Oh look, a glimpse into my future.

At age 58, Chris Arsenault lives with 300 cats, giving them the life of luxury they deserve – complete with hammocks and heated perches to lounge on and roast chicken dinners.

Unlike us, Chris’s choice to live with that many cats didn’t come from singledom and a need to be surrounded by soothing furry creatures. His sanctuary for cats actually has a deeply moving backstory.

Chris decided to open up his home to cats to cope with the grief of losing his son, who died aged 24 in a motorcycle accident on Long Island’s Cross Island Parkway.




A few months after Eric’s death, Chris found a colony of sick kittens on the side of a railway track while working as a train conductor.

‘There were thirty little kittens and I could tell they were sick,’ says Chris. ‘I knew if I left them there they would die so I brought them home with me.

‘I am a real animal lover. When I was a kid, I had rabbits and gerbils and dogs, you name it. Animals have always been my passion.

‘After my son died, those cats gave me something to do.’

After nursing those cats back to health, Chris realised he had more to give. He contacted local charities and shelters to find more cats in need of help, and adopted more and more kitties, eventually bringing 300 cats into his home.

He eventually gave his home a makeover to turn it into a haven for the cats, adding in hammocks for them to sunbathe in, heated perches, and making space around the house and the garden for the cats to roam.

The only area that’s just for him is his small eight by twelve foot bedroom where Chris sleeps and eats.

Chris now wakes up at 7am every day to take care of the cats, refilling water bowls, mucking out litter trays, mopping floors, and making roast chicken dinners for his furry friends to enjoy.

He also has to tend to the cats health, giving each cat its own medication and making sure they’re never in pain.

The sanctuary has a policy to spay and neuter every cat who joins, and Chris seeks veterinary care when he can’t treat sick cats himself.

In 2016 the shelter cost him $101,000 (£72,000), including $80,000 for food and utilities and $21,000 on medicine and veterinary care.

‘Every day I have to treat the sick cats too,’ Chris says. ‘To keep control of this, I use colored paper collars.

‘Depending on their illness, I treat them with different medications, and if it’s something I can’t fix, I make sure the cat gets to the vet.

‘Last year I spent $22,000 on vet bills for the cats. I have every cat that enters the sanctuary neutered or spayed.’

It’s hard work, but Chris is so glad he’s dedicated his life to looking after cats in need.

‘I don’t find it overwhelming even though there are 300 cats now,’ says Chris.

‘I truly believe that if you are passionate about something you can handle anything. I really love what I do.

‘My house, it’s a big house and there’s a big backyard area. Everything is kitted out for the cats. I designed and build it all myself.

‘For me, safety and hygiene have been a priority. I have to be able to clean everything, wash everything down.



‘The floors are vinyl and the walls are covered in plastic sheeting. Outside, it’s all concrete so it is easy to hose it down.

‘I have my own space in the house in the boiler room. I’ve built my own bathroom in there, and I have a little area where I have a microwave, a toaster oven and a sink.

‘It’s hard to keep the cats out of there at night, and a few seem to sneak in no matter what I do.

‘When I open my bedroom door, there’s about 50 or 60 cats waiting for me.

‘Most of these cats were abused or abandoned when they came to the sanctuary, so it’s been really a really rewarding thing to be able to give them a home and a place they feel safe.’

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