"After a difficult divorce in 1981, Lynea Lattanzio wanted to move to the quiet afforded by a place on a river. She settled on this 6 acre parcel in 1983. She often mused, "What was I thinking, single woman with no children living in a big house on 6 acres?" Nine years later, Lynea's father asked for her help to replace his 2 Manx cats who had died of old age. In her quest to locate Manx kittens, Lynea visited a local animal shelter, and carried home a box of 15 abandoned kittens (none of them Manx!). By the end of the year, she had rescued and placed 96 homeless cats. Lynea had found her calling, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In 1993, Lynea came out of retirement to become a surgical veterinary technician with a local veterinarian. This experience helped increase her medical knowledge, and helped pay for the veterinary expenses of her growing feline population, which now numbered 150. Lynea sold her 1973 Mercedes 450 SL, her pride and joy, and her two-karat diamond wedding ring. There would no longer be a need for these with the life she had chosen.

In 1997, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors approved a zoning variance for Lynea's property. This variance pushed The Cat House into the public spotlight, and brought much-needed volunteers and financial support; in 2002 The Cat House on the Kings achieved non-profit status. In 2003, Lynea, with more volunteers and money, continued to expand The Cat House and added an area dedicated to the care of FIV positive cats.

By 2004, The Cat House population had grown to over 500 cats and kittens. The Cat House was well known, but donations had not kept pace with expenses. A very generous donor, Doreen Wallet, left much of her estate to The Cat House on the Kings. This money was used to purchase the neighboring six acres and install cat-proof fencing around the entire 12 acre perimeter.

Today, more than 700 cats and kittens and several dogs enjoy life at The Cat House on the Kings, a no-cage, no-kill shelter. "






https://www.cathouseonthekings.com/facility.php

I thought this was going to be your entry to the short story challenge, but this is a real facility, amazing.

tumwater Wrote:
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> I thought this was going to be your entry to the
> short story challenge...

Me, too!


> ...but this is a real facility, amazing.

It sure looks wonderful for a whole lot of felines!

I'm currently trying to make life good for about a dozen street cats who live in an abandoned urban area about a mile from where I live. Much of their original habitat is being torn down for a renewal project. But there's no reasonable place to relocate them to. They're all feral, but with unique personalities. A bunch of characters.

There's Nippertiti. She's hyper-active and when she sees me coming with wet food, she's like: "Now we do the dance of joy!" and starts jumping all around in celebration.

Blacknose, the pirate cat, is always cool as a cucumber. He'll just quietly stroll in and take whatever food he wants from any of the others and move out like it's no big deal. For some reason all of the others are scared of him and get out of his way. Must've been some arrangement they came to before I got to know them.

Gina and Ace are an interesting couple. They have a family of five. Gina is timid, but a really good mother to the kittens. Ace is like a tough redneck dad. You get too close to the kittens and he'll let you have it. He and Gina seem like an odd match. But they've kept the family together through all of the destruction around them.

Then there's BigPump, Melvin, Dirty W. and Triple C. All cool cats.

If I can manage things, I'm hoping to eventually get them relocated to a safer place. There's a new facility that some people are working on near a reservoir about 10 miles away..

Thank you, Wally Prince!!

:)

Thank you!!