Beware of the cats: all 500 of them!

I realize that I have already blogged about cat topics twice, but I have to admit: I am a cat person. I have two kittens right now who I adopted through the Humane Society, and they are two very different little personalities but equally lovable. So every time I see a story about cats, it makes me think of them, and I smile :)

Anyway, I simply couldn't pass this story over. There's a man in Florida who has built a 30-acre ranch for stray and abandoned cats. It's called Caboodle Ranch, and it has everything from little houses and buildings for the cats (including lake front cabins and a WalMart!), to outdoor trails and dug outs.

Craig Grant, the man who started it all, spent over $100,000 of his own money to build everything on the ranch, and he spends an additional $6000 every month and 14 hours every day to keep the cats well-fed and the ranch well-maintained.

There are over 500 cats that live there, and Grant says he will never turn a cat away who is in need of a home, so I'm sure the numbers will only continue to grow.



Animal abuse is a problem, but from what I've seen, heard and experienced myself, cats seem to be targeted much more than any other pet. The cat I grew up with, I saved from boys putting her in a cardboard box and kicking her around the skate park and a busy street. They called me a cow when I intervened and saved her (I was 16 and barely weighed 100 lbs, what jerks!). She's more my mom's cat now, since she has lived in my parents' house since then and prefers my mom over anyone else. I love to play with her when I go home to visit, though.

Anyway, it's refreshing to see someone with such a love for cats who is doing so much for their well-being. I don't have money now, but I plan to donate to the ranch this summer when I get a second job. It won't be a lot when compared to the expenses the place racks up, but I'll feel good about doing something since I don't have the option of flying down to Florida to volunteer.

In case you missed the linked text above, the website for Caboodle Ranch is http://caboodleranch.com/Index.html. You can see pictures, watch videos, read the blog, donate, and more.

On a side note, I'm destined to be a crazy cat lady by the time I turn 50.