Tuesday September 7, 2010, 10:29 am
Thanks Katherine, isnt this splendid, I thought..what a good person he is, they are all well fed, all fixed and all look like very happy cats!

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 10:32 am
By Jerry James Stone | Thu Sep 2, 2010 16:22

Craig Grant doesn't like cats. But that all changed when his son moved out, leaving his cat Pepper behind. And just when Craig was getting used to having one cat, he found out Pepper was pregnant. Five kittens later, Craig was ready to adopt them out until his son said they must stay with their mother for 8 weeks. "It wasn't long before the kittens were swinging from my curtains," he notes on his website.

The cats started to be a problem for Craig. Not only were neighbors complaining but the cats were being harassed, like being shot with B.B. guns. A newspaper advertisement led him to a tree farm 100 miles away from his Jacksonville condo. A home he wasn't quite ready to give up with its short walk to the beach and it was also close to his work.

He immediately loved the tree farm and bought 25 acres where he quickly erected an office trailer as a cat shelter. It had pet doors, padded shelving for long cat naps. The sanctuary is in the middle of 100 acres of wildlife.

Craig moved there himself in 2003. By that time he had 11 cats, he had been adopted strays and abandoned cats. By 2004, he had 22 cats. As you can tell by these pictures, he now has quite a few more than 22. All of the expenses for the sanctuary have come out of Craig's pocket and he even travels 250 miles roundtrip to work many times a day to keep the cats safe and cared for. All cats have been spayed or neutered, and all shots are kept up to date. Check out his Facebook page here (http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Caboodle-Ranch-Inc/55498031746). http://www.caboodleranch.com/Index.html

There are some so cool photos here, you have to go look!

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 10:43 am
I have nine feral cats living here, five from one completely buck wild mama, four new ones from one of her daughters. The babies and their mama are currently under my kitchen table... except when they decide to climb the walls, and then it's katie-bar-the-door! I thought if I could socialize the wild ones, I might be able to adopt them out; it sort of worked... they're completely socialized with me and think I'm the neatest thing since canned tuna, they play fetch (I skip stones, they jump and chase and actually bring the stones back for more), and I can flop even the roughest Tom across my shoulder like a rag... but any other two-legged comes near, and you'd think there wasn't a cat on the property. The upside is, we have no rodents, no varmints, no snakes. The downside is, we have no birds, either... imagine that...

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 10:51 am
Caboodle Ranch rocks! I've been following his ranch for a couple of years now and hope to be able to visit someday.

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 11:13 am
What an absolutely brilliant man. Thank you Katherine for posting, it is really heartening to know that there are people who are literally going out of their way to help animals.

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 11:16 am
cool

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 11:16 am

Loved it. Thanks for a pleasant break, Katherine!

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 11:17 am
Some times we can depend on the kindness of strangers. What a spectular human being, with true generosity of heart. Thanks for a wonderful "feel good" story. Is there a way to make donations?

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 11:35 am
Yes!
http://www.caboodleranch.com/Donations.html
"Caboodle Ranch needs your support. Please donate today!
Our Paypal address is: donations@caboodleranch.org
Or
Mail check or money order to:
Caboodle Ranch
P.O. Box 299
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32004

Please make checks payable to: Caboodle Ranch.
Thank you for all your help!"

:)

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 12:03 pm
Wow! This guy is amazing! If I had the $ I would certainly send some to him! Good to know that some people really care!

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 12:30 pm
Noted...thanks for the great story. What an amazing man...and project.

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 12:31 pm
What a lovely story and a wonderful man. It is heartening to read about people who do such caring things when we are usually reading about abuse. Thanks, Katherine, for bringing a smile to my cranky face. And Kit, thanks for asking about how we can donate. Y'all are pretty wonderful.

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 1:38 pm
Well, thanks for putting a big smile on my face. We need the good stories to help take the bad.

I am sure stories like these can help people change. It gives permission to the mind to see that others have changed.

Thanks to all that give their time to bring information to the rest of us.

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 2:26 pm
What a guy! Thanks for the N/post.

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 2:42 pm
WOW HOW LOVELY, AW

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 3:58 pm
This is a great and wonderful thing to do for all these cats!! I love how relaxed they look too!! TY, Katherine for this one!

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 5:01 pm
Camilla, I love how your avatar and your comment fit together so nicely with this story!

Linda, you don't look in the least bit cranky to me... it's just all that aggravation, is what...

Gran Pat, my herd of feral cats are that relaxed, too, as long as I'm the only one around. Three toms amongst them, and they never fight. They follow me down the mountain every day to check the mail like a pack of puppies. They'll take a few steps and flop over, wait 'til I get just a little past them, get up, walk a few steps past me and flop again. "Course, walking back up the mountain is just too much work for them, so I usually end up with a couple flopped over my shoulders for the ride.

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 7:29 pm
Hey Katherine, just wanted to let you know I submitted this story a few days ago :) lol, I'm sorry. Usually C2NN picks up on this stuff before you submit it.

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 7:38 pm
I love this man. Could anyone be better! It's not just because my Tuxedo B&W kitty, Bitty Buddha, looks just like the one sitting on No Trespassing sign, either. To have a convert to kitty-love be so enthusiastic and take such tremendous action is WONDERFUL!!!

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 8:47 pm
How so very cute!!

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 10:13 pm
lovely thanks

Tuesday September 7, 2010, 11:08 pm
this is beautiful!!! thanks for sending to me katherine!!!

Wednesday September 8, 2010, 1:40 am
Great!!!!

Wednesday September 8, 2010, 10:56 am
Thx. Katherine my friend. That was a touching story, considering he's Not even a cat person. Neither am I but I do Rescue them then call Animal Control to come get them as I don't have a litter box or food and I like to play RUFF, LOL, and you can't with cats. And Dottie my old dog wants to eat them. Oh no!!