In this special edition of my Special Cat series, I wanted to highlight an important special type of kitty; the long-term residents of a shelter. Additionally, I want to highlight the strange stigma against black kitties.
I had the great privilege of talking to Tara Kawczynskki, the founder of the Odd Cat Sanctuary. In my prior articles, I have featured kitties adopted from that very shelter, so I was ecstatic to talk to Tara. Tara urged that we feature Odd Cat’s longest staying resident, an adorable black kitty named Rylan.
Before Odd Cat Sanctuary
The interesting thing about Rylan being their longest staying resident is the fact that she is only one year old. Rylan was a perfectly healthy kitten, yet when Tara found her, she was listed on death row with 12 hours to live. Tara hypothesized that this is due to the fact that Rylan is a black cat, the type of cat with the highest euthanization rate. With this being said, Rylan has been at the shelter almost her whole life.
Who is Miss Rylan?
Rylan despite being only one, is the Odd Cat’s longest staying resident. Rylan would love to be in an amazing happy home! Tara tells us, “She loves life, people, her food and to run around and play! She’s tired of the cage life and would a forever home. Ultimately, she prefers to be your one & only,” When we asked about Rylan’s personality, Tara told us, “She’s sweet and stunning, and she always purrs and chirps! I love her black coat and how cuddly she can be with people,”
Who looks after Rylan?
Tara and her team are superheroes. They do an amazing job helping so many special kitties find their forever homes.
“I founded Odd Cat a little over 3 years ago to help find special needs cats that had nowhere to go a safe place. I started off alone, however I now have 4 amazing ladies that help me; Sage Courtney Nicole & Sandra. We are all advocates for adoption! This rescue means so much to me, it’s my entire life we are all volunteers,”
What will the future hold for Rylan?
It is so shocking to us that Rylan has been at the shelter for so long. We urge you to not only adopt Rylan, but to take a chance an adopt a cat that has been in the shelter for so long. Additionally, we urge you to consider adopting not only cats who are special like Rylan, but special needs kitties as well. When we asked Tara what the best part about caring for special cats is she told us, “It brings so much joy & rewarding feelings! They are special and unique but also like regular cats in the way that they love you. They do require extra care and love at times, but it is worth it!”
Finally, Tara says, “We definitely urge people to adopt over shop so many amazing souls across the country waiting for their forever people to scoop them up!”
Keep up with all of Odd Cat’s special kitties by checking out their Facebook and Instagram pages, and remember to consider adoption when looking for a new furry friend.
Is it ok to rescue a cat and change his or her name. I’m talking a bkack cat who needs a forever home
Hi Rita! This is a personal opinion, but I think it is absolutely okay to change the name of a rescue cat. My cat actually had two names when it came to me, and I still changed his name to Goob!