Ellen Estill, 71, lives in a quaint home in the Mt. Sterling city limits. With 35 cats.
Ellen moved from Houston back to her childhood home of Mt. Sterling nine years ago with nine cats and a long-time dream, a retirement home for cats. She immediately founded Kitty Lodge Inc.
Ellen knew when people pass on or can no longer care for their cats, the animals often suffer. Ellen wanted to give such beloved pets a new home. She takes cats in free of charge. “It’s just something that I’ve always wanted to do,” she says. “I feel like God put on my heart that it was a service that needed to be done.” House shopping online, she came across a place she thought would be perfect for what she wanted to do.
Shortly after beginning Kitty Lodge, Ellen realized she was going to need a greater income than had been immediately apparent in order to provide for the cats. “It’s not cheap to have this many cats and take care of them,” Ellen says. She received some support and donations from the community, but not enough. Ellen went back to work.
Ellen works part-time at the Chevy Chase Animal Clinic in Lexington. Her job has allowed her to put down a new tile floor in the basement and paint the walls, all for the cats’ sake. She is able to feed them healthy cat food and pay their vet bills. Ellen gets up at 5:30 a.m. to prepare for work. With a heart murmur, cardiomyopathy, and a heart valve that doesn’t function correctly, she is constantly exhausted. But she feels it’s worth it for the cats.
“When I die,” she says, “I want to come back as some crazy nut’s cat, just like me.”
