Governor Josh Green, M.D.

Photo courtesy: DCR.

On a Wednesday afternoon, inmate Sherri Ann Johnston softly stroked the head of an orphaned kitten as she held the young feline in her arms against her chest at the Women’s Community Correctional Center (WCCC).

Johnston is one of two women at WCCC who is taking care of orphaned kittens from the Hawaiian Humane Society (HHS) as part of a 12-month foster pet pilot program called Transforming Animal and Incarcerated Individuals’ Lives. (TAIIL) The program is a partnership between the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) and Hawaiian Humane Society.

Under the program, the HHS Foster Care team trained Johnston and Paulich, both minimum custody inmates, on how to tend to the orphaned kittens. The pet foster mothers learned how to properly feed the furry animals as well as safely administer medications and treatments to vulnerable kittens.

Twenty-five orphaned kittens from HHS that Johnston and Paulich cared for have been adopted since the program kicked off in October of 2025.

Through the program, Johnston said she has become more compassionate, patient and responsible. “They depend on me,” she said of the kittens.

Sen. Glenn Wakai, who championed the pilot program when he served as chair of the Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs Committee, said, “The cats provide that level of rehabilitation by providing empathy, by providing kindness, by providing compassion, by teaching women a little bit more about responsibility. Those are important lessons to be taught by our furry friends.”

HHS President and Chief Executive Officer Anna Neubauer said, “This program demonstrates the profound impact that compassion and dedicated care can have on both animals and people.

Johnston said she’s so glad to have the opportunity to participate in the foster pet pilot program. Being a pet foster mother to the orphaned kittens has sparked her interest in pursuing veterinary programs when she reenters the community upon release.