I live in Louisville KY now but was in Charlotte NC when I first heard about Corky and what this shelter team was hoping to do for him. I have followed Cats Cradle on Facebook every since. I'm amazed and so appreciative of the care and the work these folks do. I know there are other shelters in America that also do good work, but Cats Cradle has been "chosen"! They are no longer a shelter "just in Fargo"; they are now known world wide yet have continued to keep their focus on the care of kitties and cats. I ask that everyone consider including this shelter in your taxable contributions. Another way that I like to contribute is by selection when shopping at smile.amazon.com. Thank you Cats Cradle for all you do!
This shelter really really loves kitties!! They save so many cats both feral and surrendered. I adopted a prescribed emotional support animal kitty from them and he was the perfect fit for me! (Thanks to their help with matchmaking.)
My kitty had a heartbreaking story: born feral, trapped‐neutered-released with broken teeth removed from a high fall, and so friendly that ultimately he was taken in to adopt out.
Unfortunately, he suffered from pancreatitis/IBS and almost died... but Cat's Cradle paid to have ~$1,500 worth of care plus volunteer home-nursing care for over a month to bring him back from the brink of death!
After adopting my kitty I purchased pet insurance in case his condition was chronic, and luckily so... I ended up bringing him to the Twin Cities for specialized care which diagnosed him with the same condition as a chronic one. But he's on maintenence meds and prescription food, has a puppy brother he loves to play with, gets nonstop cuddles and window watching, and has the highest quality of life a kitty could hope for!
My kitty is just so very very special, has such a beautiful playful loving personality, and thanks to Cat's Cradle will live a long and very happy life!!
I couldn't recommend this organization and it's caring volunteers enough!!
Please donate today!
We had three young cats and used to take the three down to the lake place we shared with my sister. The male of the three became enamored with my sister's cat (a very crabby cat) and would protect her when he thought she was being harmed. My sister was washing her cat's paws (and the cat was making a fuss), so our male cat jattacked my sister. Thus, we could not bring him down to the lake. But if we left him at home, he would meow all weekend long. So we decided to get him a kitten. We saw a gray kitten from Cat's Cradle that we thought would have the energy to keep up with him. So my husband and son took a carrier and went off to Cats Cradle.
They came home about an hour later. I looked in the carrier and saw an ORANGE kitten. I thought "they must have changed their mind." Then I also saw a gray kitten! They were bonded at their foster home, and the orange kitten cried whenever the gray kitten left the room. That, and the offer for a two-for-one special in adoption fees (my husband never passes on a good bargain) and we became a household with FIVE cats. And I wouldn't want it any other way. Zoey (the gray diluted tortoise) and Sunny (the orange tabby) are the perfect addition to our family. Attached are their baby photos and photos now as adults.
Going into college I just knew I wanted to finally follow through with my dream to rescue a senior kitty. I spent weeks at Cats Cradle searching for the right match and every week the volunteers would help me try to find one. Finally, one week the volunteer helping me just knew this cat that had just come in was the perfect match. He was still in the back area so they took me there and the minute I held him I just knew this was my kitty. Now Bjørn is my absolute best friend. He’s the sassiest, cutest, most charismatic cat ever and my roommates and I do not know what we would do without him
Well...our 4th kitty is our Cat’s Cradle foster fail. We have had many fosters, but my husband fell in love with her. He said “I guess one more won’t make any difference”. He was never a cat person...but has become one and helps with our fosters.
I found my sweet Maggie at Cats Cradle and she is the sweetest girl ever. Justice and Maggie adore each other and I love them both. Cats Cradle volunteers were so kind in helping me get set up to take Maggie home. I can’t thank them enough.
7 years ago today!! I knew I wanted two tabbies, and I saw Gwendolyn right away. She looked up at me with the sweetest eyes, and when I went to pet her, she closed her eyes and let me stroke her sweet, cute head. Her name was Kwanzaa at the time. She is a gorgeous girl with aguti fur. What I didn't know was how smart she is. She seriously is in the Mensa of cats. I've had many, many babies, and she leaves them all in her intellectual dust. ;)
Then I had to find a sibling for her. I went from room to room wanting all of them, but I had to wait until the very last room to find a little silver boy named Packer. As soon as I sat down, he RAN to me, jumped up on my lap, and, I swear, he HUGGED me. He was 9 months old at the time and had come from the NDSU vet tech program. Now, he's my little Wolfgang / Wolfie, and is, without a doubt, the sweetest, softest, cutest baby I have ever known.
My babies have their forever home, and I am extremely grateful and thankful for Cat's Cradle. I will support them as long as I have the means to do so. THANK YOU!!
These are the first pictures I took of them -- 7 wonderful years ago today.
