Winter in Turkey this year has been colder than normal with a wave of arctic conditions sweeping across the country in early January which is what prompted a resident in the town of Tekirdagebnem, Sebnem Ilhan, to do something for the local stray cats that had no protection from the freezing conditions and what she came up with was pretty brilliant – a cat ladder that leads into her home.
Ilhan works as a dentist in her local town and after seeing the stray cats suffer from the harsh winter weather she decided to turn her home into a refuge for them. “I made the ladder so the cats can come into my comfortable house,” Ilhan told The Dodo and although the ladder is a huge hit with the cats Ilhan was unsure on how receptive the neighbours would be of her new ladder so decided to attach some ornaments to it. “I thought if I put some flower pots there, it wouldn’t bother anyone,” she said.
Fortunately however Ilhan has received nothing but positive feedback for her ‘cat ladder’ and of course her kind hearted attitude to offering these kitties as safe place to stay. Aside from the cat ladder invention Ilhan also offers her time at a local rescue centre for both cats and dogs adding that “I wish no animal is hungry or thirsty, just happy.”
Concerned for the safety of the stray cats in her local town of Tekirdagebnem, Sebnem Ilhan decided to turn her home into a refuge
Turkey had been experiencing a particularly cold winter, so she built a ladder for the stray cats
So that they can come and go from her house as they please
Unsure on how the neighbours would react she decorated the ladder with plant pots
However the reception from both the neighbours and the cats in particular has been hugely positive
Who have taken full advantage of having somewhere warm to sleep for the night
However the cat ladder isn’t the only thing that Ilhan has done to look out for local strays
She also uses her free time to look after stray dogs and cats at a local rescue centre
“I wish no animal is hungry or thirsty, just happy,” she said.
h/t thedodo