Wayward Cats Sanctuary was started in 2014 when it became obvious that there were many cats and kittens rescued by Desert Paws Rescue that were not adoptable and could no longer remain in foster care. My wife Jackie and I decided to start our own 501-c-3 non-profit animal rescue group named Hadley Home for Wayward Cats. We added “wayward” to the name because it accurately described the type of cats and kittens we would be housing, “difficult to control or predict because of unusual or perverse behavior”. In addition to the rescue, we set up a Living Trust that will continue to fund the Sanctuary after “we” cross the rainbow bridge.

In 2015, we purchased a vacant property in Queen Creek, AZ and planned the construction of “our” forever home along with plans for an attached cat sanctuary. After numerous additions, subtractions, and changes to the blueprint we finally came up with a workable design showing the living quarters and “the cat house”. We did have to modify the blueprint before we submitted it to the county for approval because our builder didn’t think having a portion of the building described as a “cat house” would be politically correct! Construction was completed in February 2016 and we, and the cats, moved into our new home.

We designed the cat house so our resident cats would have the comfort and safety of living indoors while still being able to enjoy the Arizona sunshine and fresh air. The sanctuary consists of a large common area, a small kitchen area, three smaller private rooms, a laundry, a bathroom, and a two section, completely enclosed outside catio. Access to the catio is available through two pet doors. Most of our cats hang out in the common area where they can look out the window, nap in the wall boxes and play.

The three small rooms are “The Rainbow Room”, The Treehouse Room” and “The Incontinental Room”. The Rainbow Room has a large rainbow and a rainbow bridge. This is where we remember the pets we have lost over the years. It’s also where new resident cats spend their first few weeks to become acclimated to living at the sanctuary. The Treehouse Room has our treehouse condo. We are currently doing forest murals on the walls to give our treehouse a natural background. The Incontinental Room is where our cats with incontinence issues stay. They have wall boxes for naps and privacy, and their own private catio for fresh air and sunshine.