Stabatha the cat, whose West Philly foster dad gave 18 artists grants to create portraits of her, has found a home

When Kyle Cassidy couldn’t find anyone to adopt his sweet West Philly foster cat Stabatha this summer, he started a crowdfunding campaign to pay out-of-work artists to create portraits of the feline, in the hopes that it might help her get adopted.

Cassidy raised $1,108 and paid 18 artists from Philadelphia to the Philippines $50 microgrants for homages to the cat. With their paintbrushes and crochet hooks, the artists created everything from surreal portraits to tiny crocheted Stabathas.

Last week, after more than two months in foster care, Stabatha finally went to her furever home with her new dad, Robert Roman, and his family in Mount Laurel.

“She’s a little hesitant to jump up on laps or furniture, but she’ll rub up against any legs or hands that are in reach, or wander near and meow for pats,” Roman, 49, said. “As Kyle noted, she’s a very vocal kitty, talking to anyone she makes eye contact with or wants attention from.”

Cassidy, a longtime foster cat dad, took Stabatha in after she kept showing up on his friend’s porch in West Philly in June. But Cassidy had to keep Stabatha on his enclosed front porch, separated from his own house cat, because Stabatha was diagnosed with feline leukemia virus (FelV), which is transmissible between cats.

» READ MORE: To find stray cat Stabatha a home, her West Philly foster dad is giving grants to artists for her portrait

“Every morning when I wake up, and all throughout the day I find myself thinking ‘I’m not on the porch, Stabatha’s lonely, I need to get out there!’ and then realize that she’s not there,” Cassidy said. “And every time I look at the door I’m expecting to see her face out there peering in, waiting for me, but it’s just an empty room now.”

While he misses the cat terribly, Cassidy said he’s very glad he could help Stabatha in her time of need and help her find a home.

“Foster homes are, I think, what animal rescues need the most, always. And who doesn’t want to have a kitten for two weeks?” he said. “It’s always a little sad when they go, but they’re off to live their best, best lives.”

Roman said he saw Cassidy’s posts about Stabatha on Facebook and thought she’d make a good addition to the home he shares with his wife, Alice, and two sons, Lucien, 15, and Viktor, 12. Since they don’t have any other cats, Stabatha’s medical diagnosis was not an issue, he said.

Whether they’ll keep the cat’s pointed name remains to be seen.

“We’re still not 100% sure; Lucien and I have kept calling her Stabatha, but Alice and Viktor have started using Tabatha instead, since she’s not really a stabby-kitty,” Roman said.

Only three of the 18 artists Cassidy paid microgrants to did not produce works, but those who did come through created everything from a portrait of Stabatha as a doctor fighting COVID-19 to a sculpture of her as a wizard, reading from a book of spells. People even submitted essays and epic poems about this stray, one of an estimated 400,000 stray cats in Philadelphia.

With the $253 he has left from the crowdfunding campaign, Cassidy said he plans to help pay off some of Stabatha’s medical bills.

Roman said Cassidy’s Stabatha art campaign was “a really cool idea” and his family may display some of the works created in their cat’s honor inside their home.

“Although right now we’re just focused on making her feel welcome and getting to know her,” he said.