MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — A house in Menomonee Falls has turned into a museum full of thousands of cat-themed figurines and art. It’s called Redner’s Rescued Cat Figurine Mewseum.
Shawn and Hilary Redner are the husband-and-wife team behind it. They have 10 rescue cats they’ve adopted that have the run of the house and an outside sanctuary to roam in the Redner’s backyard.
While they are often credited with saving cats, Shawn Redner said it’s his own pet cat that saved him six years ago.
“When I was in the depths of alcoholism, there were times when I thought about committing suicide,” Shawn Redner admitted. “My only reason for not, was, who is going to take care of the cat?”
Shawn Redner said he worked hard to get sober. He said taking in unwanted cats gave him a new purpose. With time, as Shawn Redner worked to help more cats and find healthy hobbies, he decided to start collecting unique cat memorabilia.
He and his wife still visit thrift stores and garage sales searching for cat figurines and art. Now, almost every inch of their home is covered by cat-themed stuff. They have thousands of more cat items in storage.
As word about their huge cat collection spread over the years, people from all over the world started sending them cat memorabilia.
“We did not realize how many cats and different kinds of cat figurines and memorabilia was out there, so yes, it has consumed our whole house,” said Hilary Seigel-Redner.
They offer open houses about once a month for people to see all the cat memorabilia and meet the rescue cats who live there. They also book tours with a 24-hour notice. They ask for a $5 donation, which goes to cat rescue groups.
Shawn Redner said his goal is to keep growing his collection and helping more cats. He said he hopes to one day move the museum out of his home and into a larger space that could also offer cat adoptions.