A mother and her son in the city of Roeland Park, Kansas (United States), construct shelters for feral (wild) cats in their neighborhood using basic materials that many homes have on hand or are preparing to throw.
Stephanie Lindquist-Johnson and her six-year-old son, Phillip, utilized duct tape, polystyrene coolers, and black garbage bags. Normally, the materials used to construct the shelters are kept and forgotten in garages, but they put them to good use.
Their great cause has now reached the whole community that cares for homeless animals, and they are assisting them in reaching their objective.
Stephanie and her son have always had a large heart to rescue animals in need, so they volunteer at Another Chance Cat Rescue. However, after considering how they could help, they devised an ingenious way to assist these small animals and protect them from the harsh winter weather last year.
Because they were unable to rescue all of the homeless cats in the neighborhood, they reasoned that one answer may be to construct temporary shelters for them. The woman then asked her neighbors and stakeholders on Nextdoor to donate the polystyrene refrigerators that were no longer using.
People responded warmly, and she proceeded to build the casitas, or shelters, using donated freezers and the assistance of her son. She used duct tape to hold the lids together, drilled a circular hole in the center to make them function in the first place, then covered them in garbage bags.
The shelters are properly insulated this way, and once finished, they are filled with straw and ready to use. They are then offered to those who want to put one of these little animal shelters in locations where they are required.
Stephanie explained to The Kansas City Star:
“I feel terrible for all of the homeless animals out there. It’s been really chilly.”
As more people learned about the mother and her son’s efforts, they chose to give supplies and finances to help them continue.
Despite the fact that it’s a difficult task, Stephanie and Phillip like constructing the shelters, mostly because they know they’ll benefit the animals.
Stephanie stated:
“I’m a little addicted to making them, and we’re having a good time doing so. I’ll keep doing things as long as I’m not deeply in debt.”
They have already built 44 cat shelters , which are also utilized by other animals. They have also donated the shelters to animal organizations, who arrange activities to raise finances and supplies for the animals through initiatives.
Many individuals have continued to give supplies and money to Stephanie and Phillip to enable them continue to aid homeless and needy animals. The woman, on the other hand, makes it plain that they need the assistance of everyone who can aid, because the goal is to save as many animals as possible.
Many animals now have a warm place to call home or utilize as a winter refuge thanks to Stephanie and Phillip.