Cat Connection helping kitties find ‘furever’ homes for 25 years

Generally, nobody wants to fail. However, in Mushie the cat’s case, a lack of success turned out to be lucky for her.

As a “foster fail,” her temporary living situation became her forever home after Taline Lorensian, president of The Cat Connection, adopted her.

The feline rescue organization, which originated in Waltham, is marking its 25th anniversary this year. As part of that important milestone, The Cat Connection will hold its annual Everything’s Coming Up Rosé garden party fundraiser on June 28 from 6 to 9 p.m. The event, which takes place at the Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds at 286 Waverley Ave., Newton, will feature a silent auction, entertainment, art made by cats, a light supper, open bar and live music.

“I’m so proud to be a part of this organization,” said Lorensian, a Waltham resident who volunteered for five years before becoming president in 2023. “We’re having a really, really big impact in the area.”

The Cat Connection is entirely volunteer-based, so every dollar goes to cat care, its shelter, supplies and veterinary costs, she said. The Cat Connection is a “no-kill” shelter, meaning it does not euthanize pets in need of homes.

Origins and caring for colonies

Back in 2000, before there was a formal organization, there were two good Samaritans who decided to help local groups of strays. What would become The Cat Connection started “in Waltham when Sandy Schawbel and Flo Shulman noticed the growing number of homeless cats in their neighborhood. They began to feed them, then to trap and take them to vets to [be] given shots and to be spayed and neutered,” with many returned to the colonies, according to the group’s website. 

They soon developed a “network of supporters” who helped raise money to continue caring for the colonies, take in cats from owners no longer able to care for them, and find foster families and permanent homes. The Cat Connection became an official nonprofit to ensure the organization’s work was sustainable for years to come.

Dianne Hudson, volunteer intake coordinator for The Cat Connection, has been with the organization since the beginning.

Hudson, a Waltham resident, said 25 years ago “we worked a lot in Waltham, Newton, … Brighton [and] Allston. Back in that time, there were many, many cat colonies that we took care of.”

Lorensian said by 2008, the nonprofit cared for about 25 colonies that included a total of 216 cats. Nowadays that number has dwindled to four colonies with three “regulars” and occasional new visitors, she said.

As volunteers cared for the colony members, they would look for cues like meowing for food or not hiding to determine how comfortable the felines felt around humans, said Lorensian.

Today The Cat Connection does not release cats back into colonies after they’ve been spayed or neutered. The felines that seem less amenable to living inside are placed with “a special type of foster [who can] take in an unsocialized cat to get them used to indoor life. … We’ve had good success,” Lorensian said.

In addition to colony cats and strays, the organization takes in cats from owners or family members.

“Surrendering is not easy,” said Hudson. “It’s very rare to have somebody want to surrender their cat and not be sad about it.”

Some people who give up their beloved pets have health problems or have lost their housing.

“There’s a myriad of reasons,” she said. “I try to keep my emotions down because I know I’ve got to get these people through this. I reassure them we’re a no-kill shelter.”

Looking to the future

A crucial part of The Cat Connection’s success is its shelter, which opened in 2021 in Brighton after years of searching for a location.

Currently, Lorensian said the organization has 120 volunteers who help at the shelter; 130 foster families; 100 helpers who assist with fundraising, events, feeding colony cats and more; 127 cats being cared for by the nonprofit, including 22 at the shelter; and 105 with foster families. 

From 2010 through May 2025, Lorensian said the organization had adopted out 2,446 cats.

“The overwhelming number of those has been since we opened the shelter and really focused on expanding the number of cats we could take care of at any point in time,” she said. “Prior to 2022 we generally averaged about 60 cats in our care. By leveraging our shelter and expanding our foster homes, we’ve been able to maintain between 100-120 cats in our care.”

Hudson said The Cat Connection is always looking for more volunteer foster families and shelter workers.

And Lorensian said she hopes to expand The Cat Connection’s mission through fundraising and to find even more forever homes for the animals.