You know you’ve become a real life ‘cat lady’ when you share your 5 bedroom, 4,200 sq ft home with 1,100 cats and end up moving to a mobile home on the same property due to the sheer volume of cats! Now we’d call that serious cat love…wouldn’t you? This is an inspirational story that touched our hearts.
Owner of The Cat House On The Kings, Lynea Lattanzio says: “There wasn’t room for me anymore. I ended up with 60 some cats in my bedroom with dogs and I just said that’s it and I moved out.”
The story began in 1992 when Lynea’s father asked for her help in finding a new cat. She came home with 15 kittens. Now at age 67 she has been surrounded by feline friends and jokingly remarks: “I’m gonna say that I’m at the top of the list of the eccentric, crazy cat ladies” …“I’ve taken in and lived with 28,000 cats. That’s probably a record.”
[clickToTweet tweet=”Would you share your home with 1,100 cats?” quote=”Would you share your home with 1,100 cats?”]
This 12 acre property known as ‘Cat House on the Kings’ is California’s largest no-cage, no-kill, life time cat sanctuary and adoption center. They currently house 800 adult cats and 300 kittens, which have all been taken in as either feral or abandoned animals in need of a home.
Their mission is to place rescued cats and kittens into loving, permanent homes; to provide a safe, happy and healthy home for unwanted cats and kittens in a unique, no-cage facility; to prevent pet overpopulation through spaying and neutering; and to educate the public about responsible pet ownership.
In addition to their sanctuary they have an adoption center and even offer educational assistance in behavioral problems with cats as well as helping people in finding new homes for their cats. Upon arrival at The Cat House, every cat is given any necessary medical care, and is spayed/neutered and vaccinated. They are then placed in cottages where they can become familiar with their surroundings. Once they’re comfortable with their new digs, they are released onto the sanctuary grounds, and can roam about at will. The grounds are fully fenced and secure.
The cats live out their lives in our sanctuary until they are either adopted or die of old age — however long that may be.
The daily routine for feeding alone takes six people two hours to prepare the food and deliver it throughout the 12 acres.
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I would luv to visit this place! My heaven.
In my early 20s I lived with 14 cats at once (I live in a 7 room flat). Some were mine, some, my flatmates.
Altho I LOVED it, and learned so much about cat behavior, the cost, and the smell of 4 litter boxes that got changed very frequently, prevented me from keeping the number that high.
40+yrs later I’m down to 1, a Maine Coon, and he’s plenty!
Ugh, 4 litterboxes for 14 cats is no way near enough boxes! You would need minimum of 7-8, preferably more…but I guess that doesn’t really matter now, because you only have the 1 left…but just saying.
Kudos to that lady for all her hard work and determination. Saving cats lives is so important. My husband and I feed about 7 cats out on our property everyday, 2x a day and try to make them as comfortable as possible. We’ve had cats here since we moved in back in 2006 and I’ve loved them all.
What a wonderful lady! Blessings on her and her staff and all others who help her… those furbabies know that they are safe, warm and loved for the rest of their lives, and they will never have to worry for anything again. I wish there more places like hers: but, to be honest, I wish people would take better care of their furbabies so that we could put Ms Lynea’s heart and mind at ease. If people would do their jobs properly and take proper care of their pets – and know when they couldn’t – Ms Lynea might have been able to stay in her home with her furbabies. On the other hand, if any little one was to come calling needing a safe, forever home, I have no doubt that Ms Lynea would open her doors wide open! She was most certainly put on this earth for a reason, and I think she found it! Blessings and thank you from all of my furbabies and me for helping their cousins out when they needed it.
I guess finding useful, reliable intoamrfion on the internet isn’t hopeless after all.
God bless this woman! As a cat rescuer myself, I know how overwhelming it can be…but our hearts are dedicated to all.tuese poor cats in need. I.never thought I would have as many myself! I have a HUGE crew here, many, that I assumed would.be adopted, but never were! Many special needs. I also maintain & care for many feral.cat colonies that also take up a LOT of.time beyond all the ones here in my home. I also am active doing TNR in my community. It is a never ending uphill battle, one that I.do not have volunteers to help w/, so.it can be very overwhelming! Any judgemental people who have crap to say about this woman or myself, or any other dedicated cat person, should SERIOUSLY just kiss my a**!!!! Abeyance they are either ignorant to the plight of Felines, or they are just insensitive and heartless & basically their opinions mean nothing anyway!!!!
This story brought tears to my eyes. What a special lady!!!
Thank you for your caringness and generosity.
Wish there were many more like you.
God bless you, your family, and your cats.
Now thats cat dedication! The kitties here have really landed on their feet 😺