Local Spotlight Catmandu: Carson City's Feline-Only Animal Shelter

Linda Buchanan, the owner of Catmandu, had no idea (or interest in) how to run an animal nonprofit. But in 2014 when her husband, Kurt, died, she felt untethered. They had not only been partners in marriage, but partners in business as well.

Up until his death, he and Linda owned a small business making and selling trailers. When he died, so did the business.

It all started when Linda found a little stray cat in her yard and began to feed him. He lived under a neighbor’s porch, and would come out for food and scratches before retreating back to his den.

One day, Linda heard they would be boarding up the porch entrance, barring the little cat’s entrance to his home. They were going to trap him and send him to animal services, where he most likely would have been euthanized as a feral cat.

Every day, Linda told people “someone should do something about this, someone should really do something about this,” until one day she woke up and said to herself “I am someone. I’m going to do something about this.”

And so came to life the beginnings of Catmandu.

Catmandu is Carson City’s feline-only nonprofit animal shelter, located at 1829 Brown Street, where all of the cats are free roam and cage free. At present, they have about 125 cats total, including kittens.

They offer medical services as well as adoption services for their furry fosters, and all of the cats and kittens will be spayed/neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated before they go home, provided by the Nevada Humane Society.

The cats are separated by room dependent on age. There is the “nursery,” which houses the teeny tiny kittens, the lobby for the lobby cats, the main area for non-lobby-cat adults, and the teen room.

They also have a “catio,” where cats can hang out outside, but it’s currently closed while they fasten a new roof, which was created by fundraising donations contributed during a Facebook fundraiser. The fundraiser was held in memory of Blake Holdren, Catmandu’s caretaker who passed away Sept. 9th.

Their cats come to them from a variety of circumstances, but the most often heard story is that their owner needs to go into assisted living, and can’t take their furry friend with them.

But it’s the kittens that are brought in the most, whether they’re from a house litter from an unspayed pet, or a box full of feral kittens someone trapped beneath their porch.

“I’ve gone through five kitten seasons so far,” said Linda. “It’s exhausting.”

In one single season as many as 300 kittens can come through Catmandu’s door, and while they do get adopted fairly quickly, less attention can be spent on the older cats and their chances of adoption decreases.

Starting on Jan. 1, after this kitten season is finally over, Catmandu will no longer be accepting kittens.

However, their plan isn’t to let those kittens simply run wild in the streets. Catmandu is hoping to apply for a grant to set up a Northern Nevada Foster Care network, which all of the area shelters would have access to.

The idea is that there would be a network system in place for foster volunteers, so that if pets need to be placed, any Northern Nevada nonprofit animal shelter can contact them and have them placed with an animal. Catmandu would serve as a foster-kitten headquarters, so to speak, where foster parents can come and collect supplies and host adoption events for their Carmandu fosters if they so choose.

Another plan potentially in the works would be the creation of a Cat Cafe, which have become very popular in recent years around the world, and which I'm sure Carson City would greatly enjoy.

In addition, Catmandu is always looking for volunteers not only to foster, but to simply come and socialize kittens and cats so they have a better chance at being adopted. If having a pile of baby kittens on top of you doesn’t sound appealing to you, this probably isn’t the article for you.

They are also hosting a free adoption day as a part of "Maddie's Pet Adoption Days," which will be held Nov. 16 and 17. This is a very important day for all shelters in the area, as their costs are covered by the Maddie's Pet Project, which is integral for their survival as a shelter.

Carson, the little black feral cat that started all of this, died a couple years ago, loved and safe. But his legacy lives on, and because of he and Linda, hundreds of other feline friends are now loved and safe as well.

For more information on Catmandu, you can visit their facebook page here. , or you can visit their website here.