Adopting a pet means saving a life and getting oodles of love in return. But what happens to animals too sick to find a home? That’s what Lynn Stitt wondered — so she founded the Best Little Cat House in Pennsylvania, a hospice for terminally ill felines.
Some 38 years ago, Lynn’s then-husband erected a geodesic dome on their property and Lynn, a nurse, tricked it out with comfy beds, scratching posts and toys galore to create “a place where ailing cats could just be cats.” Word spread among the cat community, and soon BLCHP reached maximum capacity of 110. That’s a lot of meowing mouths to feed—not to mention litter pans to clean—but Lynn, along with a loyal handful of volunteers, finds it hugely rewarding.
What she finds frustrating is that so many in her care didn’t have to wind up there. The non-profit’s patients are predominantly afflicted with FIV (feline AIDS) and FeLV (feline leukemia), two contagious diseases to which free-roaming cats are particularly prone if they haven’t been spayed or neutered.
So now, Lynn’s “pet” project is spearheading PennyFix, an initiative to get America’s cats (and dogs!) fixed for free. Her plan: Pet-food companies would charge just one cent more for every can, and the proceeds would fund free spay/neuter and vaccination services for animals nationwide. “PennyFix is my dream, and it’s coming true,” says Lynn. “Veterinarians, animal welfare groups, everyone is saying, ‘Put the penny on!’”
And we say Lynn is the cat’s meow for her dedication to helping our feline friends.
–Nina Malkin
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