When it comes to caring for the stray animals out on the streets, most people don’t feel that it is their responsibility. But one selfless man has taken matters into his own hands, and has been feeding stray cats every day for over 22 years.
The 76-year-old made sure that the cats were provided with a generous amount of food and water each day, even when he had little money for himself. In tougher times, the man would collect scrap metal so that he would still have the spare cash to feed the cats.
Since the story was first shared, a GoFundMe has been set up to help the man pay for the cats’ food, meaning that he can continue to save the lives of hundreds of stray cats – a job he says is “hard, but makes me very happy.”
Willie Ortez is a cat lover from Hartford, Connecticut, who has a huge heart of gold. Not only does he feed the stray cats in his local area, but he also buys supplies for the cats and provides them with essential medical care. What’s more, he makes sure that each kitty is spayed and neutered to help decrease the population of homeless cats in the area.
Willie’s calling in life came when he witnessed a starving kitten being dismissed as it begged for food.
“People were pushing it away, and I could see it needed help,” Willie recalled. “I know these cats can’t understand my accent, but I need to do something.”
Despite his age, Willie still works hard to ensure that the cats have enough to eat. Each morning, he heads out for a day of selling scrap metal. And while most of us head straight home from work to kick back and relax in the evening, Willie is off out again to check on the cats, feeding them a delicious diet of cat biscuits and sardines.
The generous man is now helped by people all over the world.
Kathleen Schlentz noticed what amazing work Willie was doing, and decided to create a GoFundMe which would help Willie pay for food and medical care for the cats. On the fundraiser, which has raised over $295,000, and is still ongoing to this day, Kathleen wrote,
“Presently he feeds 16 colonies of stray and feral cats, a total of 68 cats, every night, 365 days a year and has never missed a night in 22 years. He makes sure they get what they need to have as good a life as possible.”
Willie goes out in all weather to feed the cats and has stood out with them in rain, sleet, snow, and strong winds. It leads some people to question why he does what he does, but Willie has the answer for that.
He said, “People ask me why I feed them every day, or tell me I feed them too much.” His response, “You eat every day, no?’ You get three meals; they eat once every 24 hours.”
What an amazing man. You can donate to Willie’s GoFundMe here.
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