Ladies aren't the only ones crazy for cats.
February 26, 2009 3:15 PM   Subscribe

Craig Grant spends 14 hours a day, seven days a week, caring for over 500 cats. They live at Caboodle Ranch, a town he built himself on a 30 acre lot with $100,000 of his own money.
posted by MaryDellamorte (42 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
Before anyone says anything, yes they are spayed and neutered with up-to-date shots.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 3:16 PM on February 26, 2009


Are they spayed or neutered and with up-to-date shots? Because if not, I ... oh, nevermind.
posted by serazin at 3:26 PM on February 26, 2009 [5 favorites]


If only more facilities of this nature were available, we would likely see less of this.

Nice work, Mr. Grant.
posted by turgid dahlia at 3:29 PM on February 26, 2009


Ha ha ha! Dude really likes cats!

/returns to contemplating cat ladder construction project.
posted by Artw at 3:32 PM on February 26, 2009 [1 favorite]


Oh, I get it. Kitten Caboodle. ;)
posted by netbros at 3:32 PM on February 26, 2009


I approve.
posted by Sijeka at 3:33 PM on February 26, 2009


Craig does not have Internet access
but... the Internet was made for posting cat pictures.
posted by woodway at 3:33 PM on February 26, 2009 [8 favorites]


Trend?
posted by Science! at 3:34 PM on February 26, 2009


Trend?

Mary is clearly in the market to buy a cat ranch.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 3:36 PM on February 26, 2009


But does he give them bacon?
posted by AdamCSnider at 3:39 PM on February 26, 2009 [1 favorite]


It's my dream! I've been a crazy cat lady since I could walk, seriously.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 3:39 PM on February 26, 2009 [2 favorites]


If anyone can herd cats, it's Craig Grant. Good job, my friend.
posted by ericb at 3:40 PM on February 26, 2009


lolcats
posted by nitsuj at 3:44 PM on February 26, 2009


If only more facilities of this nature were available, we would likely see less of this.

Likely not, as per the Crazy Cat Lady of Beacon Hill who was a multiple "offender" in Boston and then in Watertown, MA.

The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium: Animal Hoarding -- What Caseworkers Need to Know.
posted by ericb at 3:46 PM on February 26, 2009


I can has Soylent Green?
posted by CynicalKnight at 3:53 PM on February 26, 2009


Millions of cats.
posted by weston at 3:59 PM on February 26, 2009


I think it's great that they're they are spayed and neutered with up-to-date shots and declawed (I kid! I kid!), but hopefully he will have the requisite amount of not-crazy to ramp down the size of the thing before he gets old enough to worry about dying and leaving 500 cats with nowhere to go.

Regardless, what if this guy got hit by a bus tomorrow?
posted by gurple at 4:02 PM on February 26, 2009


Quite by coincidence, an hour ago I ran across an article in a local newspaper about the Homeless Animal Rescue Team (HART) of Maine, which is a no-kill shelter for cats. The article talks about the sagging economy taxing the resources of the shelter, and mentions a lady giving up 32 cats -- all a bit scraggly, but friendly and apparently well-loved.

I suspect, given the economy and the cost of caring for the felines, a few more cat hoarders will reach the public's attention over the next year.
posted by Jubal Kessler at 4:03 PM on February 26, 2009


gurple: Perhaps he'll convert it to a no-kill adoption center, etc., per my post above.
posted by Jubal Kessler at 4:04 PM on February 26, 2009


This is me in 5 years...

except instead of a ranch its a filthy studio apartment
and all the cats will have sequentially numbered names
and instead of Purina it'll be transients and hitch-hikers
posted by wcfields at 4:05 PM on February 26, 2009 [3 favorites]


ericb: I guess what I mean is, hoarding starts somewhere. You find a stray, take it in, then find another, and so on, and pretty soon you get to the point where you've convinced yourself that you are providing them with a good life - the Animal Hoarding link you provide demonstrates otherwise - and it becomes a compulsion. You gain a reputation as the cat/dog/goat/bird/whatever person and people bring them to you. You can't really turn them down so you add them to the bunch. You reach a point where you're surviving on a pension with no support mechanisms or infrastructure, but you just keep collecting those fucking cats. You can't afford to get them desexed, obviously, and before you know it you're ankle-deep in shit and can't smell death any more.

But if you've got a bit of money, a bit of know-how, plenty of wide open space, and a bit of a support infrastructure? Things are different. You can afford to take care of these creatures, and you know to get them desexed, and so on. It's the difference between a compulsion and a passion.

