Tiger
We met Tiger in 2023 as a little hungry brown tabby with mismatched-looking eyes. At this time, we had been feeding cats outside in this area for a while, so we happily let him in on this!
We expected him not to come back after he got his food, as many cats tend to do, but we would be graced with his presence again and again...
Tiger decided to return, but it took quite a while for us to gain his trust enough to get close! However, as Tiger kept coming back, we noticed that he was just not actually leaving! Tiger decided to stay, and we were finally able to get close enough to pet him. It would have been tough NOT to notice his strange eye color, which was quickly identified as an old scar on his cornea. It wasn't hurting him and didn't get worse, so it was a non-issue, especially now that Tiger was being looked after. What WAS an issue was that Tiger hadn't been neutered. We were lacking in resources for this for quite some time back then, so he wasn't neutered until a little later.Tiger, meanwhile, gained a new friend! 
Another cat who never seemed to leave our area was Prince - a silver tabby with blue crossed eyes. Prince used to roam around Nelsonville's Public Square getting food from the local businesses, until we began feeding cats nearby. He decided to stick around as well, and he and Tiger would quickly bond. The two were scarcely apart, and would find time to cuddle and care for one another often. Tiger has always been an overgrown baby, and Prince has always been a selfless caretaker, leaving them to be the perfect pair!
Finally, we would be able to get Tiger neutered. Prince, who had been neutered about a year prior, was brought inside along with him for a week while Tiger recovered from the surgery. Our boy had a tough time in recovery, but Prince had always taken care of him when he wasn't feeling well before, and this time was no different. While we also worked to care for Tiger, Prince stayed by his side the entire time, cleaning him and cuddling him until he started to feel better. 
Not long after this, we were able to move locations to a place where we were able to bring the pair indoors for good, finally giving them the safety and security we want to offer to all cats. As usual, the pair spent all their time together as they got used to their new surroundings.
Tiger now gets to spend his days warm when it's cold outside and cool when it's hot, fed, and with endless love from humans AND Prince. He's still quite the big baby, needing lots of attention and, of course, food!
Malikai
Malikai showed up in our original space in the early days of us feeding cats. He was very skiddish, and we only caught a glimpse of him from afar at first, having to leave food and just kind of hope he got to it first. It wouldn't be too long before he realized we were safe, and he would quietly creep over to us to get love. Petting him was a bit touch and go for, well, forever. Clearly everything in his brain told him to lay down and enjoy being pet, but he was also way too scared to allow himself to relax. Just as soon as he was enjoying himself, he would snap himself out of it and run off, scared.
He spent his time outside running off, and coming back each day often with a new minor injury like a stratch or a bit of fur missing. He was also unneutered, and we still lacked the resources to take care of that when we were just starting out. In the meantime, he would come by every day to get food, attempt to get pet, and try to befriend two other boys we look after named Tiger and Prince. He had a tough time winning them over, but sometimes they'd welcome him.
When we moved to our new home and brought Tiger and Prince inside, we continued going back to the original area until we could catch all the rest of the cats like Malikai. Despite showing up every morning and night to keep feeding cats, Malikai didn't show up. It would be a full four months before he would come back. Malikai's fur was grey, he had a lot of fur missing on his face, a deformed nose that was bleeding, and various other small injuries. He had been put through the ringer and just barely seemed to have made it out. We won't ever truly know what happened to him, but we do know what followed! The moment Malikai saw us again, he came running, excited to be back. We immediately brought him to the new house so he could rest until we got him to a vet.
It was really tough for a while with his health fluctuating, but his wounds did heal. During this time, he started to finally learn what it's like to relax. He would sprawl out while we pet him and his flinches would become less and less frequent. As his health started to recover, we were able to get him neutuered. Finally, all his anxiety vanished overnight. He was able to play, and his health stabilized. He was reuinited with Tiger and Prince, and really started to flourish. His journey has been one with rough waves and storms, but he's finally made it to port and has been living the good life ever since!
Walter
Walter was the very first kitty we met in Nelsonville, Ohio. Walter was found living behind the building beside the SAOP office where he was found with a large injury to his neck.
When we first met him, we hadn't even considered starting a sanctuary, so we had no other resources aside from ourseves. We found Walter along with his brother Archie, living off of garbage together. Archie was too skiddish to pet, but Walter would come right over, albiet nervously. He never seemed to be able to relax, always checking his surroundings in case of something scary. He caught our hearts with his strange little face, so we started feeding him and his brother every night after we left work. When we moved house, living closer to where the pair were living, we decided to bring Walter inside and see how he reacted! He wasn't too keen on the idea, as he was unneutered and had never lived inside before, but it gave him the safety and stability for his wound to heal very nicely!
After this, we had the opportunity to get him neutuered, which almost instantly seemed to quell his anxieties. Walter walked around with more confidence and wasn't nearly as jumpy as he once was. We started to take care of more and more cats, including his brother who we continued trying to befriend. During this time, Walter started to show his colors as the most cuddly orange boy around! Walter loves being held, getting kisses, and rolling around to look cute!
He also became a chunky boy, he's quite food motivated and we simply can't resist that little face. We often joke about how strange he looks, insisiting he just isn't a cat and is absolutely a little alien trying to pretend to be a cat! But, hey, we love him all the same!
Walter has won over our hearts and was the very beginning of PSK, cementing his presence in our lives!
Bleppy
Bleppy is one of the 2nd generation kitties we look after. We met her after our big move to a new home. She happened to live on the property as well, and quietly so. The other kitties on the property had louder personalities and were just a bit more friendly, so Bleppy wasn't the focus very often, she hadn't even been given a name yet! Up until one day when we found her covered in motor oil...
We noticed quickly that not only was she in need of a bath, she was pregnant. Bleppy was still a kitten herself, she was tiny, so we were immediately concerned about her health. We took her inside and gave her a bath, but needed to eventually give her a second. We gave her a tent where she could have her own space to rest. We were very swift in getting in contact with folks to get her spayed, knowing she was way too young to give birth and care for kittens, and knowing nobody had the resources for a litter of kittens. After she was spayed, she was kept indoors where she continued to have her own space to herself to recover. All this time, she displayed nothing but love for us, and total hatred of other kitties! Something we worried about, but wouldn't have to for long...
After some time of getting her used to the other cats, she was able to fully integrate just fine with everyone else! Her personality started to flourish and she got her name Bleppy (because she's always got a blep!). She showed herself as incredibly affectionate, nuzzling us when we hold her and being far more friendly than she had ever been when she lived outside! Bleppy quickly became friends with our boy Walter, the other kitty who really wanted to horse around. Being the two most playful cats, they often rumble and wrestle, but also take really good care of each other. Everytime Walter sees her, he will run over and start grooming her and checking on her. After all, Bleppy is the baby of the bunch!
>br>Bleppy is the youngest confirmed cat at PSK, proof seen in how much she had grown after being spayed. One day she was tiny, the next day she was a fully grown cat! She's survived through a lot, but gets more time in the safety of a house with family who love her!