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Sprite came to the rescue with her kittens during the Covid 19 “kitten-season”. All her kittens were adopted into their forever homes. We were hopeful that her fearfulness was a result of her journey from her home to the pound and then into foster, but she never quite warmed up to human contact. She seems generally OK with being in the vicinity of humans but will run away if approached. She is a happy and healthy cat, and we are happy to provide her a peaceful and safe place to spend her years!‍

Zadaria is a feral cat that ended up at Follow Your Heart rescue. We decided to bring her to the sanctuary because other than being euthanized, she just didn’t have any other place to go. She gets along very well with the other sanctuary residents. Zadaria seems generally OK with being in the vicinity of humans but will run away if approached. She is a happy and healthy cat, and we are happy to provide her a peaceful and safe place to spend her years!

Lulu and her brother, Martin, were adopted as kittens but returned in 2020 because their owner could no longer care for them. We aren’t sure about what happened to Lulu during her time in her first home, but she will often hiss or run away now when approached by humans. She gets along with the other Sanctuary residents, so we are happy to provide her with a safe environment for her to live out her years.

Paige was born at the Sanctuary in early 2017. She was very premature, very small, and all white when she was born. She had under developed back legs that we thought would never be functional and could potentially result in hip issues as she gets older. As she grew her rear legs continue to develop but have given her a very odd gait when she walks. Paige's resting grumpy face was a hit at adoption events, but her grumpy attitude has kept her from being an ideal candidate for adoption. She is extremely shy and isn't a big fan of new people but does well around her the other resident cats. Paige is a healthy, albeit grumpy, gal and we are more than happy to give her a peaceful and safe place to live out her years.

I got adopted!!! 😀�I got adopted!!! 😀😀😀

Gus was a part of a litter of kittens found under a local gentleman's backyard storage shed. We were hopeful that they were young enough when they were rescued that they would come around to trusting humans, and they did! All except for Gus. Gus can be a moody guy, but luckily he is very treat-driven so we can normally sneak in a few pets while he is busy with a Squeeze-Up or crunching on treats.

Bubbles came to the Sanctuary with her two sisters (Blossom and Buttercup) and 13 kittens. All three were about a year old and were the mothers of the 13 kittens. All the kittens were adopted but the three adults were very shy and never really were comfortable with interacting with people. Bubbles is okay with being around people as long as they don't get too near. She will run and hide if a strangers enter the room. She is very comfortable living as a sanctuary cat.

Buttercup came to the Sanctuary with her two sisters (Blossom and Bubbles) and 13 kittens. All three were about a year old and were the mothers of the 13 kittens. All the kittens were adopted but the three adults were very shy and never really were comfortable with interacting with people. Buttercup is okay with being around people as long as they don't get too near. She will run and hide if a trangers enter the room. She is very comfortable living as a sanctuary cat.

Eliot was rescued from a hoarding situation. As is common in hoarding environments, Eliot did not have much contact with new people and as a result was extremely shy and distrustful. It took a couple of years for Eliot to come out of his shell and let his personality shine! These days he is commonly called 'The Welcome Wagon' because of his balanced approach and friendly nature towards new sanctuary residents. Eliot is adept at helping new cats settle into our rescue environment, and we so value his friendly and affectionate attitude!

Eliot crossed the rainbow bridge in June 2025. We will miss this kind, warm, and personable cat. Eliot crossed the rainbow bridge in June 2025. We will miss this kind, warm, and personable cat.

Calypso came to the Sanctuary from Apache Junction Animal Control in 2021. She was a 3-month-old black, long hair tabby kitten that was extremely shy and would run and hide when approached. She gets along well with the other sanctuary residents. Since her arrival she has slowly started to allow some contact with people she knows but runs and hides when an unfamiliar person enters the room. She is a happy and healthy cat, and we are happy to provide her a peaceful and safe place to spend her years!

