The Lincolnshire Trust for Cats, in Lincolnshire, England is a charity that claims to be running the world’s only retirement home for cats. It is currently home to nearly 80 elderly cats living out their last days in comfort.
The retirement home caters specifically to cat owners who are worried about what will happen to their pets if they outlive them. “Would you want your lifelong friend to be put in a pen for the rest of its life, with no hope of a home because of its age,” the trust website asks. “We all tend to think we live forever but we need to remember that our pets deserve our consideration and may well outlive us.”
So Lincolnshire Trust for Cats provides an alternative – a safe place where cats can grow old and die in peace. The unique home is located on seven acres of land on the outskirts of Osgodby village. It has three centrally-heated sitting rooms connected by enclosed outdoor areas, and every room is designed to be facing south, so that the cats can enjoy plenty of sun-bathing. Felines are fed top-quality food and enjoy a variety of amenities, like heated beds, sofas and even a fireplace.
To admit a cat into this unique retirement home, owners must pay a one-time fee which currently stands at £850 ($1,300). The trust bears all future costs, including any treatment or surgery that the cats might need. “I know of some charities that have a few elderly cats, but they are not doing it on the scale we are,” said trust founder Jain Hills. “For cats to come to us people have either got to make a provision in their will, or people come to look round. I don’t think anywhere else does it because people come all the way from London with the cats to come here.”
Apart from the retirement home, the trust also cares for abandoned cats in need of new owners – about 400 in total. Interestingly, Miss Hill admits that despite working with cats, she’s more of a dog person. “I’ve got five dogs at home,” she revealed. “When you work with 400 cats all day you need to go home to a dog. I couldn’t run a dog charity but I can run a cat charity because I can stand back from it. I don’t get emotionally involved.”
Photos: Lincolnshire Trust for Cats
via BBC