I walked into Cats Cradle to look around with zero intentions of actually adopting that day. I also had this idea in my head that I was destined to get a black long haired cat. Of course one of my first stops is the kitten kennels. There are so many adorable kittens. One of which wants me to play with her. She was a white short hair. I thought she was absolutely adorable but not what I was looking for. I eventually make my way around the entire place, seeing plenty of black long haired cats. But I could not stop thinking of that little kitten. I go back to visit her again. I’m holding her when a group of people come in. One lady reaches towards her to pet her and say she is adorable but this little kitten was not having it. She nuzzles further into my arms to avoid the ladies touch. At that moment I knew I had to adopt her. This little kitten ended up being my soul mate. Every person would tell me my relationship with her is child and mother. Words cannot describe how perfect we were for each other. I did not choose Nahla, Nahla chose me.
Fast forward 4 years, Nahla becomes sick. Eventually she gets to the point of not being able to lift her head or move the front of her body. I literally lost a piece of myself the day I decided to let her be at peace. Cats Cradle was so helpful during this time. We worked together trying to figure out what possibly could have gone wrong. They consulted with the vet for me. Overall they made me feel like I had support and would do anything to help me during this horrific time.
When it came time to look for another new friend, we chose cats cradle. The thing I love most about cats cradle is the ability to truly interact with the cats and no pressure to choose right away. When we found Tina, our world got a whole lot more interesting. Tina will never replace Nahla, but I believe she helped me stay positive during my grieving. Tina makes us laugh constantly. She loves our other cat MauMau and was determined to have MauMau love her.
Cats Cradle is our only option for adopting Cats. Because of them I do not just have cats, I have family members.
It will be coming up on three years now since my fiancé and I adopted our furbaby Merle from Cats Cradle. Merle Is a very particular cat with an incredible personality. For the first month after we brought him home we were unable to even touch him without getting a good hiss or growl. After lots of patience and love we began to grow on him. Now he barely leaves our sides, sleeps between us every night and is the most loving cat I have ever seen. Thank you so much to this wonderful shelter for never giving up on this cranky little kitty. Our lives would not be complete without him ❤️
I lost my love, Buddy, after 17 years. At that point I stopped at cats cradle, hoping I would connect with another cat. I didn’t and walked away making a decision to avoid adopting another. Three months later I had a dream, That a gray cat save my life. A week later cats cradle had a gray cat in desperate need of a home! Since I had no cat in my life, I was able to foster. That gray cat, my new love, came in and immediately bonded with me! That a gray cat save my life. A week later cats cradle had a gray cat in desperate need of a home! Since I had no cat in my life, I was able to foster. That gray cat, my new love, came in and immediately bonded with me! I knew I was a foster failure after about an hour! My new “Buddy” has been with me, my best friend and loyal companion, for about four years! Thank you Cats Cradle!!! I’m in love again!
I went into Cats Cradle to simply meet some kitties because I was having the worst day ever. I have always wanted a cat of my own and since moving on my own I figured it was time to finally adopt one and bring them to their forever home. As I was touring Cats Cradle I met many cats who were loving but it wasn’t until I walked into the 4th room that I was pretty sure I found my soul kitty. I went through the rest of the rooms and went back into #4 for about 30 mins just to see if I was 100% sure that I had found the one. I had a beautiful Siamese cat named “Vivo” come up to me over and over. She rubbed on my legs, let me hold her and stayed around me when others walked into the room. I knew then and there that she was meant to go home with me and live a happy life. I have since renamed her Nala and she has warmed up so fast to her new home. She has her own bed and still chooses to sleep on the couch or on me. Lol. She also thinks bedtime is play time so we spend a couple hours at night playing let’s see how many time I can wake my person up. Haha! I needed her as much as she needed me and we are a perfect pair. I would love to say I walked in and chose a kitty but she definitely chose me and I love her more than anything. Thank you Cats Cradle! Thank you soooo much!
During a volunteer visits I was in one of the colonies towards the back. After I cleaned it I sat down for a moment. A very dark toned tortoiseshell female came up sit in my lap then she curled up and purred. we sat together for a while and then I left. During two subsequent visits she did it again. It was clear to me that I had been chosen. The following adoption day my husband and I came back and we took Norrie (now Nutmeg) home with us. That was many years ago and she has been a very rambunctious and loving addition to our family. In fact she is curled up in my lap as I write this.
First off, the efforts of the staff between coordinating care, fundraising, behind the scenes no fun jobs, and love for the cats are unparalleled in the shelter world.
I've fostered two adult cats, two "teens", and a mother and kittens for this organization. They supported me in taking care of the cats (foods, supplies, vet care).
We kept one of our adult fosters, Squirrel. She has the most lovably annoying meow. She enjoys snoozing in her cat tower and stealing dog beds. She's incredibly affectionate. Visitors immediately ask where she is (that is when she doesn't immediately make an appearance for pets) because she's made a reputation as a bit of a lover.
