1.6K views Aug 2009
A filmmaker visits a no-kill, cage-free cat sanctuary where hundreds of cats and rescued dogs roam, and meets its founder, who has cared for thousands of animals.
0:00 Well, I've always felt that if they don't have a home, at least they have a life, and I had the 6 acres, and um, to me, it- it's not a life if they're in a cage. 0:11 They need to be able to run full speed and climb a tree. That's a cat. 0:43 Hi, my name is Jack Perez, and I made this video, and I didn't do it for any money. 0:48 I did it because I think people should be aware of this incredible place called the Cat House on the Kings, which is about 4 hours north of Los Angeles. 0:56 It's a place I kind of stumbled on accidentally, and it's incredible because it's no kill. 1:01 It is no cage. It is a sanctuary in the truest sense of the word. 1:07 Basically, it's like Planet of the Cats. I'd never seen anything like it. 1:11 You know, there must have been 500 cats all living in harmony, ferals and domesticated cats and all just living their lives, you know, some, you know, on the ground, some in trees, 1:24 um, some in the house, all just very cool. 1:28 Well, it started out just with the inside of the house, and it's a 5-bedroom house. 1:32 Anybody that wants to go in or out can. There's cat doors and dog doors everywhere all the way around it. 1:37 And there's probably 10 feeding stations on the properties, and so they're they're allowed to go wherever they want, and there's always food and water wherever they go. 1:46 It's really a paradise for these animals, especially for those who would otherwise be in, in a cage. 1:52 And it's not just cats, it's dogs too. Um, they've rescued so many dogs as well, and the dogs, uh, live in complete harmony with the cats, which is another amazing thing to behold. 2:07 What's incredible about it is, you know, they're, there are 500 to 700 cats there at any given time, but the place is completely clean. 2:14 It doesn't smell catty. You know, we have 4 cats of our own. 2:18 We go away for 5 minutes, we come in, it smells like cats. No, this place is just clean, and the, and the vibe there is so positive because the cats know that they're absolutely safe and totally loved. 2:30 And at the heart of this place is this amazing woman, Linnea Letanzio, who's been running it for 16 years. 2:37 I feel almost like a waitress. 2:39 And she has help, but really she is the force behind this incredible place. 2:42 When I was a child, all I ever wanted was a kitten, and my mom would not let me have one. 2:47 So she's sorry now. Well, actually, I moved here in 1983, single woman, divorced, and so I just did things, you know, we went out to lunch and to the movies and did all those very superficial, 3:01 shallow, and I would say, there's something I'm supposed to be doing. 3:05 There's something I know deep down in my heart, there's something I'm supposed to be doing, and I never knew what it was until 3:13 1992, and I went to a local shelter, and I ended up volunteering to bottle feed 15 kittens, and, uh, by the end of the year I was on 96, and I adopted 96. 3:23 I thought I could do this. And the next year I got involved with a couple other rescues. 3:28 They said, oh please, they're going to kill it. Oh, please take this cat that's going to die. 3:32 So then I ended up with 150 by the third year, and then I went to work for a veterinarian so that I could learn how to, how to take care of them, and, um, learned quite a bit. 3:42 And after you've taken in and lived with hundreds of animals, you know, you see it and you know what's wrong. 3:48 And now I have done over 16,000 in 16 years. 3:53 I just want to point out that this woman is not the, you know, proverbial crazy cat lady. 3:57 She's not a hoarder. This is a woman who's dedicated her life to these animals. 4:01 Every one of these animals is up for adoption, and many of them do get adopted, but the ones that don't will always have a home here. 4:08 That's, that's the whole point of the place. I just thought it was time people heard about this sanctuary. 4:13 They're nonprofit. They they exist on donations, but they have very little publicity, and as a result, are pretty much under the radar. 4:21 It's definitely time the Cat House on the Kings got on the map, and hopefully they'll receive the kind of financial help they really need and truly deserve. 4:34 Seriously, check it out. You won't be sorry. Thanks. 
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