THEY HAD US at cuddle. A Brownsburg home for pigs has expanded its mission with a cat adoption program run out of a storybook-esque tiny house, the Kitty Cuddle Cottage. For Oinking Acres Farm Rescue & Sanctuary owner Olivia Head, the move feels like a natural extension of a lifelong love. “I was actually a cat person before I was a pig person,” she says. “My mom was a faithful cat foster, and I grew up around cats, especially those with special needs and babies that had to be bottle-fed. I became a great bottle-feeder.”
On a recent hot day, the guests—a mother with a caboodle of ginger and tabby kittens—seemed at home. Two sprawled on the rug in a sunbeam, purring along with the air conditioner. The others boinged between armchairs. “The environment is such that you can see how the cat will actually behave, their personality, which often isn’t the case at a shelter when a cat is in a cage,” Head notes.
Same-day adoptions aren’t permitted, which disappoints some. But Head stands by her vetting process. “I make sure each cat is matched with the right home,” she says. “We take everything into account. Whether the adopter works from home or long hours, which cats are good with dogs or other cats, or which are destined to be only cats. We call vet references.”
One success story is Maude, an emaciated mother who gave everything she had to feed her kittens. They were in good shape, but Maude needed time to recover. In the end, she was adopted with one of her daughters. Such multi-cat adoptions are encouraged if the situation allows. “Cats like companions,” Head observes.
Locals will drop off strays, but most of the felines come from Indianapolis Animal Care Services. “They’re overwhelmed. There is such tremendous need,” Head says. She’s thinking about eventually devoting a barn to the purpose. “The cottage is cute, but word is getting out.”
8420 N. County Rd. 650 E, Brownsburg
317-225-1761