The only problem with Squirrel is that she's traded me, her master, in for a better model. She decided to become someone else's cat. He's four and calls me mom.
I got my calico babe Luna from Cat's Cradle! She was the only one of her litter that survived after they were wrangled from a warehouse. She is sweet and so talkative! She loves to chatter at the birds that land on our garage roof and play with her much older buddy Knuckles!
Several years ago I fell in love with an extremely skittish cat they called Dixie at CATs Cradle Shelter. I have always been drawn to the scaredy-cats, the not-as-pretty kitties, and the shy kitties. I already had three cats, which was my absolute limit, time-wise and money-wise, so I couldn't adopt her. But I visited the shelter once a month or so to try to friend her and I also contributed to her adoption fee so that a loving family strapped for cash could give her a furrever home.
A year and a half passed and no one wanted to adopt the shy little calico I loved. One of my cats had passed, leaving an opening in my home for Dixie. I was SO EXCITED to be able to bring her home. It took months before Dixie really warmed up to me. Now she demands that I pick her up and pet her. She purrs so loudly she can be heard in the next room.
Dixie came from a hoarding house. If CATS Cradle hadn't rescued her, I would never have had my little lover. They do good work there. The staff and volunteers take good care of the kitties, even the ones whose medical bills are high. Cats that otherwise would have been euthanized now have furrever homes thanks to the no kill shelter.
I saw Cats Cradle and Gail go above and beyond for a cat I fostered to be adopted. I fostered a particularly difficult case and Jackson Galaxy even helped with conference calls. When the time came to adopt this cat out a very specific nationwide search was done and the purrfect adopter was found. I am in Bismarck and the adopter was in the Twin Cities. I was going through the Twin cities on the way to Rochester and here the adopter was coming to Fargo but couldn't take the cat till after she made a stop by St. Cloud. I drove the cat to Fargo and Gail and another volunteer met me at Cats Cradle and the cat stayed there overnight and got microchipped. I continued on and the next day Gail and her husband drove her to meet the adopter in St Cloud . The cat is very happy and so are the adopters. Gail and Cats Cradle assisted when this wasn't even a cat they had to place and went above and beyond to make sure this special kitty and her new family were united. I can't say enough about Gail and Cat's Cradle. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
We went to Cats Cradle in Feb. after we had lost one of our beloved cats. We were looking for a companion cat to play with a cat we had rescued that had been thrown out at a farm by Ada. We had seen a picture of Hope Solo on their page and decided to adopt her. She has been a joy to have and loves to play. In August we lost another of our cats and went back to Cats Cradle at which time we decided to foster Pippi. She was so sweet we decided to adopt her as well. We now have three additional kittens one is Pippi's and the other two are being fostered through Cats Cradle. We are considering adopting all of them as well. This shelter is the best. The staff are all great to work with. Please help them to continue the wonderful work they do. Thanks
Cat's Cradle Shelter in Fargo is wonderful. The shelter is clean, organized and provides a nice atmosphere for cats that are waiting to go to their forever homes. They get medical care, sunshine, comfy beds, toys, and "people" time. The dedicated staff members and the multitude of volunteers are so compassionate and caring. I have had the Shelter help me three different times in finding homes for cats. Very impressive!
I adopted Luna 3 yrs ago. She was 4.5# ( full grown) her hair was burnt off with some deep wounds from it. She stopped eating. Cats cradle paid for a feeding tube also 1/2 the cost of her dental later. Doctor wasnt sure if she would make it. Now shes my babie a hefty 13#. She is physically fine but mentally caries wounds. My house is quite and she loves being on my chest/lap. But spooks when u move or sneeze.
I became acquainted with the two exceptional founders of Cats Cradle before the shelter was a reality. They were volunteering at an organization that provided low cost spay/neuter, but realized very soon there was an unbelievable need for a shelter for the abandoned and unwanted cats in our community. From day one they gave their heart and soul to this shelter and it has grown so quickly to a shelter that has Facebook friends and donors from all over the world, in part because of the media attention of Corky, a cat they saved with bilateral arthrogryposis of the tarsus. Anyone else would have had him euthanized him, but Cats Cradle decided to try and save him--and they succeeded!
One of the best things about their no-kill shelter is their cats are able to live in rooms with 6-10 cats rather than cages. Also since their inception in 2012 the number of adoptable cats being euthanized would drop from over 400 in 2011 to zero. That is quite the accomplishment and says a lot about the dedications of the volunteers who rely 100% on donations and adoption fees.
Because I believe in this shelter so strongly I provide a monthly donation to the shelter along with other donations throughout the year and attend all their fundraising events.
Cats Cradle Shelter has done such wonderful things for the cats of our community.
Please help us continue in ourmission.
Cats Cradle is a shining example of what a rescue can be!
