In February 2013, this amazing rescue sanctuary took in seven special needs cats from a foster home that was closing. Having been one of the transporters that delivered the kitties from NJ, I was honored to visit this amazing facility. The cats are adored and thriving AND the humans are kind and hospitable. With places to climb, scratch and explore - including catios - this is a dream for unadoptable pets to ENJOY life AND be safe. This impressive rescue is beyond amazing!! (Pictured: Cupcake, one of the kitties who joined Rustic Hollow)
Purrfectly Pawsitive experience! I have followed Rustic Hollow on facebook for many years now. I feed feral cats in SW Iowa, have for many years now, and found myself in need of a safe haven for one of my crew. Spot had been coming to us for quite a few years now, and he turned up one night, unable to walk. Couldn't jump up into the chair, was falling over, and we found he had a dislocated hip.
I contacted RH, about bring Spot to them, explained the circumstances, and we were asked to test him for FIV/FELV and make sure he was neutered. We had the tests done and had him neutered, and found he has FIV anti-bodies. Am so happy we were able to get him a place in RH, as he wouldn't make it out on his own any longer, mobility issues with free roaming cats isn't a good thing. So thank you Keisha, Carmen and the crew of RH for welcoming our boy into your "home"!
I've been a part of the Rustic Hollow family since the beginning in 1985. I am still a part of the sanctuary as a volunteer now and as 'support personnel' in our retirement. The sanctuary has grown so much over the years with new buildings, new updates, helping with spay and neuter, and just overall improving every year. Thank you to the Executive Director, Keisha L. Stough for her hard work and dedication to the sanctuary.
About 10 years ago C & W Rustic Hollow Shelter gave a safe, loving home to a feral male cat who adopted my family and who, after periodically wandering for a couple weeks, would always show up on our porch looking bedraggled and hungry. We cared for him every time until he left for yet another adventure. The kids named him Ernie, and he was a sweetheart. One of his adventures seemed to have left him very sick, as well as with his usual weight loss and torn ears. I took him to the vet where he was diagnosed with FIV. I just could not euthanize Ernie, but, at that time, it was believed FIV was spread through casual contact or sharing water and food bowls. My daughter found C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter in Iowa, and, after boarding Ernie with the vet’s office for several weeks, I was able to take him to C&W where he lived many years with his feline and human families, the caretakers who provide excellent care and a lot of loving for the feline residents who make this shelter their home. It really is a family at Rustic Hollow, and every animal, regardless of their needs, special needs, disabilities, illnesses, or the previous issues that brought them to this shelter, lives amongst people who love and care for them in a home-like setting. The cats are not caged, but, instead, live in buildings or rooms where they are free to roam. Catios provide safe outdoor access, an assortment of soft beds, clean cat boxes, water, food, and treats are always available. Staff and volunteers offer loving pets, scratches, hugs, and warm laps on which to curl up while they provide good company, and read and or watch cat TV with the resident felines. Rustic Hollow provides more than shelter. They provide a home.
A few years later C&W rehomed 10 of my indoor cats when, because of my diagnosed leukemia and ensuing treatment, I was unable to care for them. There is no other place on earth where I would have been able to leave my fur-babies besides C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter. My heart still aches when I recall transporting my kitties to Iowa and leaving them behind. This shelter rescued me, my family, and my very-much-loved cats when we found ourselves in an impossible situation. C&W provided a home for my babies and gave me the comfort of knowing they would live out their lives in safe, loving homes with people who genuinely loved them and their fellow felines. The founders of Rustic Hollow and the staff have kept me informed about my cats through the years, and now, many years later,, my Shortstuff is the only one of my furs who still survives. COVID has kept me from being able to travel to Nashua, Iowa the last few years, but it’s a summer trip I look forward to enjoying again with my grandkids. Our donations to Rustic Hollow have been ongoing for years, and I cannot think of a better place with which to share our donation dollars and inkind giving.
This organization is one of the most selfless nonprofits that I’ve had the pleasure to work with. They do an exceptional job caring for the cats at their facility and put their comfort and needs above all else. The staff are extremely friendly and knowledgeable and I feel blessed to be a part of the rustic hollow family!
Rustic Hollow is an amazing cat sanctuary. The staff and volunteers are truly dedicated to each and every cat that resides there.
I have been a supporter of C&W for many years and have visited the shelter often. The 250+ cats who live there are well loved and cared for. The staff and volunteers know them all by name and love and care for them as if they were their own, which in many ways they are. They are free roaming in their group rooms with many pieces of cat and human furniture as you would find in any home. They have catios and TVs with cat videos running for entertainment besides the human interaction they get throughout the day.
