People have ideas of what a crazy cat lady looks like, but this is certainly a special case.
Meet Lynea Lattanzio, who fully acknowledges herself that she’s an “eccentric, crazy cat lady” with a huge heart for the furry feline friends.
She has been an animal advocate for almost her entire life and saved as many animals as she could, but she also knew that there were still countless animals who had to survive on the streets.
That’s why she decided to invite a whole bunch of homeless cats into her large 4,200 square foot home.
In fact, there are now more than a thousand cats living with her!
The whole home is just filled with cats.
It’s a good thing that Lattanzio’s property is so large, but the woman has actually ‘moved out’ of one of her bedrooms in favor of giving the cats a little bit more space.
There are five bedrooms across the entire home, but Lynea prefers to stay in a compact trailer in her yard.
That way, she’s close to nature and always surrounded by her feline friends.
Almost thirty years ago, Lynea founded the largest no-cage sanctuary for felines in the state of California.
The sanctuary, The Cat House of the Kings, has definitely made the lives of countless cats better over the years.
They were usually stray, feral, and abandoned cats who really managed to regain their happiness at the sanctuary.
The organization estimates that they’ve helped almost 30,000 of these felines since they were active almost three decades ago.
“The Cat House on the Kings is California’s largest no-cage, no-kill, lifetime cat sanctuary and adoption center,” the organization’s website states. “Our 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.”
“Since its founding 29 years ago, The Cat House on the Kings has saved over 30,000 cats and 7,100 dogs (not counting the 56,000 animals we have spayed and neutered!) and currently cares for more than 700 cats and kittens, a dozen or so dogs and dozens of peacocks.”
Luckily, Lynea can count on the immeasurable support she gets from volunteers and staff.
All of these animals need to be fed, and there’s always someone who needs medical attention.
Taking care of over a thousand cats certainly isn’t an easy task, and Lynea estimates that the price tag reaches about 1.6 million dollars on a yearly basis.
All the cats are also eligible for adoption.
The cost of taking care of these cats at Lynea’s at the shelter is high, and the organization has no means of steady income.
Luckily, there is one very generous donor who helped out in a wonderful way.
Doreen Wallet had a lot of estates and she didn’t know what to do with it.
So, she decided to endow it to the sanctuary, allowing them to extend their sanctuary with no less than six acres.
They were also able to install a huge cat-proof fence, which allowed the cats to roam around freely and without worries.
Lynea’s special guests at her home have also managed to capture attention from the internet, where she is dubbed as the ‘ultimate cat lady’.
An interview of Lynea and tour of her house has amassed almost ten million views on YouTube.
“She treats them well,” one commenter said. “It’s much better than the hoarders that have cats running around with issues. She needs an award. They all adore her and aren’t scared, true blessing.”
Another wrote,
Take a peek inside her home in the video below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
