Heroic cat lover turns first home into unofficial cat shelter after the 15 stray felines that came with the house grew to 100 cats in need of a home, says: ‘This is my biggest accomplishment in life, and I am happy and lucky to have found my calling.’

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Apr 22, 2026 8:45 AM EDT

If you thought that buying a house for your future kids refers to hooman kids exclusively then get ready for this feline flavored reimagining of that concept.

Though unlike the traditional version of the housebuying concept, this hooman did not intend on turning her home into a special cat sanctuary for all the cats of her area who needed help. This was undoubtedly the work of the Cat Distribution System who spent countless hours stalking this cat lover until they found the home they wanted to buy for themselves.

The CDS, knowing that this person cannot say no to cats, and if anything has a compulsion for keeping cats, laid in wait for the purrfect moment to strike when this person was least expecting it. Starting her off light with a small colony of 15 outdoor kitties to spay and feed. But like any good over indulgence things quickly got out of hand and before anyone knew what was going on the number of cats grew out of control and a semi-official shelter was born. 
 

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  • 01
    "I know that one day I will make it possible for every cat in need to have a place they can call home"
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    I would like to share my story with you, in hope that I will encourage more people to help when they can, as this is the most rewarding experience I've had in my life. About 4 years ago I bought an old
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    Cheezburger Image 10615335168
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    house for myself. It was the happiest day of my life, and I had big plans for it. I dreamed of having a little mermaid themed bathroom, build an amazing boardgames nook in the garden and have the coolest walk-in
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
  • 05
    Cheezburger Image 10615335936
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    wardrobe ever. Little did I know that in no time none of that would ever matter again... The house came with about 15 strays, roaming around in the garden. I quickly saw the potential problem and scheduled them for
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 10615338240
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    sterilization. I then thought i'd let them stay in for a day or two, to recover from the surgery in a safe place. Guess what? They never left I became the 15 cats lady, and soon enough people would call me to ask for
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter

  • Isn’t it funny when people think they see a potential problem. And while it is a problem that needs to be dealt with, it is not actually the problem that is going to cause them trouble in the really near future. Making it so that by the time the actual potential problem comes to fruition it is far too late and you are stuck with said problem. So hey presto you have given up on having a normal home and will not at a minimum be mother to fifteen cats. Just for perspective a single litter of cats is less than half of that and already completely unmanageable. 
     

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    Cheezburger Image 10615335680
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    help with a cat here, a cat there, a litter of kittens, and so on. My attitude towards that? Take the cat now, figure it out later! I am a resourceful person. I always found a way, no matter how difficilt life got. I was always able to
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    Cheezburger Image 10615336448
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    find side gigs to cover extra costs or find ways to save money. I learned how to do basic med care at home and how to save on vet costs. Many vets in town know me, and they all help me as much as they can: discounts,
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    Cheezburger Image 10615337984
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    advice, teaching me how to do things at home. I gave up my house and turned it into a cat sanctuary where 100 cats live in the present. I rent a small apartment nearby and everything I had was 100% catified. This is my
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    D 11
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    biggest accomplishment in life, and I am happy and lucky to have found my calling. I know thay this is just the beginning, because I intend to forever change the life for all strays in my city. We do not have an official
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    இ
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    shelter here, even though we are close to 100k people. I know that one day I will make it possible for every cat in need to have a place they can call home
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    Ed
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter

  • Well, when it comes to your calling in life, there is nothing that you won’t do. And much like cat children in themselves, sometimes our calling finds us and other times we find our calling. Or as it seems to have happened in this case the CDS finds out which house you are going to buy and starts sending you every single stray cat that it cannot find a home for. Leaving you with a cat colony that would put most other shelters to shame. And what can a cat lover do? You cannot come up against the CDS, no matter how hard you try. 
     

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    Cheezburger Image 10615337472
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter
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    Absolut_l... That's incredible (and looks incredibly cozy under all those cats!). Reminds me a bit of how the lady who runs the Cat House on the Kings got her start.
    via Anda_Panda_Shelter

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stray cats turn house cat shelter grow reddit story felines heroic cat story Cats home official cat lover
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