people do sometimes get a little crazy and would come up to us, questioning our decisions, but over the last few years, new rules have been put in place to put a stop to that. It has helped a lot.”

Morrow has to be retested every four years to keep her national ranking as a judge, and although she really enjoys doing it, she said, “I’m getting a little older now, so I’m not sure now long I’ll keep it up.”

Nevertheless, Jan Morrow isn’t likely to put down her crochet hook anytime soon. Crocheting allows her to keep her creative juices flowing and gives her a real feeling of accomplishment — she knows how much the pet pads add a personal touch to help the cats feel loved.

“Plus,” she said, “it keeps me out of trouble!”