Kellie Pickler Designs Sweater for Feline Friendly Cause

Kellie Pickler's Nashville home is a no-cat zone, which is tough on the '100 Proof' singer, as she's a huge fan of felines!

"I'm an animal lover, cats especially. My first animal was a stray cat," Kellie tells The Boot. "But my husband (songwriter Kyle Jacobs) is severely allergic to cats. I had a cat when I met him, and he could never stay at my house for too long, because his eyes would swell shut ... I did everything I could to keep this cat. I had him buzzed -- it was ugly! But it was the dander. I couldn't get rid of that. So [the cat] is now happy with a great family."

The singer is now getting her feline fix by teaming up with Fresh Step cat litter in a project to help homeless and abused animals. She's asking fans to post pictures of themselves wearing their favorite "cat-centric clothing" on Facebook, and has even teamed up with fashion guru Geren Ford to design her own cat sweater for fans to purchase (see photo below), with all of the proceeds going to the ASPCA (The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).

"I don't expect Vera Wang to go, 'Oh! Look at this cat sweater!'" Kellie jokes. "I'm not a designer, but I love it. The cat is playing a banjo ... it's really cute."

The oatmeal heather-colored "Kitty Crooner" sweater with green sequins will be available for purchase at www.aspcaonlinestore.com for $35 while supplies last. All proceeds go to the ASPCA. Starting now through March 15, Fresh Step is also donating $1 to the cause for each picture that fans post on Facebook, wearing their favorite cat clothes (up to $100,000). If you don't own any clothes with cats on it, you can also go to the Fresh Step Facebook page to upload any photo of yourself and have one of four special cat sweaters digitally placed on your photo -- all to support the cause.

Kellie will auction off her own "Kitty Crooner" sweater next month at www.charitybuzz.com/aspca. The winning bidder will also receive two tickets to see the country star live in concert and meet her backstage, along with an autographed copy of her brand-new CD, '100 Proof.' All proceeds from the auction will also benefit the ASPCA.

"People who love cats have that stereotypical 'crazy cat people' label, and we want to break that," says the blond beauty. "Just because you love cats doesn't mean you aren't cool!"

Read our full interview with Kellie here.