The New York Tri State Area is home to many strays and animals held in waiting for adoption. Most will never be adopted or fostered. The long wait for a new family often leads to euthanasia. This is particularly true of the cat.

Recent strides of progress have been made but the shelters, pounds and foster care programs still struggle to find homes. Among the rare few that do is a philosophy of the heart: work hard to find the RIGHT homes.

As obvious an obligation this may seem some shelters disassociate these animals from the humanitarian demands needed to foster real care, housing them off to anyone that can fill out a form.

But there is one such place that nurtures this line of care:

C.A.T.S. Resale Shop in Westwood New Jersey wherein founder Lynn Cancro works to find what she calls “forever homes.”

From its opening in 1995 Lynn has donated the shops proceeds to facilitating adoption and foster care to homeless animals. Reselling donations ranging from fine jewelry, vintage wear, house ware and decor Lynn has made it a point to make the animals feel they have a place of their own among feline friends in transition.

The majority of the adoptees are cared for at a local shelter but you can find feline adoptees hanging out at the shop basking in the sun or catching up on the usual afternoon beauty nap. Lynn’s resale shop is a beautiful spectacle of feline life and all its playfulness. Among curious shoppers and thrift store fanatics looking to score a great bag or longing to feed in to some closet case nostalgia are some seriously complex and brilliant characters-all marbled eyed and soft as hell.

The cats are extremely welcoming as Lynn has made the shop part of what is clearly a real familial community to the both the strays and their human neighbors down the road.

Bugs Bunny (an overwhelmingly adorable stray) appreciates playtime with visitors. Some other whiskered orphans like to just chill or keep a low profile; indulgently stretched out under clothes racks watching guests try on clothes. Occasionally the cats compete for attention whilst others are more than happy to rest their round green and blue gazes on artisanal glass bottles examined by shoppers in the afternoon light.

Many of the guests find themselves newly bonded over stories involving recently deceased furry companions or the beautiful and strange experiences had with animals. A few guests looking to adopt eagerly wait to meet and greet a cat from the shelter while other stop-ins are clearly just itching to play with some cats (eh hem).

Either way the shop doesn’t just house a safe place for cats to be cats and stave off hunger its also home to items, people and experiences loved, forgotten and cherished.

Dogs are never on site and the cats are occasionally on a visitor rotation cycle based on what their needs are (pick up or drop off to veterinarian or an introduction to an interested adopter).

In partnership with others like Alley Cat Allies and VetCentric proceeds go to medical care and food. Help is not limited to donations. Lynn has made helping animals open and accessible to those either looking to adopt, foster, fundraise, work or volunteer on all fronts of the team. And, like all the volunteers, donators, thrift store aficionados that have embraced or wandered into the oddity and beauty that is the shop you will find yourself in the presence of great things: animals, things and the people that have devoted their lives to looking after them.

Application forms and further information are available at care4strays@optonline.net. All donations are tax deductible.

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