In a place defined by razor wire, locked doors, and long sentences, a stray cat named OJ became something rare: a constant, living comfort for women who have access to very little else.
And recently when OJ fell seriously ill inside a Central Texas prison, his survival came down to a small group of incarcerated women, a volunteer willing to pay out of pocket, and a daughter on the outside who decided to act.
Kitti Reed, who lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, said she learned through one of her mother’s friends that OJ was in bad shape. Reed’s mother is incarcerated at the Patrick O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville, where OJ has lived alongside her for years.
“When I wrote my mom about it, she’s like, yeah, he’s got a kidney infection,” Reed said. “He’s falling over when he tries to walk. Yowling, screaming.”
Reed said the situation hit close to home. She previously lost a cat to kidney problems and knew how serious the condition could be — especially for senior male cats, which often require expensive treatment.
OJ was taken to a veterinarian by a volunteer who periodically visits the prison. According to Reed, the volunteer had to cover the costs herself, prompting Reed to set up a GoFundMe last month to help pay the bill and reimburse the volunteer for her time and expenses.
“Nobody is obligated to take care of this cat for my mom,” said Reed, who declined to identify her mother to protect her privacy. “But she’s volunteering her time and personal money to make sure that this cat can continue living comfortably.”
The fundraiser initially brought in less than $100 through a few donations. Then, almost overnight, it surged, after it was shared online by ProPublica journalist Keri Blakinger.
“All of a sudden it just took off,” Reed said.
The fundraiser has now brought in nearly $11,000 from more than 390 donations.
Reed said OJ has since received a full round of antibiotics and undergone a small procedure. While she wasn’t sure of all the medical details, she said he appears to be recovering quickly.
“He’s able to walk again without falling over,” she said. “He seems to be recovering really well.”
The money raised exceeded the cost of OJ’s care. Reed said once the funds are fully processed through GoFundMe, she plans to pay off the vet bill, compensate the volunteer, and set aside the remaining money for future veterinary care for the cats that live around the prison.
Those cats, Reed explained, are not part of any official program. People frequently abandon cats near prison grounds, where they crawl through razor wire and remain on the property. While prison officials tolerate them, in part because they help control rodents, there is no institutional support for their care.
While there’s not an official program at this Texas prison, there are many examples of official programs elsewhere in the U.S. where cats live in prisons with inmates — including Indiana, Michigan, and South Carolina.
Meanwhile in Gatesville, incarcerated women use their own limited commissary funds to feed them.
“They get very little commissary money usually, and they still use it to feed the cats, over getting something that they could enjoy,” Reed said.
Over time, many of the cats become affectionate and familiar, forming close bonds with the women inside. Reed said OJ, in particular, has been a constant presence for her mother, even accompanying her while she tends a small flower garden.
“He’s been with her through most of it,” Reed said of her mother’s sentence. “So he’s been her lifeline as well as the lifeline of a lot of other women in there.”
Reed said the emotional support these animals provide is especially important given the lack of mental health resources available in women’s prisons.
“They really rely on those cats for emotional support,” she said. “These animals don’t see their mistakes. They’re just a constant.”
Reed said the outpouring of generosity has been overwhelming.
“Not only are these women kind of shunned by society because they are in prison, but even more so the cats,” she said. “I didn’t know so many people cared about them.”
For Reed, that response — and OJ’s recovery — made the effort worthwhile.
“A little bit of positivity,” she said.