Cattyshack is a cat rescue. While Cattyshack does have a lounge in Lowe Mill for people to visit, play with, and snuggle with the cats and kittens, the premier focus is rescuing cats and kittens. To rescue, Cattyshack has to look for foster homes as all of our kittens and cats live in a foster home until they are adopted. The fosters sign up for lounge weekends and bring their fosters cats and kittens to the lounge for that weekend. Our lounge is open Thursday through Saturday, closed on Wednesday although there might be someone there doing a deep clean, inventory, or sitting with a cat that does not come to the lounge over the weekend because they do not do well with the other cats and kittens. I, personally, right now I have a foster kitten, Cherry, who does not do well at the lounge. Being at the lounge stresses Cherry out and she gets uber grumpy, but at my house she is the sweetest, playful, and snugly kitten, who loves to chat with me. So, every now and then I will bring Cherry to the lounge so people can look at her through the window. That being said, Cherry is up for adoption, and anyone can apply for her or ask for a meet and greet (which can be arranged at the lounge, or if possible, my home).
All of the cats and kittens either come from one of the local shelters, or they have been found roaming the streets. Cattyshack mostly deals with the shelters as the cats and kittens in the shelter have no one really to advocate for them, and once the shelters become full or over capacity, they contact Cattyshack and we go and grab the cats out and place them into foster homes. We work mostly with the shelters so that we can, hopefully, keep animals from being euthanized. Every now and then, if there is space, we will take in stray kittens or pregnant moms, but only if there is space (foster homes are hard to come by!).
All of the cats and kittens are then vetted – they are seen by a vet, given a clean bill of health (or not), taken care of, and fixed, then, when the time is right, they are uploaded to our website and placed up for adoption. Pictures are often uploaded and changed, and if the animal is a kitten they can be changed often so people can see their growth and adorableness.
Once you find a cat or kitten that you are absolutely in love with, you can fill out the adoption form. To do this you go to “Our Kitties,” click on the picture of the animal you are interested in, then fill out the adoption interest form. Now, there are times when we will not approve an adoption and it could be for a variety of reasons – you might be applying for an animal that needs to be in a home with other animals, the animal might be part of a bonded pair, the animal might not do well with dogs or children, or maybe your landlord says you cannot have a cat, or your current animals are not up-to-date on their shots and wellness visits. Once approved and paid for, we set up a day and time for you to pick up your new best friend! We do not do same day adoptions because we want to make sure the kitten or cat will be a good fit, and as mentioned in a previous blog post, some of our cats and kittens have caviar tastes (even though they began as trash cats!).
And that is how Cattyshack provides rescues with new lives, new homes, new people to love on them, and peace that they are safe!
Meet Chandler! Yes, Chandler is a girl, but she was named before we found out! She is a rare Torbie (tortoiseshell-tabby) with unique coloring that truly shines its beauty in bright sunlight. Her patched tabby pattern is one the least common of tabby patterns. Chandler is friendly, affectionate, and would love a relaxing quiet home to feel most comfortable. She can be shy and easy to startle at first but once she warms up she will melt your heart. She is food-motivated and loves treats. She deserves all the attention and loves to be in the presence of others. She is an independent girl with so much love to give back.