Shadow Cats: An Upcoming Fundraiser

Wylie

When choosing rescues to work with for a monthly fundraiser, a lot goes on behind the scenes. I usually spend about a month preparing for each fundraiser as well as really researching the ins and outs of the rescues that I will be raising donations for. 

Last week, I confirmed with Shadow Cats Rescue that they will be my featured organization for the month of November - a wonderful month to offer holiday gifts AND raise funds for kitties in need! As with every rescue I work with, I really wanted to take some extra time to get to know the pets in their care. Fortunately, Shadow Cats sanctuary is local (their Veterinarian and I actually share a parking lot!) so I was able to experience their sanctuary first hand! 

Nana's Corner hosts custom built climbing and lounging area!

Unlike most of the rescue organizations I work with, Shadow Cats does very few adoptions. They focus primarily on offering a sanctuary to special needs cats. This ranges from the Cats of 'Cookie's Corner' who are Feline Leukemia positive to the Cats of 'The Outback' who have a variety of special needs or medical issues. Each cat at the sanctuary has a unique story and I was completely awestruck as Jacki (vice-president of Shadow Cats) gave me a private tour of their facility.

With 87 cats currently living in the sanctuary, I wasn't quite sure what to expect as I arrived. The Shadow Cats sanctuary is located in a quiet, calm neighborhood, which backs up to a beautiful wooded area, complete with a view of a quaint creek running right through the backyard. The Cats of 'The Outback' and 'Nana's Corner' are treated to a view of birds chirping and enjoying the numerous birdhouses and feeders setup on the property. 

Our first stop on the tour was 'Nana's Corner', where I was promptly greeted by the handsome Wylie, featured above. It didn't take long for my legs to be surrounded by kitties waiting for a chin scratch or their turn to sniff the new visitor. As I looked around Nana's Corner, not only was I impressed with how happy and healthy each cat looked, but the amount of detail that went into their living environment. Custom made cat trees, cubbies to climb and hide in and fluffy beds were everywhere to be seen. The windows were lined with thick ledges for the kitties to climb and lounge on and several bowls filled with fresh, clean water and food lined the walls. 

Billy, one of the many
Cats of The Outback!

Moving on to 'The Outback' - which can be viewed through a live-stream camera on Shadow Cats website - I was delighted to see a kitties paradise! The Outback is a wonderful outdoor, safely enclosed deck area, which houses some amazing kitties! This area was by far my favorite area of the sanctuary, I could have easily spent the afternoon here loving on the kitties of The Outback. In addition to the many ammenities that Nana's Corner offered, this area also offered an array of cat-walks that were craftfully installed all around the roof of the outback. The roof is made out of a sturdy wire and screen, offering the kitties lots of sunlight but also offering shade with the variety of ivy and plants growing. As she showed me around, Jacki also pointed out some of the amazing details of The Outback, including a HUGE covered area that extended under the entire length of Nana's Corner and the many 'houses' that are heated during the cooler winter months! 

Louie and mom, Lilly enjoying each other's company!

After reluctantly leaving The Outback, I was treated to a visit to 'Cookie's Corner', which is home to several Feline Leukemia positive kitties, including the famous Louie, an adorable kitten who was rescued along with his beautiful mother, Lilly. The kitties of Cookie's Corner are housed in an indoor area (which you can also see on the Shadow Cats live-stream cameras). The kitties are treated to a view of a beautiful and very active bird feeder, offering endless entertainment to these sweet cats! 

After my tour, I had the pleasure of spending some time in the main office chatting with Sheila, president of Shadow Cats and Jacki, vice-president. During our chat, I was so struck and impressed with the passion these two lovely ladies have for their rescue cats. We chatted about the sanctuary and it's beginnings as well as the many additional programs that Shadow Cats offers, including their TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) program for feral communities as well as the 'One Life Fund' which offers funds to other rescue organizations that pull animals from kill-shelters in the area! I LOVE that Shadow Cats supports other area rescues that share the same mission!

All in all, I left Shadow Cats feeling inspired and completely pumped up about our upcoming fundraiser! Please be sure to check out my website starting November 1st and grab some limited edition kitty items to support this awesome rescue!

Stephanie Conrad

Pet Studio Art | Owner | Artist
www.petstudioart.com

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Sweet Lana quickly became one of my favorite kitties at the sanctuary! 

Valentino giving himself  bath. 

Riley, living the good life in The Outback.

Heated kitty houses for the cooler months.

Beautiful Ben showing me how handsome he can be!

The Outback - look at all the climbing area - it's a kitty paradise!

When fostering hurts...

Prada snuggles with two of her kittens.