C & WS Rustic Hallow Shelter Inc. is a top-notch organization. Every individual involved is dedicated, caring and knowledgeable.
The number of animals in shelters and rescues across the United States is at an all time high. This organization takes in cats that are overlooked or may be harder to place in a loving home. This organization is much needed.
They took in a cat (very sweet cat that deserves a forever home) from a rescue for which I volunteer. She now has a home where she can play, roam and receive appropriate care.
This organization is truly a lifesaving one for the animals it helps, and a life-changing one for the people it affects. Our cat was no longer able to live with us, nor was he adoptable anywhere else due to a behavioral issue that we spent years and thousands trying (and failing) to fix. Not only were our hearts broken that he couldn’t stop this behavior (spraying), but we didn’t know what to do with him or where he would end up, but we needed it to be somewhere safe, where he would receive proper medical care, nutrition, and above all, love and attention. He needed a new home, not just a place to live. We thought we were out of options when we were unbelievably lucky to come across someone from Rustic Hollow. They took our sweet boy and took him in as their own. They gave him a loving home where he could be cared for, but where he could also express himself how he needed. The staff and volunteers are truly the salt of the earth. These ladies care so much for these kitties, and they give them individualized care and attention as if they were their own pets. They also communicate with us as former owners and allow for us to visit, even through they don’t have to, and they are so kind and thoughtful. I can’t say enough about this wonderful organization, and I don’t know where we would be without them.
I've never been any place like C&Ws Rustic Hollow Shelter in my life! From the minute you walk through the door you can feel the love at this place and I know every single cat on the entire property receives exactly that every day from the staff and volunteers there. They keep the property clean and well-tended. They also mail out a lovely periodical keeping donors up-to-date on the goings on and how all the cats are doing. This place is hands down the best of the best.
Rustic Hollow is a great place for cats to live. I am so impressed with everything about them! A few years ago we brought a few kitties to this place; a volunteer drove them from Woodbury, New Jersey. How I wish we had a similar rescue like this in my state!
Our feline friends become part of our family. When their family passes on, no one to care for them, their human caregiver is gone. Those humans that were known to the caretaker, they try and find a home for the now confused and abandoned cat. No one is willing to take on the responsibility of the animal. Options appear to be limited, but then you are told about a non-kill shelter for felines in Nashua, Iowa.
You have found sanctuary for your feline that meant the world to its previous owner. A place where the animal would be cared for, given safe shelter and given love. That is what this shelter provides.
The caretakers are humans that are kind, patient and caring people. You know after visiting with them that your feline will be given the absolutely best care for the remainder of his or hers life.
Supporting this shelter is such an important action to take for the protection of our feline friends.
As a regular visitor to Rustic Hollow, I can tell that the kitties are well taken care of. There are few odors, cat boxes are changed often. There's always plenty of food. The kitties are well groomed. Everyone roams in their rooms, few are confined in cages. The caretakers are always petting, talking to them, holding them if they want. There are toddler beds, cat trees, window sills and numerous cat beds for lounging and are regularly washed and cleaned. It's a great place for a cat.
C&W is by far the most amazing home for special needs cats. Of course, the cats have staff, as do all cats, who provide loving care in a cage-free environment complete with climate control, television, cat entertaining videos & plenty of nourishing food, treats and toys. I am honored to have been a volunteer for nearly 15 years & am pleased to be able to have my young grandchildren ask to visit C & W.
We recently transported 3 special needs kitties to this shelter, and upon arrival, were amazed at the awesome staff and facility. Our experience was way beyond our expectations.
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Sweet Rex.
That was the name I gave to a male homeless cat I'd just trapped in a very dangerous situation at the Albuquerque International Airport. Rex was named in honor of a friend having some medical issues, and was also the husband of an unstoppable TNR advocate. The "Sweet" part of his name came from Rex's caregivers at C & W Rustic Hollow Shelter once they met this fine, lovable gentleman. Just minutes after he was trapped, he was meowing to be released, never to utter a hiss of fear or stress. He was just good natured, 'Sweet.'
As an animal advocate with a home already too full of lovable felines, I relinquished Rex to the local Animal Humane branch . . . he passed all the tests of sociability . . . only to test positive for FeLV . . . they were going to euthanize him! Horrified at the news, I convinced them I would responsibly find Rex a home, or at least a rescue organization where he would be safe.
