Foster Cats & Reentry

Reentry is a term coined by former director of the National Institute of Justice Jeremy Travis and is the process by which a person in correctional confinement prepares for release and transitions back into the community.

We understand that’s quite a concept, but believe it or not there are many programs around the world with foster cats and inmates. (Like this program in Washington, read HERE.)

We’re not experts on this very complex matter. We’re constantly learning more, improving as we go, and engaging more members of our community to join in on this very important conversation.

Bow Tie Panther wants to change the stigma around returning citizens amongst our community while finding happy and healthy homes in the busy cities for our well-mannered feline friends.

In Honor of Abeddo

Abed is not only the inspiration for our logo, but for the heart of our entire organization. At the end of July 2024, I fell off of an unsecured structure in Marshals and sustained brain damage. For reasons unknown, three weeks later I decided to take a bus to Davis to pick up my dream cat from strangers on craigslist despite barely having my mental faculties. He was all black; black claws, black lips, black whiskers, black nose, black toe beans. But, he was also a house panther in that he had some lighter black patterns that you could see in his fur, especially prominent in the light.

But boy, was he angry! He was screaming and shaking the entire backpack I had brought, nonstop to the point I had to call a friend to guilt into driving me back to Oakland. He was not a bad kitty per se as my other three female cats immediately adored him and welcomed him with happily into our family.

Still, I wondered if this wild kitten could be trained…especially since I myself was in such a muddled state where I couldn’t remember days or words most of the time. But cats are so special, and in nearly no time he became the handsome, bow tie touting, well-mannered kitty pictured here.

He not only was able to be taken along in a backpack or a stroller, he loved those times and even brought comfort to so many people he encountered outside. He was a special kitty in that he was especially well behaved around the elderly, children with special needs, and people who were severely depressed. He didn’t know how to meow (he just screamed instead) but some how he knew at those moments to be extra patient and sweet.

He was with me for such a short time as he tragically passed away due to the carelessness of a neighbor during a moment I was not present and a very unlucky circumstance. While I was able to be with him as he left this form and confirm he felt nearly no pain, I can’t help but carry that guilt forever.

I want to share the love Abed imparted on me during such a difficult time with the world, so I wanted the organization name and logo to reflect him. I miss him more than words can manage and I’m so grateful that I got to be his mama even for a moment. My time with him got me through such a difficult time during the early part of my injury.

Thank you for any support in helping me in sharing his memory - Mai ♥

  • FOAS Bad Art Fundraiser 2026

  • Baby Abed's First Bow Tie

  • Snapshot of Training

  • Abed's Fancy Bow Tie

  • More Abed

  • Thriving in Apartment Living

  • Photo From Someone Abed Cheered Up

  • Abed & His Bonded Pair Rái Cá

  • Abed's Old Biscuit Factory

  • Nearly Daily Walks We Took

Additional Background from Mai

Suffering from brain damage and severe depression, I realized that maybe this could be useful for others with social limitations to interact with the community.

Warning: mentions of physical & mental health impairment leading to self-harm and other depressive behaviors

  • This organization came about because of health limitations and severe depression from a fall that occurred in Marshals store due to a unsecured structure in July of 2024 that resulted me hitting my head very hard. My mental state became increasingly worse despite increased medications; self-harming behaviors increased as my desire to end my life increased. My head hurt nonstop, I couldn’t sleep, I had constant and vivid nightmares of memories of violent childhood abuses, and I honestly just wasn’t making sense for quite a long time. It felt like my future I had worked tirelessly for was slipping away from me as my mind was failing to improve with significant amounts of time and effort. I couldn’t even begin to focus on the other negative bodily symptoms that at the time I had no idea were associated with brain damage.

    Not only did I feel like a stranger in my own head, I began to lose everything I had worked so hard to already attain despite the difficult upbringing I had faced. And for the first time in my life, I couldn’t figure out a strategy to make anything even slightly better. Everyday was relentless, both physically and emotionally and I was taking so many medications with seemingly little improvement and no recourse without financial assistance that just wasn’t available, made worse by being laid off at work and then Marshals delaying our trial. Even when a medication did bring some relief finally, some complication happened that required me to stop which pushed me further into depression.

    Despite all of this, people didn’t seem to notice (or it didn’t seem to matter) when I had a cat in my backpack as I walked around to push myself to get fresh air or pick up some groceries. The questions were always the same and I didn’t have to deviate much from a general script.

    It was a way for me to stay connected with outside world as I stayed alert to the needs of the cats and they comforted me as well. No one cared who I was or what I was going through, and I could relearn a lot of the words and speech patterns I had forgotten from the injury without feeling awkward. Suffering from brain damage and severe depression, I realized that maybe this could be useful for others with social limitations or stigmas to interact with the community.

    In one of my previous jobs, I worked to successfully reform the way the entire company processed criminal records for what would become thousands of candidates, making it easier for those without violent criminal records to get hired if they were qualified for the job which they were applying for. Part of the motivation for this was seeing the amount of stigma within our company towards formerly incarcerated. Also speaking to so many returning citizens who had worked so hard to get specialized training only to be denied for things far in their past or for something recent, but very minor. Often working second jobs in restaurants, I also encountered many returning citizens working back of house. Some told me they had the training to work in more office type settings but lacked the social skills to pursue such work.

    Being from a neighborhood with high crime myself, I could empathize with a lot of their situations as I understood the social differences they spoke of and as someone with ADHD I also often felt frustrated with office social norms. (I still do, honestly.) I never really understood the stigma of reentry as I knew that what separated my colleagues and I from their situation was mostly luck and privilege.

    And even if it was bad decisions, could no one ever imagine a fall from grace themselves?

    This work with cats started as a way to remind me that regardless of what happens, even if things don't get better and if Marshals doesn't do the right thing in my case with them, I can still do good. We can all make an impact in some capacity I believe. While the accident significantly limited what I was capable of, I didn't want to let it stop me entirely.

    Bow Tie Panther is a way to remind myself that I could (and should) keep going and it is a way for me to be able to continue to do good in the world. I grew up exposed to Theravada Buddhism, so there's a concept of Dana (generosity) and how being kind isn't a charitable thing, it's a moral obligation. You do it because you see a need you can fulfill, not just when you are able to fulfill it conveniently or because you will gain some sort of benefit.

    If I can’t reclaim my sense of self from before the accident, Bow Tie Panther is partially me discovering how this new limited me can keep contributing Dana to the world while I’m still here.