I've dreamed for years of winning a few million bucks and opening a great big farm to take care of neglected and abused animals. Probably quite a few of us have. But when, a few years ago, I found myself in a relatively small apartment with three cats, none of whom liked one another particularly, I realised that I was treading some pretty deep water so one of the cats was immediately adopted out and I resolved not to care for any more animals, regardless of how much I may wish to, until I had both the physical space and the material and financial resources. I would love to take in every animal in distress, or merely every animal I thought deserved better, but I wouldn't be able to give them "better", really, because I would be assuming duty of care when I could not properly provide that care (even if I'd be doing a better job than some other douchebag who treats a dog like nothing more than a little something for the backyard, keeps it chained up and slops out a tin of food every now and then).

But then you get certain pathologies that believe they are doing good, no matter how obvious it is to an outsider that they aren't. I can see it happening very easily. Unfortunately, the realitiy of it is that no matter how big your heart is, a small or closed mind is still going to be to the disadvantage of every concerned party.
posted by turgid dahlia at 4:05 PM on February 26, 2009 [4 favorites]


Regardless, what if this guy got hit by a bus tomorrow?

On the FAQ page it is said that suitable arrangements have been made should this unfortunateness transpire.
posted by turgid dahlia at 4:06 PM on February 26, 2009


God bless him.
posted by Ugh at 4:16 PM on February 26, 2009


On the FAQ page it is said that suitable arrangements have been made should this unfortunateness transpire.

No, it isn't. It says:

Q: What will happen to the cats and the ranch if Craig gets sick or can no longer work?

A: Craig already has a plan for trained people to immediately come and work the ranch and care for the cats should anything happen to him


That's pretty vague. To me it means that he's got a contingency plan to let things limp by for a while. You've got to admit, this guy's devotion is pretty unique. I would think that, if someone were actually waiting in the wings to take the place over, he'd just say that.

I'm not saying the place isn't a great thing right now. I just hope it remains a great thing, rather than suddenly becoming a Giant Cat Bomb on the shelter system in the future.
posted by gurple at 4:19 PM on February 26, 2009


Oh man, someone please pass the benadryl.
posted by not_on_display at 4:24 PM on February 26, 2009


Can they has cheezburgers?
posted by Crabby Appleton at 4:32 PM on February 26, 2009 [3 favorites]


Awesome cat suitable house modifications - click link F in particular.
posted by Artw at 4:45 PM on February 26, 2009 [1 favorite]


Presumably he has life insurance and suitable arrangements to maintain continuity of care for the cats. It's a pretty obvious thing to do since it looks like this guy more-or-less has his shit together.
posted by ryanrs at 4:52 PM on February 26, 2009


HOLY HELL I CAN SMELL THE CAT RANCH THROUGH MY MONITOR
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:53 PM on February 26, 2009 [2 favorites]


Mr. Craig does not clean the cats with his tongue and, thus, loses his "crazy cat lady" credentials.

And, yes, crazy cat lady is a non-gender-specific term.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:27 PM on February 26, 2009


Metafilter: before you know it you're ankle-deep in shit and can't smell death any more.

Sorry.

posted by jokeefe at 6:54 PM on February 26, 2009


Goddamn he has a shitload of cats.
posted by exogenous at 7:35 PM on February 26, 2009


Honestly made me mist up a bit. 'Scuse me, I've got a fat calico to snuggle.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:38 PM on February 26, 2009 [1 favorite]


Cats & Donuts

Admittedly a bit on the "crazy" side, but if you don't love that picture of a man, some donuts, and a zillion cats, you have no soul.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:41 PM on February 26, 2009


I hate cats. Sounds like Hell to me.
posted by Daddy-O at 8:08 PM on February 26, 2009


Yeah, you know who else hated cats?
posted by turgid dahlia at 8:44 PM on February 26, 2009 [1 favorite]


I wonder if this guy's had any marriage proposals as a result of Caboodle Ranch.
posted by jason's_planet at 9:38 PM on February 26, 2009


Oh I see Daddy-O stopped by to do some thread shitting and to make himself look like an asshole. Stellar job!
posted by MaryDellamorte at 9:59 PM on February 26, 2009


Does he drive Greased Lightin'?
posted by blueberry at 9:59 PM on February 26, 2009


Obligatory post in this thread. Reminds me of Cat Neighbourhood.
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 4:25 AM on February 27, 2009


All I can think of is this:

Kittyland Love Centre
posted by BishopsLoveScifi at 10:16 AM on February 27, 2009


I also strongly dislike cats, and couldn't think of a worse fate.

However, I applaud what he's doing; he stumbled upon a calling that helps these cats while it also brings him great happiness, which is something most of us can only dream of.

Here's to following your passion, no matter what flavor it takes!
posted by Windigo at 8:15 AM on February 28, 2009 [1 favorite]


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