For 22 Years, This Scrap Metal Worker Has Been Feeding Neighboring Cats, Never Missed A Day
Meet Willie Ortiz, a scrap metal collector who has been feeding stray cats for 22 years now, not missing a single day. The 76-year-old man, a veteran and a husband of 52 years from Hartford, Connecticut, provides food to nearly 70 felines. “Presently he feeds 16 colonies of stray and feral cats, a total of 68 cats, every night, 365 days a year and has never missed a night in 22 years,” Kathleen Schlentz said via GoFundMe. “He makes sure they get what they need to have as good a life as possible.”
Ortiz, a Puerto Rico native, started feeding cats back in 1995, after seeing a hungry kitty begging for food. “People were pushing it away, and I could see it needed help,” Ortiz told Courant. The man immediately realized that caring for cats was his life’s mission.
However, not everyone understands his decision. “People ask me why I feed them every day, or tell me I feed them too much,” Ortiz said. “You eat every day, no? You get three meals; they eat once every 24 hours.”
Ortiz says he will continue doing this for as long as he can.
More info: GoFundMe (h/t: lovemeow)
Meet Willie Ortiz, a scrap metal collector who provides food to stray cats on a daily basis
The 76-year-old man, a veteran and a husband of 52 years feeds nearly 70 felines
“He feeds 16 colonies of stray and feral cats, a total of 68 cats, every night, 365 days a year”
In all those years, the man never missed a day, and cats get what they need to have a good life
Ortiz, a Puerto Rico native, started feeding cats after seeing a hungry kitty begging for food
“People ask me why I feed them every day, or tell me I feed them too much”
“You eat every day, no? You get three meals; they eat once every 24 hours”
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My grandpa has a heated/cooling indoor patio for outdoor cats. They are well fed and he fixes them. They are feral but love him its so cute!
"Feeding the cats is only half of Ortiz's mission, according to Haines. Over the years, Ortiz has brought ailing cats to Haines. Some need a quick booster shot, others need spaying or neutering." You can find the whole article about him in the Hartford Courant.
Thank you for sharing this. I saw the picture with some kitties in carriers above and was wondering if he was having them fixed. Go Willie!
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This is really sweet of him, once you decide to feed them, you have to continues to do it. You can't stop it, even the rain, snow, or whatever happened. Once you feed them, they are all waiting for you at night. That's what I did even when I'm sick. So I have respect from this man for doing 22 years.
My grandpa has a heated/cooling indoor patio for outdoor cats. They are well fed and he fixes them. They are feral but love him its so cute!
"Feeding the cats is only half of Ortiz's mission, according to Haines. Over the years, Ortiz has brought ailing cats to Haines. Some need a quick booster shot, others need spaying or neutering." You can find the whole article about him in the Hartford Courant.
Thank you for sharing this. I saw the picture with some kitties in carriers above and was wondering if he was having them fixed. Go Willie!
Load More Replies... This is really sweet of him, once you decide to feed them, you have to continues to do it. You can't stop it, even the rain, snow, or whatever happened. Once you feed them, they are all waiting for you at night. That's what I did even when I'm sick. So I have respect from this man for doing 22 years.
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