I took in one stray kitten and now I live with 21 cats
I took in one stray kitten and now I live with 21 cats – I’ve spent £40,000 looking after them
- Kamila Kawlowska, 41, from London, lives with over 21 cats under her roof
- She spent the last seven years saving felines and spends £400 on them a month
- Kamila has built a shed for them to stay in when they are not in the house
- The cat lover also takes it upon herself to return stray cats to their families
A woman who lives with 21 cats under her roof has revealed how she has spent the last seven years saving felines – and spends £400 on them every month.
Kamila Kawlowska, 41, who is originally from Poland but now lives in London, works as an office manager in the day but runs a cat sanctuary at home in her free time.
After moving into her house in 2014, the cat lover discovered a stray kitten in her garden and decided to take it in.
Kamila Kawlowska, 41, who is originally from Poland but now lives in London, lives with 21 cats under her roof
Over the next eight years, she has gained another 20 cats, who all now live in her home.
She said: ‘I always grew up with animals, they remind me so much of my family home, my dad always loved cats.
‘How could you not love them? They give you love on their terms, you have to earn their love, they are quite interesting creatures to be around.’
Despite enjoying sharing space with her unusual housemates, Kamila says she can find it hard at times to make sure they’re all being taken care of.
Kamila revealed how she has spent the last seven years saving felines – and spends £400 on them every month
The cat lover spends roughly £400 a month on caring for her cats out of her own pocket, which makes up to around £40,000 over the years (pictured cat food in storage at her home)
She said: ‘It’s sometimes very challenging living with 21 cats.
‘They’re like children, I can’t compare because I have never had children but it’s a lot of work to do around them.
‘You need to make sure they have their food every day, as well as their treatments, fleaing, worming and if they are sick, to take them to the vets.
‘But apart from that it’s lots of fun and I’m happy that they chose me.’
Committed to looking after her moggies, Kamila has built a shed for them to stay in when they are not in the house, and has even installed a wishing-well-style litter tray.
Each stray has its own bed – insulated with styrofoam and wool – and these are pimped up with small heaters.
But looking after nearly two dozen cats is no mean feat and it’s expensive too, with twice daily feeds.
In fact, the cat lover spends roughly £400 a month on caring for her cats out of her own pocket, which makes up to around £40,000 over the years.
Each stray has its own bed – insulated with styrofoam and wool – and these are pimped up with small heaters
Kamila keeps track of all her cats treatments and microchip details on a detailed sheet of paper
She said: ‘I gave up smoking so I could afford to take care of them all, l don’t feel guilty buying food for the cats anymore, and it’s been good for my health too.
‘They are all fed twice a day and all come running when they hear the meal bell that I tinkle.
‘I use the bell so I don’t have to shout all the time and bother the neighbours.
‘I’ve found this [the special beds and heaters] the warmest best way to keep them toasty, the wool is even anti-bacterial.
‘Fabric alone shouldn’t be used because in winter it gets damp and the cats could freeze to death.’
The cats spend their time in their human’s house and the shed, as being strays makes them less likely to become domesticated, therefore the freedom of choice is best for them.
And Kamila’s neighbours don’t mind the moggies either.
She added: ‘The [my] neighbours have been living here for quite a while and also understand that the cats have been here for a long time.
‘It’s only when there are new neighbours it can be a problem, such as if the cats go to poop in their garden, but after a couple of conversations, they understand the situation.
‘However, l always try to keep the area clean and go round cleaning up after the cats so I make sure all the surrounding gardens to make it nice for everyone.’
Kamila’s youngest feline is seven-year-old male, Gingi, while her eldest are 13, Mr Black and Mrs Black, believed to have been born in 2009.
She added: ‘They’re all known by their names but my favourite is Queen Linda, she was left behind by the ex-owner of the house and was the first one here.
‘Every cat has a different personality, they hang out with different mates, just like humans.
‘They like different toys, food, just different likes and dislikes, some like to be inside the warm some outside in the garden or go even further to explore.’
She has even gone to the lengths of purchasing an Amazon chip checker machine for £25 so she can scan all the cats that come into her garden and see if they’re someone’s pet.
Kamila said: ‘People have knocked on my door asking if they could take a cat from me but I have explained how being strayed leaves them unable to be re-housed.’
The cat lover also takes it upon herself to return stray cats to their families, claiming to have reunited thousands through scouring cat-dedicated Facebook pages, charities and online networks.
She also works closely with the Celia Hammond Animal Trust Charity to neuter and spade all strays and to get them chipped to hopefully bring stray numbers down.
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