That's when Sweet Rex's luck began to change. A superb rescue group in it's own right in Corrales, NM, stepped up and agreed to sponsor and help Sweet Rex find a home. Meanwhile, I was frantically searching privately for a forever home, even placing a newspaper ad with his picture. The responses to that ad were alarming and it became clear Sweet Rex's plight was desperate. But hope was never lost. The director of the Corrales rescue group knew of a shelter, almost 1,200 miles away, in Nashua, Iowa, that just might have a spot for Sweet Rex. Shortly after the request, we got the 'sweet' news . . . news that C & W Rustic Hollow Shelter would make room & welcome Mr. Sweet Rex into their fold, for the rest of his wonderful life. My heart nearly burst with relief & joy!
But how were we to get Sweet Rex to Nashua? It's at least a 2-day drive each way from Albuquerque to Nashua. How about a round-trip pass for a human passenger escort on an airline that accepted felines in the cabin? And yes, that very pass was donated by an animal lover upon learning of Sweet Rex's need. I just happened to work for that very same airline at the time and was able to easily persuade the gate agent to waive the reservation fee so Sweet Rex could board free of charge!
And so off they went. Sweet Rex and his escort. Sweet Rex didn't know that his escort on this journey, in his professional life, was an aide to a sitting US Senator, and the husband of the director of the Corrales rescue. But this trip was part of the escort's private life, and this was Rex's chance at his new life! It was in August, 2012.
Sweet Rex's story is also the story of C & W Rustic Hollow Shelter. I love what the word 'shelter' connotes. It gives hope to the infirmed, the wayward, and the homeless & their advocates, that there is a welcoming place to call home, no questions asked, forever!
Sweet Rex crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in April, 2014.
In an email notifying me that Sweet Rex had passed, Co-founders Carmen Linda Conklin & Wanda L. Orric wrote, "He fought the good fight, but the feline leukemia is something they cannot fight once it has a stronghold and is active in their bone marrow. Sweetest kitty ever. He is so missed. Always tears in our FeLV room when a kitty leaves, but Cristina (Swinton), his caregiver said, it's still the quality of life they have here, not the quantity. It is so true. They don't know they have this awful disease that could take them any time. They just live and are content and happy and loved. So sad today. Wanted to let you know right away.
Carmen and Wanda"
In my most humble opinion, C & W Rustic Hollow Shelter 'IS' unequivocally the 'DEFINITION' of a 'GREAT NONPROFIT!' The shelter constantly seeks ways to fundraise for all the necessary items essential in maintaining and sustaining a shelter. I'll never quite comprehend the day to day pressures involved in caring for an ever-growing number of wayward & homeless, medically & socially compromised cats. It's a selfless staff with many volunteers that make a great team, along with their passion, commitment, compassion, dedication & love for their clients, that makes C & W Rustic Hollow Shelter one of the VERY BEST!!! I will forever be thankful to them for the care & love gracefully afforded to just one amazing cat, . . . SWEET REX!!!
Sincerely,
Jeff Alexander
C & W Rustic Hollow Shelter, Inc was a life saver for myself and the nonprofit I volunteer with ( Feline Friendz in Ne). We have had many cats and kittens that were quite able to live out their lives, but finding fosters became non existence. After fostering them and reaching out across the country to find adopters for the cats that were completely blind, to as simple as suffering from stuberness and urinating all around the homes, or suffering for either FIV or Feleuk. C & W was a savor to them by excepting them into their nonprofit shelter,
In our hearts they are #1 in their community
Rustic Hollow has welcomed three kitties from our rescue in Wisconsin, two FIV+ girls and one healthy in need of rehoming. Our rescue is extremely finicky; we did the research, we visited several sanctuaries before placing these precious ones at RH. Rustic Hollow won our admiration and our support for their over-the-top care of each and every kitty there. Staff develop real relationships with the kitties in their charge, and treat them almost as their own. Medical care is high-quality and on-site; there is even an in-house clinic, and they host a low cost spayathon there every month that is a godsend for shelters in central Iowa, serving as many as 75 cats on those days.
Cats roam free in homelike houses. They get along with each other because anything that could cause competition is eliminated.
There is even a guest room for visitors!
I cannot praise Rustic Hollow highly enough. They do a beautiful job. (Photos of the kitties I've personally placed at Rustic Hollow, left to right: Holly Noélle, Jeannette Isabella, and Purrsia.)
