Cathy Free

Salt Lake City

Stories about humanity for Inspired Life.
Cathy Free is a former contributing editor for Reader's Digest and worked as a human interest correspondent for People Magazine before joining The Post. She started her journalism career in high school as a copy clerk at The Salt Lake Tribune, where she became a feature writer and columnist. She has also worked as a daily local columnist for The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash. There is nothing she enjoys more than traveling on a road she's never been on to talk to somebody she's never met.
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Latest from Cathy Free

Firefighter jumps in icy pond, rescues growling dog

The dog — named Bob — was in the frigid water, and Bob’s frantic owner and her children were calling to him, telling him to hang on and not bite his rescuer.

January 18, 2024

This pay phone is free, but you can’t make a call. It only plays birdsongs.

“The phone attracts a lot of attention,” said Hatib Joof, who owns a restaurant next to the Bird Calls Phone in Takoma Park, Md.

January 15, 2024

Stray cat too chunky to fit in cage is adopted in Virginia, will diet

“He’s 28.5 lbs. of pudge with a side of crankiness,” read the shelter’s post. “As long as you let him do what he wants, when he wants, everything is fine.”

January 12, 2024

NBA player finds dog, tracks down owner. The pup had been missing 4 years.

Utah Jazz player Kelly Olynyk and his wife found Harley in a parking lot of a fast-food restaurant, and spent 10 hours searching for the owner.

January 9, 2024

‘This is Cecil. He has never done anything bad in his life until he ate $4,000.’

“We looked at each other and said, ‘What are we going to do?’” said Clayton Law about his goldendoodle who chewed up a stack of cash.

January 3, 2024

Happy 191st (or so) birthday to the world’s oldest living land animal

Jonathan the tortoise — the world’s oldest living land animal — turned 191 on St. Helena Island, a British territory off the coast of Africa.

January 1, 2024

For first time in 47 years, every animal at this Pa. shelter was adopted

“It’s incredible, especially since just two weeks before, our kennels were almost full,” said Abigail Avery, the director of the Adams County SPCA.

December 29, 2023

Deaf Santa travels the country so deaf kids can be heard at Christmastime

“I put on the red suit for the first time, and it fit like nothing else I ever wore,” said Charles Graves, who is deaf.

December 22, 2023

A town fell on hard times. Hundreds of giant nutcrackers revived it.

“The second year, we had 75 nutcrackers and we just kept going from there,” Mark Nelson said about the Ohio town.

December 19, 2023

A farmer died by suicide. His family is helping other struggling farmers.

“We want what happened to our dad to be known to everyone so we can keep other families from going through the same pain,” said Jennifer Webster, the farmer’s daughter.

December 14, 2023