Help us Care for Our Sanctuary Cats

Did you know that we have sanctuary cat rooms at our shelter?

These rooms are for cats that are not considered adoptable by most people, but they are able to live out their lives here at the shelter. Staff members care for them and volunteers visit with them.

Nothing beats a real home, but they are able to soak up a lot of love and lay in sun beams, and we have full-time veterinarians on staff to tend to their medical needs. You can help us care for them by donating to their care:

Our sanctuary cats are here for a variety of reasons: some simply aged in our care after not being a match for adopters in our cat room, some were diagnosed with serious medical issues after coming into our care, and others have behavioral issues that make it hard for them to find a match.

None of these cats arrived as sanctuary cats, but as a no-kill shelter, we are committed to providing them with a safe place to spend their lives. For them, the Quad City Animal Welfare Center is home.

If you are a long-time supporter, you may recognize some of our sanctuary cats who previously were long-time residents of the cat room. When we opened our second building in 2016 the additional space allowed us to give these cats their very own place away from the hustle and bustle of the high traffic portion of our shelter.

We now know more about helping cats with behavior problems and fortunately many people have been willing to adopt cats with medical or behavior special needs, so our sanctuary cat numbers have stabilized. We also counsel owners dealing with behavior issues to help them keep their kitties in their homes and out of shelters.