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Most of the time when you think about how
your support helps Shadow Cats, images of happy,
well-fed and cared for kitties are what probably
comes to mind. But there’s a lot of work behind
the scenes to keep the sanctuary shipshape – and
we’re always working on improving it to make it
even more comfortable and interesting for our
little angels.
A lot of our efforts this year have been in the
Outback – because it’s exposed to the elements,
things tend to age and wear out more quickly.
We’ve replaced most of the decks that are so
well-used and loved by our kitties but were,
being made of wood, just plain wearing out. A
new airlock around the exterior door makes it
much safer for us to go in and out without
worrying about a cat sneaking outside…and the
top of it has become another favorite hangout
spot. We’ve also replaced most of the upper
ramps and platforms that serve as a feline
jungle gym, and added even more because the cats
seem to love them so much.
Even though Texas winters are fairly mild, it
does get pretty chilly at night during the
winter months. We’ve had a number of small
individual houses that we have tried to make
warm and cozy in the past, and there’s also a
large area under the Uptown porch deck that’s
somewhat protected from the elements. But this
year we’ve made a couple of improvements that we
think will make it a lot cozier for the Outback
residents on those cold winter nights.
We’ve noticed that while some cats like the
little individual houses, a lot of them prefer
to curl up together in a big pile, and there
were no good places for them to do that. So we
built a couple of large houses with some pretty
deluxe features. They’re wired for electricity
so we can put heating pads and blankets inside
when cold weather settles in. The roofs lift up
for easy cleaning and access to the inside,
they’re on casters so they can easily be moved
around, and as you can see, when it’s not too
chilly a soft blanket spread out on top of them
becomes a very popular spot to catch an
afternoon nap in a sunbeam.
And that area under the Uptown porch is a lot
cozier now that we’ve added removable plexiglass
panels all around it to keep those cold north
winds from blowing through.
Although our winters aren’t too bad, the same
can’t be said of our summers. Even though there
are vines all over the top of the Outback
enclosure, and big trees all around for shade,
on those hundred degree summer days – of which
we had quite a few this year – it gets pretty
darn hot out there. So we’ve added a misting
system that runs all along the Outback’s roof
beams, and blows a gentle mist throughout the
enclosure that lowers the temperature a little
on those really hot days. And no, the cats
don’t seem to mind it at all – in fact, some of
them go lay down right under a nozzle and get a
little damp from the mist, but seem to really
enjoy it. And then, when they get thoroughly
wet, they come jump in your lap!
The Uptown area at the sanctuary consists of two
rooms – one is heated and air conditioned, and
the other is a large screened porch. The cats
really love the screen porch most of the time –
but in the coldest parts of winter it gets too
chilly for most of them. So we’ve added
plexiglass panels to that porch area too – and
since the weather tends to fluctuate quite a
bit, several of the panels can open to let warm
breezes and all the sounds of nature from the
woods and creek inside on pleasant days.
The day to day business of the sanctuary goes
on, of course – those kitties sure do seem to
eat a lot! And when they eat, all that food
eventually winds up somewhere else, of course.
You’d be shocked at how much litter we go
through – we know that we always seem to get a
few stares when we load up a dolly with a
thousand pounds of it at Costco!
It can be a challenge trying to keep up with all
the daily cleaning, maintenance, and kitty care
at the sanctuary and also finding ways to keep
improving it to make our little angels’ lives
even better. We have a growing group of
volunteers who are making a very real difference
in these cats’ quality of life; if you watch the
KittyCam regularly you’ve probably noticed more
kitties in more laps than ever.
But none of this would be possible without the
ongoing support that we get from you, and we
wanted you to see all the ways that your
contributions are helping us to help the
kitties. Together, we are giving these cats –
most of whom had literally no place else to go –
a wonderful life. So on behalf of Skipper,
Kate, Doc, Luna, Diamond, Baby Belle, and
everyone else……THANK YOU!
Very special thanks to David Murphy, Paul Milnes,
and Matt Kuebbeler
for their time, talent, and donated
resources that made these improvements possible.
Because of these dedicated volunteers, our
Sanctuary improvement dreams continue to become
a reality. Thank you David, Paul, and Matt
--- we
are forever grateful to you!!! |