Dovey and her sweet baby kittens were rescued in the summer of 2016. Dovey not only nursed her own litter to adoption age, she also nursed several other young kittens who came to the rescue without their mothers. She was such a good mama that we were hopeful she would easily find the right forever home. Unfortunately, Dovey was adopted and returned several times because for behavioral issues. She gets along well with the other sanctuary cats, but is very skittish and shy around new people. We realize that many cats have traits that will keep them from being adopted, and that's okay, because we are happy to give Dovey a healthy and safe place to live out her days.

Ronnie was rescued with what had to be her first litter of kittens. She tolerated people while she was nursing her babies, but when her babies were weaned she was all done with that. She lives a quiet, solitary life at the Sanctuary, and while she gets along well with the resident cats, she prefers her privacy and spends most of her days sleeping in one of the cubbies. She can live here as long as she likes.

Prissy came to Desert Paws Rescue with her two sisters (Bubbles and Buttercup) and 13 kittens. All three were about a year old and were the mothers of the 13 kittens. All the kittens were adopted but the three adults were very shy and never really were comfortable with interacting with people. After some time, Blossom started allowing some interaction with her caretakers but runs and hides when strangers enter the room. She is very comfortable living as a sanctuary cat.

Coco, an all black domestic short hair, came to the rescue as a 3-month-old kitten in June 2018. She came from a feral colony and her fear of people was already well established. Attempts at socialization were not very successful and she became another unadoptable kitten. Living her life at the sanctuary seems to suit her well and after 5 years she is getting comfortable enough to engage in feather toy play. She will probably always be a sanctuary resident.

Dino crossed the rainbow bridge in May 2025 from a kidney sarcoma. He was only 5 years old.

Dino is a dilute orange and white tabby cat that came to the Sanctuary as a kitten. He never came around to trust people we were hopeful that his fearfulness would be temporary but he never quite warmed up to human contact. He’s generally okay being in the vicinity of humans but will run away if approached. Hugo had a severe eye infection that resulted in the removal of hi right eye. Fortunately, we were able to save his other eye. He is currently in a relationship with Speckles, one of our rescue torties.

Yaz and her sister were adopted together when they were kittens; however, after a few years in their new home Yaz began bullying her sister and her other kitty roommate. Yaz was returned in June of 2020 and has since set up shop on top of the refrigerator and cabinets of the Sanctuary. She spends the majority of her time there, above the fray, but will occasionally allow human contact for wet food or cookies.

Hugo was an 8-month-old kitten that came from a hoarding situation in Phoenix. He did not have much contact with people and as a result was extremely shy and distrustful. We were hopeful that he would come around to trusting humans, but unfortunately Hugo remained uninterested in human contact. However, Hugo loves to play and will show up when a wand or feather toy comes out. Recently he has been coming up to Sanctuary visitors to be or brushed and pet.

Lily was surrendered to Desert Paws Rescue as a kitten and adopted fairly quickly. Unfortunately, she was returned a year later when her adopters could no longer keep her. She was adopted again and returned because she was exhibiting some health issues that the new owners couldn't handle. We brought her to the Sanctuary where she quickly settled in to sanctuary life. Lily developed a large mass on her right ear that needed to be immediately removed. The surgery required the complete removal of her right ear! Lily is enjoying her home where she is free to have her mood swings, and we are happy to have her stay and live out her golden years in a safe environment.

Erin crossed the rainbow bridge in January 2025

Erin is a beautiful domestic medium hair cat that came from the Page Arizona along with several kittens. All her babies are now in their forever home but, unfortunately, Erin is semi-feral and not adoptable. She handles sanctuary life without problems but does not like being touched. As she spends more time in the sanctuary, she may become more trusting. If that doesn’t work out, we are happy to give her a peaceful and safe place to spend her years! In her photo you can see that she recently had a spa day with a haircut, shampoo, and mani pedi!

Charlie crossed the rainbow bridge and is now with his person. He was a wonderful, loving boy and we will miss him. Charlie crossed the rainbow bridge and is now with his person. He was a wonderful, loving boy and we will miss him.

Charlie is an 18-year-old orange and white tabby that came to Wayward Cats after his person crossed the rainbow bridge. When the family came to take care of their fathers affairs, they put Charlie in the trunk of their car with the obvious intention of dumping their burden somewhere. Fortunately a neighbor saw what was happening and interceded and brought him to the Sanctuary. Charlie is a sweet and lovable guy that enjoys attention and gets along very well with the other cats.