I have been following CATS Cradle Shelter since it's inception in 2012. It's one year since I adopted Warrant Officer Tootsie Roll...and nine weeks since I adopted Lily Pad (Tripod) and Goldie. I cannot say enough about Gail and all who are affiliated with this extraordinary shelter...and how they go above-and-beyond in taking care of all their rescued cats and kittens regardless of them being bottle babies, injuries, medical necessities, or a myriad of other things. Truly the best-of-the-best, I encourage everyone to support CATS Cradle Shelter...including financial donations so they can take care all these beautiful creatures. Blessings to all.
They are such an amazing group of people - who consistently go the extra mile for kittens and cats who need their help!!
I donate monthly to their work - and give more as I'm able!
They are a "five star" charity! They meet and exceed even their own goals!
My daughter and I absolutely love Cats Cradle. A few years ago, we decided we wanted to try to help animals and we wanted to do something local. We found Cats Cradle and began donating money and then we decided to volunteer as well. We've been volunteering for over 2 years now and have discovered an amazing group of people who dedicate their time and money to saving cats. We also adopted our second cat, Nadia, from Cats Cradle and we are so grateful to have found her. She makes every day special in our house. Finding her would not have been possible without Cats Cradle and all the dedication they put forth to try to find every cat a loving home.
Wonderful wonderful place I have donated here for years but just two months ago I went in and adopted three sibling kitties and I just love all of them they had the best start in an awesome foster home and everyone at cats cradle put so much time and heart into rescuing and saving cats and kittens in our area they go way beyond what Most would do
Cats Cradle is truly dedicated to finding homes for every cat no matter what their history is. Cats Cradle blessed us with 3 wonderful barn cats who would have been euthanized by any other shelter. Cats Cradle live trapped these feral cats, had them spayed or neutered and got them all of their vaccinations! While most shelters would charge an adoption fee, Cats Cradle mentioned that if we were able, a free will donation to help defray the veterinary costs would be appreciated. Executive Director, Gail, was in email contact with me whenever I had a question whether it be weekend or evening. Typically I am very skeptical about making monetary donations to non profits and prefer to donate gifts in kind; however, I have no problem making a cash donation to Cats Cradle. This is a top notch organization who truly cares about helping our less fortunate furry friends.
I'm from out of state and follow Cats Cradle on Facebook since seeing the great work they did with Corky. The dedicated volunteers show us the best of what human beings are capable of in taking care of the most helpless - as well as others who come into their care. I am happy to support this shelter from afar. They use their funds wisely, are accountable and responsive, and most dedicated.
We lost our cat four years ago to an illness and she had been a rescue. When we were ready to adopt again we went to Cats's Cradle. We were warmly greeted by Gail who gave us a tour and introduced some of the cats. The cats were free to roam in their room and looked happy and healthy. Gail showed a beautiful long haired calico, now named Callie, who has been with us for four years. CC assists cats with medical conditions, has foster homes for several cats and kittens and provides a warm safe environment until they are adopted. We can't say enough good things about Cat's Cradle!
Working with city and county impounds, we would be lost if it were not for a caring group of people to help these lost kitties find new forever homes. They treat each cat like they are their own and do whatever it takes to help them live happy fulfilling healthy lives. They are a blessing in our community.
Cats Cradle is the definition of a great non-profit. They go above and beyond to help animals in our surrounding communities, taking on the toughest and most expensive cases. Their stories are touching, heartbreaking and heartwarming, and they have a community of followers from around the world based on the great work they do. Check them out in Fargo to follow the amazing animals they have and the amazing people that volunteer there.
CATS Cradle Shelter is top notch. They have a rescue history that is beyond compare. Here is a record for you: In 2015 they took in every cat or kitten in Fargo for a total of 525 animals (NO MATTER WHAT THE ANIMALS CONDITION OR MEDICAL COST) and guess what---524 of them were adopted out. They are very careful with all the adoptions to make sure it is a good fit for the cat and new family. Their medical costs for 2015 were $71,487.40 and they raised all of it and more for feed, litter and overhead for a completely volunteer staffed shelter. These folks are AMAZING and sure could use the money to help even more. They are so dedicated-bless them.
My sister who lives out in the country seems to get stray cats. This past month a young cat came into her yard, scared, stragly looking and starving. She has been taking care of it and is looking a lot better. It really is a very beautiful cat but scared yet of people. As winter is approaching she plans on trapping it and bringing her into Fargo. I sent a email to Cat's Cradle Shelter and they will be looking for her.
I have donationed to their 12x12 program for years. They do the most amazing work and aren't hesitant about taking on the tough cases.
They are just the most amazing people you can find.
I have been fostering cats and kittens for cats cradle for about 2 years, and I have adopted 2 cats through them. The women who work through this company are amazing, hard working and the strongest kick ass cat ladies I have ever met. They are the best I'm sure in this business.
