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Willie's Whisker Rescue
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Foster-based cat rescue · Schenectady, NY

Rescued from porches and parking lots. Raised in living rooms.

Willie’s Whisker Rescue saves cats in and around Schenectady. There’s no shelter building: every cat lives in a foster home until they go home with you.

Found a cat or kittens? Start with our guide.

An orange and white cat with one eye, resting against Paige's shoulder

80% of our cats are fostered by Paige herself

Right now · October 2026

Meet the half dozen: Lilith, Crow, Ouija, Omen, Vesper, Grim

Six new arrivals means more mouths to feed, and we’re low on supplies. Anything from the wish list helps right now.

Shop the wish list

Ready for a home

Every cat is spayed or neutered and vaccinated before going home, and lives with a foster until then.

See all 6 cats →
Dolly, a young calico cat with her tail straight up, standing on a flowered bedspread Available

Dolly

About 6 months · Female

Tail up, always. Wants to know what you’re doing.

Merle, a black and white tuxedo kitten, sitting on a brown comforter and looking up Available

Merle

About 5 months · Male

A tuxedo kitten with a very serious face and a very silly personality.

Clover, a brown tabby kitten with big eyes, standing on a gray blanket Available

Clover

About 6 months · Female

Big eyes, bigger curiosity.

Loretta, a long-haired white and calico cat, stretched out on a round wooden side table Available

Loretta

Adult · Female

Has perfected the art of the afternoon nap.

Paige Quillinan, smiling outdoors in front of pine trees
Paige Quillinan, founder

How Willie’s works

A small rescue with a big job

Willie’s is run by Paige Quillinan. She does all of the rescuing and the driving, and fosters about 80% of the cats herself, alongside a full-time job.

What limits how many cats we can save isn’t love or effort. It’s foster homes. Every new foster family is another cat we can say yes to, and the goal is to grow until Willie’s can bring on more fosters and, one day, staff.

Taken in
41
Adopted
28
In foster now
13

Since January 2026, as of October 2026. Sample numbers

Read our story →

Foster

Have a spare room? You could save a cat.

  • Paige fosters most of our cats herself. More foster homes means more cats saved.
  • Fostering means a room, daily care and attention until a cat is adopted.
  • You won’t be on your own. Paige walks every new foster through what to expect.

“I was sure I’d fall apart when my first foster got adopted. I cried for about ten minutes. Then Paige texted me about the next cat who needed a room.”

Megan, foster Sample
Learn about fostering
A tabby cat peeking over the top of a paw-print storage bin

Monthly giving

Join the Daisy Chain

Monthly gifts help the most. They let Paige say yes to a cat in trouble before she knows how the vet bill will get paid.

The Daisy Chain is everyone who gives a little every month. Any amount helps, and you can change or stop it any time.

What a monthly gift covers Sample costs

  • $10 Gas for a rescue drive
  • $25 Vaccines for one cat
  • $50 A month of food and litter for a foster cat
  • $100 One spay or neuter surgery

Found kittens? Don’t scoop them up yet.

Their mom is most likely out hunting and coming back. Here’s how to tell whether they need help.

Read the found-a-cat guide
  1. 1

    Watch from a distance

    Stay far back for 2–3 hours. Mom won’t return while people are close.

  2. 2

    Check their age

    Eyes closed, ears folded? Under two weeks, and they need mom most.

  3. 3

    Then decide

    Cold, wet, crying or in danger? Bring them in, keep them warm, and contact us.