Autumn came to Catty Shack at 8 weeks old. She had been hit by a car and had multiple leg, pelvis and tail fractures. The vet that assisted us in helping her did not believe she would survive. She has, however, surprised all of us by making it to 5 years old! Autumn is a sanctuary cat because she has a personality only a mother could love. She does not like other cats, she walks with a limp and sometimes requires medication to help her discomfort. Unfortunately, because of her spiciness, she is unadoptable because she is a liability. She has a home here at Catty Shack, though, because we have committed to her care for the duration of her life.

Finn has been with Catty Shack for over 10 years! Rescued from the Fort Worth Shelter, Finn was adopted by a family. He was, however, returned when the family moved and wouldn't take him along. When Finn was returned, unfortunately, he was returned ill. He has chronic rhinotracheitis. He is congested often and has chronic nose discharge. He will be on a medication regiment for the remainder of his life. Finn receives regular vet care through Catty Shack and will stay with us the duration of his life because of his illness. Sadly, no one is interested in adopting a senior cat with a chronic virus. He has a home here, though, because we are committed to his care for the duration of his precious little life.

Puma is a medical mystery. Puma is the only cat in our program that is not from Texas. Puma came to us via a Missouri rescue looking for help with FIP treatment. Our director offered up her help treating Puma as long as he could return to the Missouri rescue after treatment was complete. Unfortunately, FIP was not what Puma was suffering from. After a second opinion was completed, it was discovered that Puma has a massive, terminal liver tumor. The tumor was too large and vascular for removal so we prepared to make Puma as comfortable and happy as we could. One year after Pumas initial diagnosis, a follow-up found that Pumas massive tumor has absolutely miraculously disappeared. No one could explain it.  Today Puma is mostly healthy, but he is awaiting removal of all his teeth, as he suffers from stomatitis. But the one thing that keeps Puma here is that he is reclusive, and shy and prefers not to be around people. 

Cooper is a 4 yo Tabby Cat with behavioral problems. He is a big, beautiful, healthy cat. So why is he at Catty Shack still and unable to find his forever family? Because Cooper likes to attack people, when they least expect it. Most of the time, he is perfection. It's the times he's not that, he become a huge liability. Cooper was originally surrendered to us because his owner was about to euthanize him for his outbursts. He came to Catty Shack on his best behavior, though, so we sent him to Canada. There he promptly attacked 4 people and found himself on his way to be euthanized again. Our director drove 30 hours roundtrip  to go pick him up and bring him back to Catty Shack, because we don't euthanize animals for behavior. Over the last 2 years, through environmental modifications and a lot of care from our director, Coopers outbursts have become less frequent but they are still there, and she has the scars to prove it. Cooper has a home at Catty Shack, though, because when we commit to saving them we mean it. 

Grace was one of the very first cats we were able to rescue in 2013. She was adopted as a kitten despite her being a special needs cat. She is obviously missing her right eye, but it has never affected her quality of life! Unfortunately, after being adopted for 10 years, Grace was return, through no fault of her own. As a senior cat of 12 years, and with a very shy disposition that is mostly reclusive, we made the decision to hold Grace in our sanctuary program.  She is not a candidate for Canada transports and she is not adoptable in our rural area where most people want perfect, healthy and affectionate kittens. If the perfect cat parents came along we would absolutely consider adopting her to them, but we worry about her going in and out of adoptive homes. She is the most precious little girl, with the softest fur. We adore her and are committed to her care for the duration of her life because she deserves more than being discarded the way she has been. We love you Gracie.

Sookie Sue is one of our most beloved and longest residents. Sookie and her sister Lorelei, were 2 bottle babies found alone in an east Dallas location in 2013. A fellow rescuer reached out to our organization and asked if a bottle feeder could be found. We had a fantastic one available. She was able to raise the girls to a healthy age and then they were placed up for adoption. Lorelei was adopted by one of our favorite volunteers, but Sookie stayed a little longer due to lingering medical issues. It was soon discovered that Sookie suffered from erratic Irritable Bowel syndrome.  Her health has been stable for the last 11 years but in 2024 it did start to decline. IBS in cats is a terrible disease and does shorten their lifespan. We don't know how many more years we have with our sweet Sookie but we are glad to have had the time we did. She is the most affectionate and forgiving cat. She is beloved by all that know her, take care of her and meet her in passing. She will live out her days with us at Catty Shack as we committed to her years ago. 

