At some point, I will write ad nauseum about my feline brood o’ furry love. But suffice it to say for now that I absolutely adore cats. I abhor their all too frequent neglect, and the common perception of them as somehow more disposable than dogs, if not barely vermin. Thankfully, a like-minded gentle-man in Florida has gotten off of his porch (literally, if you read his story) and established a wonderful and unique sanctuary in Florida.

I have not had the opportunity yet to visit 10th Life Sanctuary, but my cousin did some two years back, writing a review of her impressions of Maury Swee and his lifesaving facility. Her summary is published on the website, along with photos. My husband and I plan to spend several days volunteering there on our next pass down to the Florida Keys.

My reason for posting is to get the word out about 10th Life and their desperate, ongoing need for contributions. Like so many other worthy causes, their donation levels have been declining with the economy and this development has forced them to tighten the belt on their admission policies. This of course will mean that parents of limited means looking for a secure shelter for cats they can no longer care for may not be able to take advantage of what 10th Life can offer.

Timing has become particularly critical now. 10th Life has the opportunity to participate in a study involving an actual cure for feline leukemia. If the study is successful and this medication IS found to cure FeLV, 10th Life will reap the enormous benefit of ongoing royalties for each sale of the drug, due to their support of the research. However, before they can sign on, they must get into a secure location, separate from the general sanctuary. Once Maury has secured a rental facility for this pilot study, he can establish a final budget, but obviously mobilization costs are incurring now.

Please help this wonderful man in his quest to both find a cure for this devastating disease, and to secure the continuation of a home that for so many lovely cats will be the last happy one that they know. http://www.10thlife.org/

One 10th Life resident survives his tropical domain from a comfy perch.