The art of caring: The story of Wildflower Studio
Tucked away in the rows of shophouses along Niven Road lies a hidden sanctuary for cat lovers and art enthusiasts alike. Wildflower Studio offers two main programmes, ‘Semi-guided Art Jam with Cats’ ($48 for 2.5 hours) and ‘Chill & Paint with Cats’ ($20 per hour). Both programmes allow participants to express their creativity on various mediums such as canvases and tote bags, while playing with the cats that roam the studio.
On the surface, Wildflower Studio may seem like your average run-of-the-mill cat cafe with the added bonus of having free reign or semi-guided art jamming sessions. However, what lies beneath is a dedicated team working tirelessly to help as many cats as they can, receive a loving home.
Wildflower Studio is the product of years of dedication, resilience, and love from Darius Low and Amanda Cho, ages 40 and 39. The married couple, who are the founders, described Wildflower Studio as a place that is nurturing to both felines and humans.
“It is a safe haven where there are people coming to support the cats, and the cats support them as well,” said Amanda.
Source: Pravin Vincent Ramesh
Wildflower Studio functions like a symbiosis where both the visitors and cats need each other. For the visitors, they depend on the cats for a therapeutic experience while they paint. On the opposite end, the cats depend on the visitors to help them socialise, which will increase their chances of getting adopted or fostered.
“Without the people, the cats will also still be in the streets and they wouldn't be in a concept like this.”
Darius went on to say how Amanda and himself emphasise much on giving back and ensuring that the cats’ needs are put first. He shared that the way they got their fosters were through independent rescuers and not by picking stray (community cats) off the street. Furthermore, Wildflower Studio also does not force ex-stray cats to stay in the studio if they do not wish to.
“There are some cats who do not want to stay indoors. So we will give them some time, we'll observe them and if they choose not to stay here, the signs usually will be stress- related indicators. We will then happily put them back into the environment that they're in, provided the environment has people taking care of them.”
The pair also added that one of the most heart-warming things that happens to them is when a feral cat suddenly decides to become social.
“They start so fierce and so scared of you, and then one day they just flip the switch and go, ‘okay, I'm ready to receive your love’. It really feels very satisfying and heart-warming when the cat decides to turn around and trust you.”
Wildflower Studio’s loving community has also helped them along the way. A suggestion from food suppliers to register the business as a pet store allowed Wildflower Studio to purchase cat food required at wholesale price which significantly reduced the cost.
“Going back to the service providers, I think the people in the community, are all very, very supportive in the rescue community. And they can see that we do have the heart to try to do something better for cats.”
“Every time we don't know, we'll ask. So, we ask all the rescuers, we ask the vets, we ask pretty much anybody who knows more than us.”
Source: Wildflower Studio
The essence of community also runs deeper than just support. When asked if there were any moments which they look back on fondly, the pair recounted a funny incident. A rescuer had brought in a cat they rescued at Chinatown. Wildflower named the cat Zorro, due to its unique face markings, and went through their usual procedures. They soon began receiving multiple calls after posting adoption pictures of Zorro online.
“We realised all these calls were from a fire station. So they're like, when did you get this cat? How is he? When did you get this cat? All this weird information that people don't usually ask.”
It turned out that the fire station had been looking for Zorro for three months thinking the worst. When one of the paramedics saw the Instagram post on the Wildflower post, reached out. Wildflower then suggested to the paramedic, who was particularly fond of Zorro (who was also coincidentally named Zorro by the station), to adopt the cat. Soon, Zorro was reunited with his family at Marina Fire Station.
Wildflower Studio has some plans looking towards the future and is currently in the middle of relocating to Enabling Village, where they will be able to house more cats as well as hold social events for the elderly. For now though, you can check them out at 56A Niven Rd, Singapore 228405.
Source: Wildflower Studio