Lucky is our newest addition to the Catty Shack Sanctuary. Lucky, like Cooper is here for his behavior. He is a beautiful, healthy, lovely cat but has an unpredictable temperament that has resulted in severe injury to his caretaker unprovoked. We suspect that Lucky was an abused street cat in the streets of a Texas border town near Mexico. He has a large scar on his side, possibly from being kicked. He gets along with most of the other cats and he does like to be petted, but we all do so with caution. We have contemplated letting Lucky go to our feral cat Colony at the lake, but want to truly save those spaces for in danger ferals if possible. Lucky is living comfortably and progressing, just at a snails pace. When we came to Catty Shack 3 years ago, he was feral and we had planned to put him immediately into the colony. However, he did calm down and we realized that he wasn't a terrible cat. Since moving fosters he has progressed to the point of being held and petted. He can be very affectionate and he sleeps with his foster at night without incident. Our hope is that he lives out his life at Catty Shack peacefully and loved even if it is at arms length.

Dart as we call him, isn't one of our most beloved, he IS our most beloved Sanctuary Cat. D'artagnan and his brother PJ came to Catty shack in 2014 in the midst of our horrific Panleukopenia outbreak. They came with their mom and 2 other siblings. Unfortunately Dart and PJ were our only survivors. These boys stole everyone's hearts. PJ was sadly never adoptable. He suffered from life long illness and we lost him on July 5, 2024 to Kidney Failure and Lymphoma. Dart was a healthy cat, and in 2019 when we began our transports to Canada, he was first on the list to go. We separated him from PJ at the time, not knowing that these 2 were bonded. D'artagnan immediately shut down and stopped eating. He paced and cried. We knew he would not be able to leave PJ. But PJ was never a candidate for Canada or for adoption so we did what was best for both of them and kept them together in our sanctuary program. Dart has been without his brother now for over 6 months and it has deeply affected him. On his last checkup it was discovered that he has developed a heart murmur since PJ's death. We know his time is limited too, but he will be loved and adored until he does leave us at Catty Shack. 

Sami is our longest sanctuary cat to date. Another one of our first rescues in 2013 Sami is the sweetest cat you will ever meet. She has, however, battled her entire life, with food allergies and irritable bowel. It took us YEARS to get Sami's stools even close to normal. It took even longer for us to get her skin cleared up and her fur to grow back. Getting this girl to the half way healthy cat she is was a journey. She was also suffering from URI when she came and did end up losing her right eye. Sometimes when kittens are born to stray mothers that have had to scavenge for food, their development isn't like that of normal kittens and it shows. Their immune system can be terrible. It is also very possible that Sami's father was related to her mother and those problems can also contribute to lifelong illness through poor genetics. No matter Sami's beginnings she has lived a long and very loved life at Catty Shack. We know that these cats aren't necessarily adoptable, but we love them like our own and give them the promise of the best life we can. Sami will live out her life with us and through your help we can continue to keep her and all our Sanctuary Cats healthy and happy. 

Magik is a 12 Year old love of a cat. She was unfortunately Surrendered by her family after Covid forced her primary caretaker to travel for work. The rest of her family refused to care for her while her dad was away, and so Magik and her companion were given away like possessions. Not long after their arrival her beloved friend passed away with cancer leaving Magik alone to take on this whole new world. Magik was recently diagnosed with thyroid disease requiring daily medication. She also has faced cyst removal this year and she's spending 2025 trying to be a healthier version of herself. Despite being a sanctuary cat Magik would really love a quiet, understanding home of her own. Until that family comes for her she has a home here at Catty Shack, though. We are committed to caring for her and all our sanctuary cats.