The Villages - April 2022 - 11

Sometimes the Shack holds 15 cats, and other
times the population is low, depending on the rate
of adoptions. Louise looks forward to meeting
newcomers, and is sad to see others leave, but grateful
they have households to rule, as cats tend to do. And
while employees are not expected to bring their work
home, most have adopted or fostered a four-legged
resident. It's an occupational hazard.
" Two years ago, I fostered an obese cat who was
surrendered, " Louise said. " I wanted to help him lose
weight, so I went home and said, 'Honey, can I foster
this cat?' Well, Riley came home with me, but by day
three, I knew he was a keeper. "
Louise helped Riley lose his excess weight - from
21 pounds to a healthy 12 pounds. In return for all her
attention and care, Riley remains a faithful companion
and member of her family.
How The Villages
Became Home
A former Maryland resident, Louise moved to The
Villages with her husband in 2013 to escape the
snow and rain on the Chesapeake Bay.
" It freezes, and it's just horrible, " she said. " You
know, I can't believe I worked all those years and
dealt with the weather. "
Louise and her husband are avid line dancers, part
of a large community of dancers.
" We had a lot of friends who'd come to the Villages
- people we danced with for over 20 years, and our line
dance teacher was a part-time (resident) here. People were
coming down to see what it was like and they'd never come
back. We wound up buying a house in three days, and I
woke up the next morning asking, 'what have we done?' "
For the next five years, Louise and her husband
split their time between homes, but they became fulltime
Floridians.
" Our stays here just got longer and longer, and
then I just didn't want to leave, " she said. " I thought,
why do we have to go back? It's just because we have
family. But here, this is my family. "
In 2015, Louise joined the newly formed Cat Crazy
Villagers club and learned about the free-roaming
home being built for cats at SPCA.
" I made sure to go to the grand opening. I get
emotional when I talk about it because it's just
changed my life, " Louise said, eyes glazed with tears.
Louise calls herself a " perpetual volunteer, " noting
that she and her husband, like so many other Villagers,
find joy and purpose in their work.
" Maybe it's a character attribute, " she said. " The
volunteers here do it all for the animals, because
they love them. "
MAGAZINE
11
The Villages - April 2022

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