A retire U.S. Army old stager is still on an important tenner - long mission : to feed and care for piles of isolated Arabian tea in his metropolis .
For nearly 30 class , retired person Willie Ortiz has managed a split shift . During the day , he travels throughout Hartford , Conn. in his old but reliable truck in hunting of chuck out fleck alloy . His daily collections happen regardless of the conditions , and an average haulage might only nett $ 20–$40 . Ortiz bank on these funds to support his eventide oeuvre — feeding and caring for the city’sferal catpopulation .
A former soldier , welder , and school bus driver , Ortiz ’s missionary station is a monumental task . There are 19 colony of stray , more than 70 cats in all . Every night , he make approximately 14 stops to fee them and tally on their welfare . In the blustery winters of Connecticut , there are a few evenings when even the most scrappy cats do n’t guess out . Ortiz uses the ' belly gauge ' : if the snow is in high spirits enough to reach the bottom of a kitty ’s stomach , she ’ll stay hidden . He leave behind extra nibbles the next evening to repair . He ’s also built fiddling cubby holes in some areas to help keep his quat pals out of the elements .
Photo: Courtesy of Kathleen Schlentz on GoFundMe
This grandfather of five , now 79 , harness other brute primary care provider responsibility besides feeding stray cats . Ortiz use ' Have a warmness ' yap to seize some feral felines , especiallyexpectant mothers . A fellow saving friend nurture the cats until the babies are weaned , and then all of them arespayed or neuteredand placed for adoption . Ortiz also oversees the strays ' vaccinations and accidental injury tutelage .
When his friend Kathleen Schlentz take theaverage cost for spaying , neutering , and fertilize isolated kat totaled roughly $ 80per cat , she encouraged him to coiffe up adonation Thomas Nelson Page through GoFundMe . The monthly nutrient cost alone for that many puss is some $ 600 — Ortiz pay for his gasoline and hand truck maintenance out of his pocket . What go as a modest request of $ 5,000 in 2017 has exploded into a cascade of donation totaling more than $ 290,000 ! They ’ve found a nonprofit to ensure Ortiz ’s bequest protect the CT colony for geezerhood to come .
in the first place in 2020 , Ortiz suffered a blow . He by chance dropped a heavy composition of scrap metal on his remaining metrical foot , and after discovered he ’d broken most of the ivory in it . After multiple OR to correct the problem , he was n’t able-bodied to walk or drive during his lengthy recovery . Nevertheless , the kitten still receive their tending — Schlentz and her husband wield the nightly eating .
" This is n’t just a pursuit or something Willie does to fulfill his sentence . This is a part of who he is , " Schlentz writes on their donation page . " I ’ve asked him if he ever dreads have to go out every night . He said , ' No , I omit them when I do n’t see them and they omit me . ' Does he ever want to skip a nighttime ? ' I eat every day , so they eat every day ' . He pass water life seem so simple . I hump that about Willie . "
In 2016 , theHartford Courantfollowed Ortiz on his round of drinks . Watch how he interacts with his felid friendsand excuse his commission . You ’ll need to hug him through your blind !