Kismet, a rescued feral kitten, still carries the traits commonly found in such kittens. She is incredibly shy around humans, avoids unfamiliar faces and new arrivals, and often finds solace in her beloved hiding spot. These characteristics may not be what most adopters look for, but Kismet has found her home here at the Sanctuary. Since 2011, she has been a cherished resident, and it seems likely that she will remain so for the rest of her life. And that's perfectly fine with us! 😺

Holly was born in 2009 during the height of kitten season. She was found in the attic of a barn along with her three siblings and brought to the rescue. All the kittens were suffering from heat exhaustion and were not in very good condition. Holly suffered the worst and had several seizures and eventually came down with a condition known as hyperesthesia, a malfunctioning of the sense of touch. With Holly, this resulted in her experiencing hypersensitivity in her tail which she bit to the point where her tail had to be amputated. With surgery and medication, she is able to lead a normal and happy life at the sanctuary.

Milo is a big orange tabby male that was born in 2009. Like so many of our other sanctuary residents, he came to Wayward Cats after his person died. Milo is a very sweet and loveable guy that loves attention and is one of the first to show when there are sanctuary visitors. He spends most of his days sleeping and loves to hop up into one of the wall boxes to sleep. He loves his wet food and is always right there whenever there are Temptation treats. We are happy to provide him with a safe and peaceful place to spend his years!

Little Orphan Annie is a domestic long hair grey tabby kitten that was found in a parking lot all by herself. She had numerous health issues. Annie appeared to be between three and four months old. She was extremely malnourished and way underweight (she weighed only 2 pounds, 7 ounces ). She had a severe infection in both eyes and had no control of her left front leg which dragged on the ground when she walked.

At her first vet visit we discovered that her left eye was severely damaged and needed to be removed. Her right eye had a ruptured cornea, and we were able to stabilize her eye with treatment. With steroids and physical therapy Annie was able to regain the complete function of her left leg. At Wayward Cats, we are very happy that we were able to be part of Little Orphan Annie’s remarkable recovery. She has grown into one of the most loving and affectionate residents at our Sanctuary.

Our beautiful cat Boris crossed the rainbow 🌈 bridge on June 21, 2025. He was an outside cat that hung around the sanctuary for several years, so we never knew how old he was. We tried many times to trap him and get him neutered, but he was every trap savvy and avoided the traps. One day when the outside catio was open for cleaning Boris just waked in and made himself at home. We thought we would have to release him after he was neutered but after a few hisses he decided that shelter life and regular food was a pretty good gig and decided to become a Wayward Cat. He was a big loveable boy that got along well with all the other sanctuary cats. He loved attention and was the first one to greet visitors for ear scratched and belly rubs. He was well loved and will be missed.

Bruno is a handsome Maine Coon mix that was born in 2009. He came to the sanctuary in 2023 with his sister Betsy after their person passed away. Bruno is a very loving and affectionate cat that loves attention. He likes to be picked up and held so he can give you cheek rubs and kisses. Bruno spends most of the day sleeping and loves to hop up into one of the wall boxes to nap. He loves his wet food and is always right there whenever there are Temptation treats. We are happy to provide him with a safe and peaceful place to spend his years!

Noel is a beautiful little torbie cat that was born around May 2022. She was found wandering the streets and was taken in by a very kind lady. She came to the sanctuary in December of 2022 (which is why we named her Noel) when she was approximately 8 months old and pregnant with three babies. When she went into labor one of the kittens was stuck in the birth canal requiring an emergency C-section. Noel was a very good mom and became very attached to one of the kittens we named Brandy. She is very friendly and loves attention.

Mac is a beautiful female black-brown hair cat that born on March 10, 2015 and came to the rescue as a kitten. She had a very hard time and adoption clinics and was always very timid around people. She became a sanctuary resident 2016 and settled in very quickly. She is very friendly and seeks attention from people she knows but is still very shy around new people. Mac is a healthy and happy little girl and we are more than happy to provide a safe and peaceful home where she can live out her years.