I think everything in my life has led to my animal welfare work.

DAY: I have a good job, a lovely apartment, I go out with very nice men to the best places, the finest restaurants, the theater. What am I missing? RITTER: If you hove to ask, believe me, you're missing it.

The one radio voice that I listened to above others belonged to Ella Fitzgerald. There was a quality to her voice that fascinated me, and I'd sing along with her, trying to catch the subtle ways she shaded her voice, the casual yet clean way she sang the words.

It is heartbreaking to see so many animals in distress through the Gulf Coast region. Many of them are frightened, confused, hungry, dehydrated and lost.

I like to sing love songs.

Killing an animal to make a coat is sin. It wasn't meant to be, and we have no right to do it.

It was the only ambition I ever had - not to be a dancer or Hollywood movie star, but to be a housewife in a good marriage.