Over the past 10+ years that we have been fostering animals, I have said goodbye to literally hundreds of fosters. At almost any given point in time, we have a fluffy litter of kittens running around, with the occasional foster dog or adult cat. My most recent group of fosters has been a wonderful little crew. Prada came into the shelter with an adorable litter of six very little kittens. She was placed in our kitten nursery at the shelter, where things run a little slower and the area is quite to keep the families a little less stressed. Even with an amazing staff and calm nursery, the shelter is not a great environment to raise babies and it was fairly obvious that Prada was not comfortable in the shelter. 

Prada nursing her babies shortly
after arriving to my studio.

On one of my weekly trips to update photos for the cat area, I stopped in to say hello to the nursery kittens and decided to take Miss Prada back to my studio, where she had a little more space to raise her family. Once at the studio, Prada made herself at home and relaxed. She felt safe and comfortable for the first time in several weeks and she showed that appreciation to me every day. 

Over the past 2 months, I have become so attached to my sweet momma and although I knew the time would come that she would go up for adoption, I wasn't as prepared as I expected. For the first time ever, I cried on my way to the shelter to drop off a foster. 

Today, Prada will get spayed and once she is on the road to recovery, she will be placed up for adoption. I may never see her again once she moves on to her new home and as much as that hurts, I know that without being fostered, there is a chance she could have lost her kittens, or worse, her life if the shelter had become too overcrowded. 

I volunteer with an amazing animal shelter. We are an open admission shelter, which means we take in any animals that come through the doors, no questions asked. We save nearly all of the healthy and adoptable pets that enter our doors, but that doesn't mean we don't have rough months where our kennels are all full and that dreaded kill-list could go up. 

As hard as saying goodbye has been today, I know that Prada was given a better chance at life because she came to live with me while she raised her family. Seeing her love and devotion to her kittens is an experience that I cherish. Prada has been a wonderful mother and I know that by letting her go, I am giving her the chance to be babied herself. 

Stephanie Conrad

Pet Studio Art | Owner | Artist

www.petstudioart.com

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What can we learn from Annie?

Annie during my holiday photo shoot for Christmas 2012.

Annie's shelter and rescue history is a long one, but one that really shows how a dedicated community can achieve No Kill. With many shelters, Annie would not have been provided more than a week to wait for her forever family, let alone a few months, which eventually turned into a few years with one of the shelter's partner rescue organizations. Annie is a testament to the No Kill Equation and how following steps to achieve No Kill really does save lives.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared some information on how Austin became a No Kill city and how important that success is for the entire nation. Austin has become a symbol of hope for shelter pets everywhere and while I think it is so important to share the success that Austin Pets Alive has had over the past 6 years as they transformed the city of Austin, it is equally as important to share the successes of other counties and organizations. Georgetown Animal Outreach is one of those inspirational organizations and while they aren't in the main spotlight quite like Austin Pets Alive is, they work just as hard and their group of volunteers is one that I have come to love and admire.

Annie, a Dogo Argentino (a breed generally grouped into the Pit Bull category) mix entered our county facility, The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter several years ago. Luckily for Annie, our county shelter is striving to be No Kill and Annie was given a chance to be shown for adoption. Unluckily for Annie, she just didn't adjust or show well in the shelter, as is the case with many wonderful dogs. While the staff at WCRAS loved her, the limited staff wasn't able to really dedicate the time Annie needed and finally, after spending months in the shelter with no interested adopters, she was given a break and rescued from her shelter kennel by the wonderful volunteers of Georgetown Animal Outreach. 

Annie getting a belly rub at one of our adoption events!

Much like Austin Pets Alive began, GAO is an organization that is run on the support of foster homes. This year alone, GAO has pulled 4 cats and 22 dogs from our city shelter, however, one of those dogs was pregnant when she was pulled and had a huge litter of 12 puppies, so let's say they pulled 34 dogs! In addition to their work physically rescuing dogs from the shelter, they have also taken in several owner surrenders before they were dropped off at the shelter, ultimately keeping another pregnant mom from having a litter at the shelter. 

Annie was fortunate enough to be one of the dogs that GAO had a space for and quickly became a volunteer favorite with her charming tiny bark and her incredibly sweet personality. I initially met Annie while I was hosting an adoption event in Round Rock, TX. She reminded me so much of my own sweet Holly, I of course came to love her as much as the GAO volunteers did. 

While everyone wanted to see Annie in her forever home, we all knew she was safe and loved with GAO. Annie had everything she needed while she waited for that perfect family and finally, just a couple of weeks ago, her dreams came true and Annie was adopted into a wonderful family with another pup that looks like her long lost cousin! From the photos her family has shared, it seems that Annie is right at home and we are all thrilled to see her there!

With rescue partnerships, volunteer involvement, foster programs and a shelter director that truly cares, The Williamson County Regional Shelter has makes a difference in the lives of thousands of animals and their new families every year! 

Stephanie Conrad

Pet Studio Art | Owner | Artist
www.petstudioart.com

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