LEWISTON, N.Y. — Many of us have Styrofoam coolers lying around the house or clogging up our trash, but instead of letting them go to waste, one Lewiston woman is turning them into homes for stray cats.
Judith Keys is a now retired social worker, but her heart for helping others never went away.
“I love it, I’m a social worker,” Judith said. “My social work extends to four-footed clients as well as two-footed clients.”
For the past two years, she’s run her own business, creating and giving away what she calls “Cat Cubes.”
Cat Cubes are waterproof shelters for outdoor cats, made entirely out of straw (which, unlike blankets, is a safe way to keep cats warm), duct tape, and Styrofoam coolers that she used to receive in the mail.
“Momma cat had a litter of kittens under my veranda… at the time, I’d get frozen food delivered monthly in these big honking coolers,” Judith said. “I thought, big cooler, litter of cats, I’ll put some straw in there and the cats loved it.”
But, when she got her next delivery, she realized she didn’t need another Cat Cube.
Instead, she offered to give one away on Facebook, and dozens of people wanted one of their own too.
“I didn’t realize how many people just in Lewiston were taking care of feral cats,” Judith said.
Last winter, she made 60 of them and gave them away in Lewiston.
This winter, she’s nearly doubled that to over 100 and expanded her reach to people across Western New York.
In order to keep up with the demand, she asks for donations from her neighbors like Marleen Parker, or anybody else who wants to know what would have been their trash, has been put to good use.
“We live in a time of reuse and repurpose, and Jude’s big heart tends to that,” Marleen said. “It makes us feel wonderful, especially on days like this when we know critters will stay warm.”
With every cooler being a donation, the only supplies Judith pays for is straw and duct tape, so she’s more than happy to give them all away for free.
“That’s nothing, but it’s a lot for the cat-loving community,” Judith said.
If you’d like to donate a cooler or receive a Cat Cube for yourself, you can reach out to Judith on Facebookor by emailing Judithkeys@aol.com.
