Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 10/09/2017
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.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 11/03/2019
Speckles and her sister, Freckles, came from a hoarding situation in North Phoenix. As is common in hoarding environments, Speckles did not have much contact with new people and as a result was extremely shy and distrustful. We were hopeful that she would come around to trusting humans, but unfortunately, Speckles remains fearful and will hiss and or runaway when approached.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 05/01/2018
Little Ms. Ronnie was turned in with what had to be her first litter of kittens. She never quite adjusted to human contact, even though we had high hopes for her and sent her on several foster-to-adopt adventures. Ms R seems to enjoy life at the Sanctuary and prefers as little contact as possible with humans.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 03/04/2017
Precious Rose was abandoned in shopping cart at a PetSmart along with a nice long letter about how she was a great kitty with a lot of health issues. Desert Paws worked with our Veterinarian team to have a large mass removed from her mouth and to get her adjusted to a very special diet that would encourage her to lose some weight. Since she is an older girl with the potential for future health issues, we prefer to keep her close and provide her with the love and care that she missed out on in her years leading up to her coming to us.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 07/21/2019
Adorable Phoenix was rescued from Apache Junction Animal Control along with her litter of kittens who were only days old. 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 hiss and/or runaway if approached.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 6/09/2008
Lucy came to Desert Paws Rescue with her gorgeous litter of kittens. Unfortunately, the gentleman who had been caring for Lucy and her kittens was a bit afraid of her so he always used large welding gloves to handle her. Lucy has a little PTSD from this and doesn’t necessarily love to be approached, but once you overcome this initial fear she can be very sweet. She will even occasionally seek out attention when she wants it, but once the mood to be around people has left her she escapes back to her solitude.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 06/01/2018
Gizzy and her sister were turned into Desert Paws Rescue as strays. Unfortunately, Gizzy has never quite come around to trusting humans and will often hiss and run away when approached. She gets along well with the other Sanctuary residents so we are happy to provide a safe place for her to live out her days.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 03/27/2013
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.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 03/18/2014
Lily was surrendered to Desert Paws as a kitten and adopted fairly quickly. Unfortunately, she was returned a year later when her adopters could no longer keep her, then adopted and returned again! Lily seemed to enjoy her setup within the Hadley 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.
Breed: Domestic Long Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 10/21/2019
Ipanema and her brother were rescued by a Good Samaritan who couldn’t stand to see two young kittens battle the summer heat on their own. While Ipanema’s brother came around to the idea that humans were worth tolerating, Ipanema never quite reached that conclusion. She gets along great with the other Sanctuary residents, but when approached she will likely hiss and/or run away. That’s OK with us since we think she is a beautiful kitty who deserves a safe place to live out her days in peace.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Male
Born: 02/12/2020
Hugo came from a hoarding situation in North Phoenix. AS is common in hoarding environments, Hugo did not have much contact with new people and as a result was extremely shy and distrustful. We were hopeful that he would come around to trusting humans, but unfortunately Hugo remains uninterested in human contact. However, Hugo does loooove to play and is normally the first one to show up when a wand toy or bouncy ball comes out.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 03/01/2018
Ginger was one of those incredible mama-cats who not only nursed and cared for her own single kitten but also nursed and cared for two orphaned kittens. Unfortunately, Ginger did not tolerate adoption events and is still a bit distrustful of the human variety. She gets along with the other Sanctuary residents and will sometimes event participate in some group playtime with a wand toy.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 11/03/2019
Freckles and her sister, Speckles, came from a hoarding situation in North Phoenix. As is common in hoarding environments, Freckles did not have much contact with new people and as a result was extremely shy and distrustful. We were hopeful that she would come around to trusting humans, but unfortunately, Freckles remains fearful and will hiss and or runaway when approached.
Breed: Domestic Medium Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 08/21/2018
Esmerelda was trapped with her kittens during the height of a “kitten-season”. The foster who took in this family was able to socialize Esme’s kittens; however, Esme remained fearful of human contact. After spending so much time in foster, we didn’t feel right about releasing her to her old neighborhood.
Esmerelda gets along great with the other Sanctuary residents, and enjoys the cool air that indoor-living provides, so we are happy to provide her with a safe place to live out her days.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 04/01/2018
Daniella was abandoned at Follow Your Heart Rescue when she was just a kitten. We aren’t sure about what causes her to be so distrustful of humans, but she has never come around to feeling comfortable with human interaction.
Daniella gets along with the other Sanctuary residents, so we are happy to have her live out her years in a safe and loving environment like our Sanctuary.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 03/31/2009
Desert Paws rescued Sheena and her sister from a feral colony. While Sheena's sister was very outgoing, Sheena was the shy one who preferred time away from people. They were quickly adopted as a pair by a very nice lady; however, their adopter experienced some unexpected health issues and had to move into an assisted-living facility. After they were returned, Sheena's sister was quickly re-adopted, but Sheena couldn't shake those traits that often result from a feral upbringing: avoids other cats, often in hiding, and shy of new people.
Sheena has a strong personality and definitely calls the shots when she interacts with the Desert Paws team. She does occasionally allow back-scratches, but when the mood leaves her she is gone with the wind! Fortunately, she is a big fan of wet-food so we are often able to lure her out of hiding with nice bowl of Friskies. Since these are characteristics that aren't often sought after by new adopters, Sheena has settled in as a Desert Paws Sanctuary Resident. She is a happy and healthy gal, and we are glad to provide her with a safe and peaceful place to spend her years!
Breed: Domestic Long Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 03/19/2017
Paige was born into our care in early 2017. She was born very premature and must've been all squished up in utero because her back legs were a bit underdeveloped, which gives her an odd gate and could potentially result in hip issues as she gets older. 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 foster-sibs.
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.
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 07/08/2011
Desert Paws rescued Kismet from a feral colony when she was just a kitten. Unfortunately, Kismet has never been able to shake those characteristics that feral cats often possess. She is extremely shy of humans, avoids new intakes, and is often tucked away in her favorite hidey-hole. Since these aren't typically traits that new adopters seek, Kismet has settled in as a Desert Paws Sanctuary Resident. She is a happy and healthy kitty, and we are glad to give her a peaceful and safe place to spend her years!
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Male
Born: 06/01/2009
Desert Paws rescued Eliot 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 Desert Paws intakes. Eliot is adept at helping new cats settle in to our rescue environment, and we so value his friendly and affectionate attitude!
Despite all of Eliot's incredible qualities, he has one very unfortunate weakness: he's a tinkler. Our amazing little ambassador has a sensitive bladder, which causes him to urinate whenever and whenever the mood strikes. This is not typically a trait that a potential adopter is looking for, and so we have happily accepted him as a permanent member of the Desert Paws Rescue team, and a Sanctuary Resident. We gladly clean up all of Eliot's unintended messes, and are happy to give him a peaceful and safe place to spend his years!
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Gender: Female
Born: 11/12/2014
Dovey and her sweet baby kittens were rescued by Desert Paws 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 Desert Paws 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 of behavioral issues. She does mostly OK with the other sanctuary cats, but is very skiddish and shy around new people. We realize that many cats have traits that will keep them from being adopted, and that's OK, because we are happy to give Dovey a healthy and safe place to live out her days.
