At Feisty Felines, our work focuses on Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), helping community cats live healthier lives. But sometimes, the cats we encounter need more than TNR. Friendly adult cats and vulnerable kittens deserve the chance to live safely indoors and find loving, permanent homes. In 2024, we partnered with the Washington State Department of Corrections to create a unique foster program at the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW). Since then, the program has grown into an extraordinary community, caring for an average of 50 cats with approximately 50 participating women at any given time.

A VERY SPECIAL KIND OF FOSTER HOME

The cats live in the rooms of carefully screened participants, with guidance and support from a senior staff member. They receive daily attention, socialization, love, and medical care as needed. The cats primarily live along one hallway, where they can visit feline friends in neighboring rooms, play together, explore, or curl up for a nap. It’s not unusual to find several women playing with cats in the hallway, with feline friends from different rooms joining in the fun! Some cats even have the opportunity to interact with babies in WCCW’s unique mother-infant program.

Saving lives, one cat at a time

This program transforms lives on both ends of the leash—or, in this case, the paw! The cats benefit from consistent human interaction, individual attention, and a loving environment that helps prepare them for adoption. The women gain purpose, responsibility, connection, and the joy of nurturing another living being. They become an essential part of each cat’s journey toward a better life.

We believe every cat deserves a second chance, and we believe in the power of compassion to change lives. Through our partnership with WCCW, we’re saving cats, preparing them for loving homes, and creating opportunities for healing and hope. It’s a beautiful reminder that sometimes, the ones we help end up giving just as much back to us.