Name: Miss Fannie's Friends
Address: US

About us:

Miss Fannie's Friends is a foster-based cat rescue in Wichita Falls, TX. We are focused on adoption, trap/neuter/return, and education to reduce the homeless cat population in our community. We are dedicated to finding loving homes for abandoned and unwanted cats.

Our Story

Miss Fannie’s Friends was founded in loving memory of Fannie Mae Berry, an 88-year-old woman who lived on the east side of Wichita Falls, Texas. I met Miss Fannie in April 2006 while working as the team captain for a Christmas in Action project to repair her home. What began as a volunteer effort quickly became a meaningful friendship, sparked by her deep love and compassion for animals—especially the stray cats in her neighborhood.

Though Miss Fannie quietly battled lung cancer and passed away in June 2006, she left a lasting impression on my heart. Her gentle spirit and unwavering dedication to the forgotten and neglected animals around her became the inspiration for this rescue.

Miss Fannie’s Friends—originally named Miss Fannie’s Feline and Canine Friends—was created to carry forward her legacy. Through this non-profit organization, we honor her memory by continuing to care for and advocate on behalf of the animals she loved so dearly.

— Teri Russell, Founder

Teri Russell has been dedicating her time to helping the homeless cats of Wichita Falls and the surrounding community since 2007.

Board Members

Teri Russell,

President & Director

Brenda Kouri

Treasurer

Paula Hill , June Reitz

Adoption/Foster Coordinator

Christine Bromley-Alsip

Who We Are and What We Do

Miss Fannie’s Friends became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in October 2016. We are a passionate, hardworking team of volunteers committed to rescuing, caring for, and finding loving homes for cats and kittens in need—every single day.

We are a foster-based rescue, which means we rely entirely on a network of dedicated fosters and volunteers. Without them, our work wouldn’t be possible.

Our financial support comes primarily from adoption fees, generous donations, and in-kind contributions such as food and litter. Adoption fees help offset the veterinary costs associated with each rescue. In fact, over 80% of our funding goes directly to medical care—including spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, treatments, and emergency vet visits—for both adopted animals and those still awaiting forever homes. We also provide medical care for community cats through our TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) efforts.

Where Do Our Cats and Kittens Come From?

Most of the cats and kittens in our adoption program are born to free-roaming or homeless cats in our community. Through our active TNR program, we spay and neuter community cats to help control the population. Often, a new cat will show up at one of our managed colonies—frequently a pregnant or nursing mother. Once it’s safe, we spay the mama and, if possible, socialize her kittens so they can join our foster-based adoption program.

We also receive daily pleas to help abandoned or displaced cats—many of whom are friendly and clearly not suited for life on the streets. Kittens are often found in yards, garages, or wandering without their mother, in need of urgent care and shelter.

Injured cats are rescued when possible, provided with medical treatment, and placed in our adoption program once they’ve healed and been spayed or neutered.

When foster homes are available, we also pull cats from our local Animal Control, giving them a second chance at life in a safe and loving home.