After finding it a challenge to procure a permanent home for his black-and-white foster kitty Stabatha, a West Philly man is helping fund artists to paint the cat’s portrait in the hope of finding her a perfect forever family.
Kyle Cassidy took in the stray cat believing he could find a forever home for her within a few days. To his surprise, even after posting adorable photos of her on Facebook and Twitter asking his followers to name her, no adoption offers came forth.
He even wrote humorous posts praising Stabatha’s unique character and attributes: “She likes to watch TV, tell stories, complain about most everything you do, and snuggle,” he wrote. “She has an IQ of 122, speaks some French, and has put three stockbrokers in prison for insider trading.”
Still no luck. Then, when artist and Facebook friend Deanna Leist Aliano painted Stabatha’s portrait to catch the attention of prospective adopters, Cassidy was inspired. He set up a crowdfunding campaign to offer $50 grants to out-of-work artists to create more renditions of Stabatha and post them on social media.
“This is Stabatha, aka Cat Batman, aka Jolt Cola,” Cassidy said on his campaign page. “She showed up on a friend’s porch, desperate to come inside. She’s adorable and for some reason, nobody wants her. She’s also FeLV positive — which means that her lifespan is severely limited and she can’t be with other cats. She’s wants to sit under your legs, tell you a story and live whatever few years she has with you.
“I want to hire a series of artists to draw pictures of her. Not just to help find her a home, but because there are artists who are out of work and it would be nice for [them] to get a paycheck.”
So far seven artists have been commissioned to paint Stabatha – from as far afield as Italy and London – depicting her in many different styles and situations, even posing as a doctor.
Lady Freethinker applauds the effort Cassidy is making to find Stabatha a happy and caring home while helping struggling artists. If you might be able to give Stabatha a loving forever family, please contact Philadelphia foster-based rescue service City Kitties.
