by Julie Wenger Watson
Photos by Sarah Gardner Photography
Founded in 1997, Tulsa’s nonprofit StreetCats, Inc., relocated to its “forever home” at 3105 South Winston Avenue in March 2025. In addition to a bright playroom with large picture windows, the spacious, newly renovated facility houses the organization’s administrative offices, boutique, and individual cat rooms.
The building is a dream come true for the numerous StreetCats volunteers, allowing them to further their mission of safely sheltering abandoned and lost cats while they search for their new homes.
“We’ve been looking for our own facility for a couple of years,” says StreetCats president and longtime volunteer Kathy Balsiger. “When we saw this building, we knew we could make it ours. Everyone who sees it loves it. We remodeled it for our needs, and it had other things already in there that work for us perfectly, so we’re real excited.”
The building formerly housed Grandfather’s Clock Gallery, which relocated to 11th Street, leaving its iconic functioning exterior clock on the building’s north facade. StreetCats cleverly incorporated that piece of Tulsa history into its own signage and repurposed much of the interior wooden siding into practical wall covering in its boutique.
The organization’s new location also allowed for a designated kitchen area, two bathrooms (including one with American Disabilities Act accessibility), and onsite storage.
Balsiger is thrilled with all the amenities, but she’s particularly happy about the new playroom for the four-legged residents.
“It’s the most exciting thing. The cats have some cat trees, and that’s where they can look out the big picture windows,” she says. “The designated playroom for the cats is the biggest, best addition to owning your own building.”
StreetCats takes in cats between the ages of eight months and eight years.
“We never overload our facility, so on average we have about 10 in the building, and we have as many as 20 on our waiting list,” Balsiger explains.
Matching Up Cats and People
Anyone interested in adopting a cat is asked to complete a two-page application and provide references.
“We just want a cat to be in a good environment and be in a forever home, so we do everything we can to find the cats those homes,” Balsiger says. “Everyone in the house has to come in and meet the cat before we can even consider adopting to them, and we only adopt to indoor homes.”
Adoption fees average $75 per cat, with a cost break for people who adopt two. Fees are reduced for seniors who adopt. All the cats are tested for feline leukemia and FIV and are spayed or neutered prior to placement, as needed. Adoption fees include microchipping and the related first year’s registration.
StreetCats maintains adoption records and will take back a cat that has been adopted through the organization at any point in the cat’s life if it becomes necessary.
In addition to those services, through its monthly voucher program, “A Stitch in Time,” StreetCats funds the cost to spay or neuter feral cats from the streets. Participants can purchase a $25 voucher that includes a one-year rabies shot and is redeemable at one of the organization’s partnering veterinary offices.
Since 1998, the program has resulted in the spaying or neutering of more than 6,500 stray and feral cats, dramatically reducing the number of kitties that need homes.
Donations and Boutique Items
StreetCats is completely operated by volunteers, with no paid staff. The organization relies primarily on donations for funding. Proceeds from the boutique also provide some support. A feline aficionado’s shopping paradise, it is stocked with clothing, cat-themed art, and gifts of all kinds.
“We have items for cat lovers, and we have items for cats, and it’s quite a bit of miscellaneous, really nice things,” says Balsiger.
StreetCats is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
“Anyone is welcome to come in during those hours,” says Balsiger. “If you’re interested in a cat, you can come into the cat area with one of our volunteers to look at them. We’ll tell you all about them. We have the bios, and we don’t cage our cats. They can run around. They’re loose, because we want people to interact with them to see if there’s a cat they would love to adopt.”
Visit https://www.streetcatstulsa.org to sign up for StreetCats’ newsletter or to volunteer.
