Dusty

18 Oct Dusty

Dusty is a small grey cat with big gold eyes. Formerly a stray, she was part of a colony living near a canal a couple of miles north of Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, AZ. She has a big personality for a small cat, and was bold enough to stroll right in an open door and affectionately head-butt two indoor cats despite not knowing them. Although not very comfortable with humans (she does not much like being touched or held), she loved taking bits of food by hand when offered.

First photo of Dusty as a stray, Feb. 22, 2026

She was captured on March 31, 2026 and found to be very hungry and extremely underweight even at her tiny size. As an adult cat (a year and a half old at the time) she was weighed at only 3.84 lbs during a vet visit the following week on April 7. This sweet girl stole the heart of everyone who met her – by June 24 she was 5.66 lbs, a gain of almost 50% body weight.

Dusty on April 19, 2026, three weeks after being captured

Dusty’s Life Story

• Born October 2024
• February 22, 2026 – first photo, adjacent to canal just north of Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, AZ
• March 31, 2026 – captured
• April 1, 2026 – first vet visit, after which she was cared for by a Rover host for a week (thank you, Dina)
• April 7, 2026 – second vet visit; weighed at 3.84 lbs
• April 15, 2026 – third vet visit; spay procedure
• April 26, 2026 – transferred to temporary caretaker in Mesa (thanks Jacey and Eric!)
• June 24, 2026 – fourth vet visit; weighed at 5.66 lbs
• August 6, 2026 – admitted to Saint Francis Feline Sanctuary
• September 8, 2026 – venturing farther from her acclimation kennel

Dusty Videos

Due to the fact that she was not fully socialized with people, she could not easily be adopted and would likely not have been very happy as an indoor cat. On August 6, 2026 she was formally admitted to the Saint Francis Feline Sanctuary as her forever home. She had some strong bonds with other cats in her former colony (especially with a black cat named Clover), relationships that were sadly lost when she was captured. But she has been developing new friendships and has been happily exploring her new territory.

Dusty Photos