Hooked on a feline! The Hollywood costume designer who’s made it her mission to help abandoned cats

NICOLA DUNN has worked with stars including Kevin Bacon and Rachel Griffiths, but the costume designer has found that her real passion lies with helping kittens on the streets of Bali.

Nicola Dunn is on a mission to raise funds for Balinese cat shelter Villa Kitty.

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AN Aussie movie costume designer is lending her creativity to a purr-fectly kind cause in Bali.

Nicola Dunn, 42 — who has worked on movies including Wolf Creek and Kevin Bacon’s The Darkness — has set up a fundraising campaign to help cat shelter Villa Kitty which was established by another Aussie in Ubud.

Dunn, from Palm Beach, discovered the shelter - the only cat foundation on the Indonesian island - on a film shoot there.

The shelter is run by Australian woman Elizabeth Henzell who founded it about five years ago.

Dunn with Villa Kitty founder Elizabeth Henzell.

“I rescued a sick kitten from the street and was told to take him to Villa Kitty by a local vet. Buster was blinded by pus, scared and starving. We just happened to be shooting near him that day and a group of giggling kids alerted us to his presence.

“I was horrified to see that these children were just laughing at him. We pulled him out and I carried him around in a tea towel for the next hour until I could get him to a vet,” Ms Dunn said.

With Kevin Bacon on the set of The Darkness in 2014

While Buster was too sick to survive, Dunn found comfort knowing he didn’t spend his final days in pain.

It prompted her to embark on her fundraising campaign for the shelter.

“I wanted to help because they are dedicating their lives to animals who have otherwise been forgotten. Not only that, they are educating children so that their mindset shifts and they learn to see animals with a kinder perspective.

“This ultimately is the only way things will change,” Dunn said.

Dunn with cast members at the wrap party for Wolf Creek 2

Villa Kitty also works with the community to encourage cat adoption and has been successful with a local orphanage which says the cats bring joy to the children’s lives.

The shelter relies on donations to pay for vital vet care for vaccination and de-sexing costs.

But Dunn said the shelter was at risk of losing its lease if it did not raise adequate funds. She is aiming to hit $10k via crowd-funding site gofundme.

The designer has also created a mini documentary about Villa Kitty’s work which attracts holidaymakers to the island.

Villa Kitty’s aim is to rescue cats but also educate locals.

“It was my first time doing something like this and I had a blast,” she said.

“I love costume design and the creativity that comes with it, but it is stressful and exhausting. Helping animals and making a difference in this world is where my heart is, and is ultimately what I want to focus more on.”

Visit Ms Dunn’s Gofundme page at www.gofundme.com/villakitty

Villa Kitty documentary Part 1

Villa Kitty documentary Part 2