DharmaCats Sanctuary

The cats

Meet the Cats

These are the residents of DharmaCats Sanctuary. Some arrived frightened. Some arrived sick. Some simply appeared and decided they lived here. Their stories brought them to sanctuary — but those stories aren't the whole of who they are.

Here, they get to be cats.

They sleep in sunbeams, supervise chores, argue about dinner, claim favorite places, form friendships, develop opinions, and occasionally make questionable decisions.

This is their home. Come meet the family.

The household

Everyone who lives here

Some of the family are camera shy and will join this page as their photographs are ready.

See how we care for them
Mary, a tabby, white, and orange cat with wide eyes, resting her chin near a door frame

Mary

Mother of five boys, all of whom still live here. Her working days are over.

Read Mary's story →
Mia, a grey tabby and white cat with green eyes, resting on a patterned blanket

Mia

Arrived with three three-day-old kittens and a great deal to survive. Now considerably rounder.

Read Mia's story →
Vashti, a black Manx cat with a small white chest patch, sitting on a wooden shelf

Vashti

The tiniest mama of them all, with the cutest little nub of a tail.

Read Vashti's story →
Cinder, a long-haired calico cat, resting on a cat tree at home

Cinder

Beautiful. Beloved. Currently buffering.

Read Cinder's story →
Ua, a grey and white cat, stretched upside down on a blanket-covered chair

Ua

Professional sunbeam enthusiast. Frequently upside down.

Read Ua's story →
Tallulah, a long-haired calico cat, settled on the wooden edge of a fish tank with a goldfish and another cat behind her

Tallulah

Currently questioning her caretaker's photography choices.

Read Tallulah's story →
Ho'o, a black and white tuxedo cat, looking up at the camera with wide green eyes

Ho'o

A miniature tuxedo kitty.

Read Ho'o's story →
Makapiapia, a black and white cat with striking eyebrows, sitting on a wooden floor

Makapiapia

Maka to his friends. Named for his very noticeable eyebrows.

Read Makapiapia's story →
I'a, a black and white cat with a pink nose, sitting upright among blankets

I'a

Has discovered that butt skritchies are, in fact, pretty great.

Read I'a's story →
Keali'i, a tabby and white cat with large ears, resting in a cat tree

Keali'i

Very talkative, particularly when food is involved.

Read Keali'i's story →
Nalu, an orange and white cat with round eyes, looking up from a wooden floor

Nalu

The biggest softie. Essentially orange-and-cream ice cream in cat form.

Read Nalu's story →
Po, a black cat with pale green eyes, resting beside a pink blanket

Po

Will happily tell you the story of his people, if you'll let him.

Read Po's story →
Ki'i, a calico cat with a white chest, sitting on a soft blanket

Ki'i

She's a calico. She has tude. Enough said.

Read Ki'i's story →
Mahitabel, a silver tabby cat with green eyes, lying on her back on a striped blanket

Mahitabel

Very talkative. Considers litter-box cleaning a supervised activity.

Read Mahitabel's story →
Fiona, a tabby cat, looking out from the fleece-lined platform of a cat tree

Fiona

Shy and timid, and entirely at home.

Read Fiona's story →
Morty, a tabby and white cat with green eyes, sitting on a wooden floor

Morty

One of the first three kittens to ever live in this house.

Read Morty's story →
Chai, a small Siamese-marked cat, peering over the edge of a carpeted cat tree

Chai

The tiniest of them all.

Read Chai's story →
Suvi, a tortoiseshell kitten with wide amber eyes, peeking out from behind a curtain

Suvi

A shy girl with the quietest little meow. She loves attention.

Read Suvi's story →
Kai, a cream and lilac-point Manx cat, curled in a round plush bed beside a window and looking toward the camera

Kai

The nub runs in the family.

Read Kai's story →
Jujubee, a long-haired tortoiseshell cat with green eyes, lounging on a patterned chair

Jujubee

Juju to her friends. TNR was the plan. Juju had other arrangements.

Read Juju's story →
Rudy, an orange tabby cat with golden eyes, lounging near a wooden cabinet

Rudy

Born Rudra. Thinks he is a person and will converse with you accordingly.

Read Rudy's story →
Shiv, a black cat with golden eyes, sitting inside a log-shaped cat bed and looking up at the camera

Shiv

Born Shiva. Constantly confused, in the most affectionate way. Shiv is Shiv.

Read Shiv's story →
Surya, a fluffy cream cat with a magnificent tail, standing on a wooden floor

Surya

Exists somewhere between Cinder's buffering and Shiv's general state of confusion.

Read Surya's story →
Stella, a fluffy tabby and white cat with green eyes, resting on a grey blanket

Stella

Showed up in the garage as a kitten and declared residency.

Read Stella's story →
Penelope, a cream and orange tabby cat with large green eyes, resting in front of a bookshelf

Penelope

Lost the person and world she knew. Was given all the time she needed to decide this new place was safe.

Read Penelope's story →
Ferdinand, an orange tabby cat, sitting among green garden plants in the backyard

Ferdinand

He came with a family. He was the one who stayed.

Read Ferdinand's story →

Names and photographs go up as they are ready. Nothing here is invented. Each cat stands here as they are — a photograph, a name, a little of who they are now. Every cat belongs here whether or not there is a written story to tell.

DharmaCats is a permanent sanctuary. The cats here are home, and they are not available for adoption.

A day here

Sometimes the sunbeam is the point

Days here are happily unremarkable: food, litter, medicine, cleaning, a lap when a lap is wanted, and a lot of following the sunlight around the house.

  • Morning: medicine, everyone's own breakfast, litter, and a hello to whoever wants one.
  • Midday: cleaning, laundry, and the long slow migration of cats following the light.
  • Afternoon: vet visits, a note on who ate well, and a run for food and litter.
  • Evening: second suppers, brushing for those who want it, and sitting with the ones who are slow to trust.

Nothing remarkable is happening here. That is rather the point.

A promise

What every cat here can count on

  • Food, warmth, medicine, and someone who knows their name.
  • Days they can predict, and the freedom to sit them out.
  • Somewhere warm to rest, and all the time they need to feel at home.
  • A place that stays theirs.

How those promises are kept

  • We care for the cats who live here first, and we grow slowly enough to keep that true.
  • We say yes when we truly have room, and we say so honestly when we don't.
  • When someone writes to us about a cat, we answer, and where we can, we point toward help.
  • Hard stories are told gently, with the cat's dignity at the center — never for effect.
  • You are invited to help, never made to feel guilty about it.