58-year-old Chris found a new life purpose in rescuing and caring for cats after his son died. It helps him cope with his grief, and it gives him something to do.
Chris Arsenault left his whole house and garden to abandoned cats, except one small bedroom where he sleeps and eats. He created a shelter for 300 homeless cats, providing complete care. He spends his days taking out their potties, mopping the floor, refilling their water bowls, and baking chicken for dinner for his four-legged residents. His day starts at 7 am, and he doesn't do weekends.
Chris really loves his new life's mission, and he says that if you are really excited about something, you can overcome any obstacles, like accommodating 300 cats in your house in Medford, New York, for example. He designed and implemented all the changes to his house by himself, his priority being the safety and hygiene of the cats. All surfaces are adapted to this both inside and in the garden. Everything is easily accessible and washable.
While a lot of people living in a house leave the boiler room as a shelter for their outdoor cat friends in our country, Chris is doing the opposite. He built a place for himself in the boiler room, where he has a small bathroom and kitchen. It is unbelievable to what extent some of us will give up our comforts to help animals.
He decided to open his house to cats, now known as the Happy Cat Sanctuary shelter, in 2006, several months after his son's fatal motorcycle accident. He did so after finding a colony of thirty sick kittens by the railway. He knew they would die if he left them there, and since he was an animal lover from a young age, he knew what he had to do.
He soon realized that the cats gave him something to do again after his son's death. In the following years, he began to contact shelters and local charities to provide his home for more and more cats, until he had three hundred of them living with him.
Chris finances the project on his own and with the help of public donations. The annual cost of running the shelter is more than $ 100,000. He spends more than $ 20,000 on vets alone, even though he treats simple cases himself. He says that giving a home to abandoned cats is rewarding in itself, and he is proud of his work. I think he is rightfully proud, don't you?
If you have decided to buy a purebred cat, you still have a lot of questions ahead of you. Which breed should you choose? A female cat or a tomcat? A kitten or an adult? Only if you consider everything carefully, you'll get the right companion for...
Lots of rabbit lovers choose this breed mainly by its appearance. The cuter, the better. But maybe they don’t know that a certain kind from the order of lagomorphs lives in nature, and hardly any domestic rabbit can match it in its cuteness. The same...
If you've noticed that your fluffy friend excessively licks and nibbles at his paws, you should not leave it like that. It might have several causes. Whether it's a psychological problem, allergy, yeast or other problem, the situation must be...
Did you know that our senses include the perception of the magnetic field? While we have almost lost this ability already, dogs still have it and use it every day. Do you know for what?
The British Shorthair cat is without a doubt the most popular cat breed not only in the Czech Republic, but also in the rest of Europe. This is caused not only by its appearance of a small Teddy bear, but also a mild, trouble-free nature.
In individual rodents, we’ll find breeds that are more popular with breeders than others. One of those is the American Teddy, typical with its peculiar hair structure that gives it the appearance of a teddy bear.
There is certainly no doubt that the Labrador belongs among the best known and most popular dog breeds. The reason is his extraordinary versatility, adaptability, intelligence and loyalty. Like the British Shorthair cat, the Labrador Retriever can be...
To spend a few days outside of civilisation - in the forest, on the ridges of the mountains - away from the hustle of the cities, in the wilderness and ideally with your dog. An imaginary return back to nature is the trend that did not avoid even the...
Hunting and exercise. If the dog loves both these activities, then coursing is the perfect activity for it. This cross-country race is based exactly on the desire of the dog to catch its prey.
No matter how thorough we are with the prevention, a situation might come up when a dog or a cat will get to a poisonous thing, whether it’s by our inattention or it's somebody else’s fault. That’s why it’s not off-topic to prepare yourself for the...
Under the name of dogtrekking, imagine an orientation walk with the dog. Official rules rank it among extreme dog endurance sports.
There may be more causes of dog fear. And the first step to eliminate it is to find out its origin and cause.
