Though there are many places to find a furry friend, the best one in the Washington DC – Richmond, VA area is definitely Wendy’s Feline Friends. Wendy Erskine, who has been rescuing cats for over 10 years, has a special heart for the good work she does. The area where she lives, rural Northern Neck Virginia, does not have an animal shelter that will take cats so she has dedicated herself to filling that need in the community. In the time that she has been doing so, Wendy has found homes for over 3,000 cats.

Cats come to Wendy’s house many different ways. Lately, there have been a number of “foreclosure cats” whose owners have lost their homes and have no way to continue caring for them. There have been cats left in boxes on her front porch, kittens literally thrown from passing cars and cats delivered by people who found them on the side of the road. Some older cats arrive after their owners have died and there is no one to continue caring for them. After a thorough physical and a quarantine period, the cats are integrated into the house and let loose to find their favorite napping spot on the sun porch, in a basket, in the backyard or on the roof of the shed.

My family has adopted three cats (Ralph, Ringo, and Captain) from her over a number of years. Here’s how it works – take your family over to Wendy’s house (any afternoon after 1:00), tell her what you’re looking for (short hair, long hair, inside, outside, solo or a team, etc.) and she’ll point out a few of her cats that match your requirements. There are usually around 100 cats (150 during kitten season) to choose from and she knows each one by name. While you figure out which cat bonds best with your family, Wendy will fill you in on the history of the cat and the personality that she has seen as they have roamed in the house and backyard, interacting with the other cats, two dogs and various family members.

There are many amazing things about Wendy’s Feline Friends, but two that stand out are how clean the environment is that they live in and how tirelessly Wendy and her husband Phil work to match these cats with the right families. It is obvious from spending time at Wendy’s how much passion these two people have for cats and for helping people find a new family member to love.

All of Wendy’s adult cats are spayed or neutered by a local veterinarian. The fees associated with this are covered, in part, by the adoption fee of $125 (kittens are available for $75 donation).

However, the majority of funding for Wendy’s Feline Friends comes from donations from people who care about the wonderful work she is doing in the community. If you would like to donate to Wendy’s Feline Friends (a 501(c)(3) organization), you can go to her website www.wendysfelinefriends.org to contribute through PayPal. Wendy would be very grateful for your support, and so would the cats.

Nancy Deliso is a photographer living in the Washington DC area. While usually taking pictures of nature and urban landscapes, some days she can be found taking pictures of cats at Wendy’s. Some of Nancy’s photographs can be seen at www.nancydeliso.smugmug.com.