Last updated: 12/2008

re happy endings.

cat shelters
Catkin Willow's Strays
If you've ever wondered what your cats have to say or if cats really have anything at all to say, then take a tour of the cat shelters at The Catkin Willow Fund for Stray Cats. We've found that what our cats have to tell us has changed our lives and we learn more from them every day . And although it might not seem like it, stray cats, bent-willow chairs and ecologically-friendly garden designs really are connected. At Catkin Willow, we think of all this as The Catkin Willow Connection.
Our mission

The stray cats belong to the Catkin Willow Connection, a study of the wonderful and graceful house cat, felis libyca sylvestris, which has been ongoing for more than 20 years. The study began with one cat, an orange and white female tabby named Murphy, but gradually grew to the current peak of 19 strays in our cat shelters. We believe ours is the longest continually ongoing study in the world of house cats and their therapeutic relationship to mankind. The Catkin Willow Connection has found homes for hundreds of strays during that time, while maintaining a slowly increasing nucleus of permanent residents, and we rely on several projects to raise the money which helps keep them healthy and happy. We are not a charity because charities are required to be non-partisan. And Catkin Willow is anything but non-partisan when it comes to animal rights and animal welfare. So we can't raise money through charitable donations. This means we have to foot all the bills out of our own pockets. Which brings us back to bent-willow chairs, ecologically-friendly garden designs and what's happening at Catkin Willow. Check it all out below! Take Catkin's Quick Tour, too...

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SOLLY'S OUR HERO
Blind Siamese cat
helps us to see

It was a sad day at Catkin Willow when we found out that the two operations aimed at saving Solly's one remaining eye had been unsuccessful.
Despite the considerable surgical skills of his veterinarian, Solly developed inflammation of the cornea, and massive scarring as well. Two separate keratectomies were performed by Dr. Joe Wolfer at his Islington Animal Clinic in an attempt to undo damage stemming from a neglected herpes infection, but we eventually had to face the fact that nothing more could be done and Solly's second eye had to be removed to prevent further infections.
That surgery was performed July 20. Well, Solly has come a long way since then. He has adjusted amazingly after his first week when he was recovering from the physical trauma of the surgery. We have re-taught him how to climb the cat tree and although he cannot do it as quickly as when he had about 3-5% vision, he manages well and we can tell he takes pride in his accomplishment.
We also bought a selection of toys for him, toys with bells in them so he could follow the sound as he batted them around. He is now so adept that he has invented his own games. His favourite is played on the basement stairs, where he will carry two or three of his toys (plastic balls with bells inside), then bat them down the stairs, chasing then as they go, eventually retrieving them and bringing them back to the top of the stairs again.
When we see how happy he is despite his disadvantage, the matter-of-fact way he goes on with his life, it inspires us at Catkin Willow, too. Solly has no time to feel sorry for himself and that's an attitude we can all benefit from when we think we're having a bad day. Solly has no time for bad days.
Anyone who would like to make a donation to the work of Catkin Willow may simply

CLICK HERE

CATKIN'S CAT SONGS
Why cats watch us,
and what they see
We've been promising this for a long time, but now we're finally ready with some cat stories gleaned from our experiences over 20 years with The Catkin Cats.
In this story, the first of a series, Homer the Cat goes hunting and shows Catkin something wonderful. Hunt with Homer!

CLICK HERE

Murphy the cat,
and a friendly rat
Murphy is Catkin Willow's very first cat. She meets a rat named Salt and shows us there's more to love than necessarily meets the eye.

CLICK FOR MURPHY

Build your very own
Catkin Willow chair!
The Catkin bent-willow chair plan is ready at long last. Step-by-step instructions for Catkin's distinctive creation. Click on the link below and place your order.
The plans cost $8 and come with a full materials list, advice on what kind of willow is best and where to find it. You'll get the chair plan link seconds after your order is placed.

CLICK HERE

Send mail to catkin@catkin.org with
questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright ? 1999 Catkin Willow Fund for Stray Cats
Last modified: February 2005

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