Friday, August 27, 2010

Calling all Cat Lovers to Caboodle Ranch


A good friend knows how much my husband and I adore cats, we have (4) so I was thrilled he sent me this story.


Meet Craig Grant

Craig Grant bought a tree farm far away from the city and turned it into a sanctuary for all the cats he has rescued. He lives there with the cats and provides lots of love, care and companionship.
It’s hard to imagine that once he was not a cat lover and did not want cats until he met his son’s cat Pepper.


He also got to experience what it is like raising a litter of kittens. “Over that time I learned that every cat had its own unique personality and it wasn’t long before the kittens were swinging from my curtains". I didn’t care. Something had changed… I didn’t want to give them up.”

The condo life was not easy for the kitties, so Craig found a tree farm (100 acres) and settled down there for his fur babies.  Over the next several months, he rescued more and more homeless and abandoned cats.The number of new residents kept going up, so Craig expanded the sanctuary to make more room. Each of the cats has a sad story of their past but now they are living in heaven. Craig has built and decorated many beautiful cat houses. All the cats at the  Ranch are spayed and neutered. You can Visit the ranch for rescued cats.  



Caboodle Ranch is located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida - now home to more than 500 cats, thanks to Craig.

 














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36 comments:

  1. He is totally amazing! If we could, we would have a place like that too...takes lots of green papers!

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  2. That is a wonderful story and just looking at those cats, you can tell he takes really great care of them! Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Wow...that pic with all of those cats is crazy!!! How many acres is that I wonder????

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  4. Wow. Scary amount of cats - and this from a crazy cat lady ;)

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  5. Wow, that's unreal. Love the little houses he built. I'd love to have a dog sanctuary- that would be my dream.

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  6. That is intense!!! That's a committed cat lover! :)

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  7. Wow! This is a fabulous place and the story is wonderful.

    Thanks for sharing...the photos are beyond incredible.

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  8. Hello! Thanks for asking about my move and trip. I am doing good and just posted a few photos on my new blog:

    http://libraryofmyown.blogspot.com

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  9. Great story and cute pics!

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  10. Unfortunately I am allergic to cats so I couldn't spend five minutes at the ranch but I have a good friend who would love to live there with all of the cats!

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  11. That's a lot of kitties! And a lot of catfood to keep them happy. I love cats too, but only have the one - didn't plan on owning one, but he was potentially homeless and we couldn't resist him. So I couldn't visit somewhere like Caboodle Ranch - I'd want to adopt too many of them!

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  12. WOW -- he's the Cat's Meow!! Because of allergies to them, I wouldn't be able to go anywhere near that place.

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  13. Amazing! What a lovely, sweet cat village! Craig Grant is to be commended and thanked for saving all these beautiful cats.

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  14. WOW -- that is the coolest thing!

    I would love to visit, but I am highly allergic to cats. However, I would LOVE for someone to do the same kind of sanctuary for abandoned dogs.

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  15. Thank you for this amazing, adorable post. Lovely photos, I especially like the one of the cat in the straw. It is fantastic that there are such kind and caring people out there.

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  16. Wow that's alot of cats! The houses are cute!

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  17. Wow, that is totally amazing and what a dear man, to have such a big heart. Thanks for sharing this wonderful story.
    An English Girl Rambles

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  18. What a wonderful place! I see a bunch of happy cats.

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  19. What an amazing story! I love seeing someone care for abandoned animals and this man has a heart of gold! Thanks for sharing this little bit of love!

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  20. Fantastic! It is mind boggling to see all those cats together and none are fighting.

    Those house are just too cute. It looks like a miniature village that you'd visit on a vacation.

    Wonderful story, thanks for sharing.

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  21. Aww, how sweet. What a neat man. There is something special about a man who loves cats.

    My stepdad recently found a mother cat and one-day-old babies in an unused fountain in their front yard. He tried to feed the mother cat because she looked emaciated, but she ended up moving 7 of the kittens from the fountain, leaving one. My stepdad took that kitten to the pet store to buy a nipple and formula. The mother eventually brought all the kittens BACK to the fountain and now they're a few weeks old and he's taking care of all of them.

    My brother's girlfriend called Cat Fancy magazine and she said they want to do a story on my stepdad. How funny is that? We call him Father Nature now :)

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  22. Wow, that's a lot of cats. I am sure those cats keep him busy all the time. Great photos.

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  23. It is just me, or is that third picture rather disturbing? lol

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  24. Wow ... that is a LOT of cats! How lovely that he does this though!

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  25. the picture with all of the cats reminded me of the children's story "Millions of Cats"...I have to go here...what an incredible man with an incredible commitment :)

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  26. I am NOT a cat lover, but I really think the work of this person is commendable, I am a animal lover and I think he is done a great job by saving so many of them! Ohh!! I Love there houses :)

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  27. I read through this post and gazed at the photos and instantly thought that someone should write a book about it. That one pic with all the cats walking about... it's like a sacred land of cats or something. LOL.

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  28. Crazy or inspiring? I vote for both!

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  29. Oh wow, look at all the furkids! He's amazing. Thanks for sharing this, Diane.

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  30. Sorry I missed this earlier. I was so behind on my google reader!

    I would be in heaven here! I adore cats so much. I had 5 before I had my sons. Now I have one, but I've been itching to get her a companion. Just have to make sure she's fully immunized and has a clean bill of health first.

    I had no idea that you were a cat lover. You should join in on my weekly meme, Cat Thursday.

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  31. WARNING about Caboodle Ranch (negative review). This place is not what it appears to be. The cats are suffering and dying by the hundreds, possibly thousands. I've been there and witnessed something similar to a death camp. The man is mentally ill and has turned into a hoarder. He's said publicly that he wants a thousand to three thousand cats. He told me at dinner he wanted all the cats in the world. When I told him he couldn't, he said he gets mad when people tell him that.

    It is so sad. After two days there, I left in tears and distraught. As far as all cats being neutered, that is one of hundreds of lies that Caboodle Ranch posts on their website. Myself and others have seen kittens and unaltered cats. They also claim that the cats receive their annual vaccinations and monthly flea control. All not true.

    There is a facebook page that has evidence of neglect and cruelty -pictures, eyewitness accounts, expert reports, etc. www.facebook.com/caboodleranch.savethekitties and a You Tube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCE590Bg0pE

    I was so naive to believe that Caboodle Ranch was Disney Land for cats. I should have followed my instincts when I read that one man was caring for several hundred cats alone primarily with sporadic help. But I was so mesmerized by the cute videos and photos. I hope others can learn for my mistake. BTW...I did not leave the rescue cat there after witnessing the horrors.

    Yes, myself and others have complained and complained to authorities to do something but it seems as if they don't care. I can't make the authorities to do anything but I can at least try and stop as many cats as possible from going there.

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