◎張沛元
It started with a few kittens. But nearly a quarter century later, a California woman has transformed her 4,000-square-foot home into what’s believed to be the largest no-cage cat sanctuary and adoption center in the U.S.
起初只有幾隻小貓。但在近4分之1個世紀後,一名加州女子將她有4000平方英尺的自宅,改造為據信是全美最大不關籠的貓咪庇護所與領養中心。
An estimated 24,000 cats have been saved by the sanctuary, which houses up to 1,000 felines at any given time. Lynea Lattanzio set up Cat House on the Kings after finding out that many nearby shelters euthanize cats who aren’t adopted.
估計該庇護所已救援2萬4000隻貓,且在任何時候都收容達1000隻貓。琳妮雅.拉坦齊歐在發現附近許多動物收容所會把沒被領養的貓咪安樂死後,成立這家名為「Cat House on the Kings」的庇護中心。
As more feral and abandoned cats took up residence in her home, she moved out into a trailer on her 12-acre property.
隨著愈來愈多流浪貓與棄貓在她家安身,她搬到位於她12英畝土地上的一輛拖車裡住。
Lattanzio spent her entire retirement fund on her pet project, which also relies on donations.
拉坦齊歐將全部退休基金都花在救貓計畫上,同時仰賴捐款。
She now has staff and a team of volunteers to keep the house clean and the cats fed. The sanctuary also employs veterinarians who keep the cats healthy and spayed or neutered. The cats lap up about 1,000 cans of cat food a week. (AP)
如今她有工作人員及一組義工協助維持居家整潔與餵飽眾貓。這座庇護所還雇用獸醫保持貓咪健康、絕育或結紮。眾貓每週吃掉約1000罐貓食。