The Lewis family, from a town called Filey in the UK, have stolen the hearts of cat lovers across the globe with their sweet rescue story. The family first rescued 18 cats from a nearby farm when the lockdown struck in 2020. Now they house they over 100 cats, and five of them are pregnant!
It all started in the midst of lockdown in 2020, when the family received a call from a nearby farm overrun with cats, desperate for help. The Lewis’ jumped into action, immediately rescuing 18 cats and welcoming them into their home.
In an interview with BBC, Tina Lewis says:
“I told my husband, I need to bring them in. He asked the question, ‘where are they going?’ and it was our bedroom.”
“We have about 30 litter trays and 40 cat trees around the house…” says Tina.
The family’s dining room, once the spot for Christmas dinners and Sunday lunches, is now adorned with donut beds strewn across the room for their gang of rescue cats. The Lewis family don’t seem to be bothered. In fact, Mark, who was never particularly an animal lover, has now done a full 180.
Mark, the cat convert, says the following:
“It’s very difficult now, to imagine not having any cats. I can’t foresee that happening.”
BBC
He continues:
“They need help. Whilst we can, we’re going to help them.”
The family have have met their share of financial burden in making ends meet, caring for the cats. With food bills for the their feline friends reaching up to tens of thousands alone, they’ve had to sell their property and car, and they’ve even sold Tina’s wedding ring.
BBC
Tina seems relatively unbothered by this, too. She says:
“This is my life now. I won’t do anything else. This is all I want to do.”
With five of the Lewis family’s cats being pregnant, Tina says she expects to have about 200 cats by the end of the month. Still, the family’s support towards their kitties is unwavering.
In March earlier this year, the family started an NPO, Filey Cat Rescue. Visit them here.
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Feature Image: Screenshot from BBC video