Rustic Hollow has over the years continued to "be there" for a dear friend of mine when she was in need. She was a foster home for our little non-profit cat rescue in Wisconsin & she opened her doors & her heart to abandoned or stray cats & kitten, working daily to socialize them for adoption. However, her landlord took issue with the number of cats in the home he rented to her & told her that several of the cats must go. After much research & heartache, we decided on Rustic Hollow for these cats, both of whom were FIV+.
This past year, the house she rented changed hands & the new landlord terminated her lease. At this time she had 3 much-loved cats, all her own. After much searching of available places to rent, she reluctantly had to agree to an apartment that allowed only 2 cats. So Rustic Hollow was again called upon to help, which they did.
This cat had been doing well until at the shelter until several months ago when she contracted pneumona & was near death for several days. Her recovery was long & arduous & Carmen & Wanda, who founded & run Rustic Hollow, took this cat into their own home in order to care for her around the clock. They were there for her continually, seeing to all her needs & lavishing her with love & constant care. This kitty did recover altho she continues to be frail, but she never did go back to her quarters in the shelter. Carmen & Wanda have kept her in their home as one of their own cats so they can continue to care for her & see that she is well & happy. Carmen & Wanda are not young women & taking cats like this one into their own home to live as their own is a burden that they assume with love & tremendous compassion.
It is Carmen & Wanda who have from the beginning opened the doors of Rustic Hollow to cats who can no longer stay in their current homes for any number of reasons. They operate on a shoestring but the health & well being of the cats are never compromised. Their staff is imbued with the same compassion & dedicatiion to the cats that characterizes Carmen & Wanda. Surely these women & their Rustic Hollow Shelter are most worthy of recognition for being an outstanding home for cats in need.
A great group of people who give endlessly to cats with special needs who would otherwise be euthanized. They provide medical care, and a quality of life that many would not have if C & W didn't exist. A wonderful organization, a great colleague and compassionate peer. Highly recommend you support them.
We went to visit C&W Rustic Hollow and I have to say, it was one of the best days of my life. The level of care given to each and every animal is outstanding. You can tell that these cats aren't just taken care of, they are loved. You can see it in the way the volunteers and staff respond, that this is a place where any cat through whatever circumstance brought it there, will be cherished. It was an experience I will never forget, I wish there were more places like this.
C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter is a wonderful place! We could no longer take care of our cat, due to his medical needs and with their love and medical team, he's doing so much better! I get frequent updates on how our cat is doing and we go visit him and volunteer when we can. The facility is well maintained, clean, and the staff care about the animals. So thankful for the help C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter has given our family! 5 stars!!
I first encountered Rustic Hallow Shelter in December 2015, after I was advised our local shelter had no resources to assist. I am employed by a law enforcement agency and had come across a subject that had in excess of 40 felines. I was devastated, frustrated and upset at the lack of any available help. I was given Rustic Hallow's number and hesitated due to it begin forty five minutes out of my jurisdiction. What an amazing experience I had. I wasn't even sure that Rustic Hallow could assist, but several months, phone calls and arrangements later, I can truly say if it wasn't for Rustic Hallow, most of the felines would have been euthanized. Carmen not only "adopted" several cats, but found homes for kittens, found a foster home for several adult male felines and arranged to have many neutered at no expense to law enforcement or the subject. I am so thankful for Carmen and everyone involved with Rustic Hallow. I know I owe so much to Rustic Hallow for all that was done from pure advise to the connections they have and used to help me. To this day, I have yet to meet Carmen or visit Rustic Hallow, but it is an absolute on my to do list. Thank you for having such a caring heart and safe place!
We have been volunteers/supporters for the shelter for years. The staff helps so many cats and a few dogs that have illnesses or physical problems that no one else will even consider. The shelter is not only clean but being in the country, it's very peaceful. After every visit, we come away with such a warm feeling....we are supporters and now friends. We have helped with spay/neuter clinics....what a great way to get the word out to the public. We're looking forward to future trips and can't wait!
I love C & W's Rustic Hollow. This cage free, no kill sanctuary for special needs felines is just amazing. Carmen, Wanda, their staff and many volunteers care for cats with medical & physical needs, seniors, cats that are feline leukemia+ and FIV+ and many others. In addition to daily and medical care, they socialize the cats, hold spay & neuter clinics, do fundraising events and I know for sure this is only a small portion of what they do . When they take an animal in, they are committed to that animal for life. They have accepted 2 special needs cats from our shelter in Emporia, KS and I drove them to Iowa on both occasions. I have seen first hand how wonderful this sanctuary is and the love and care given to these felines who all deserve that 2nd chance they would not otherwise have received. I can't thank C & W's Rustic Hollow enough for what they do. They are awesome!