My mother Anna-Liisa passed away in June 2019 after a brief illness that included rapidly progressing dementia. Such a cruel disease. As I go through the grieving process, I realize that I want…make that need…to do something special to keep her legacy alive.
Liisa was born in Finland in 1933 and saw a lot of hardship in her early years, especially as Russia took over the island that was the family’s home. Despite those early challenges, my Mom always maintained a positive attitude and love of people…up until her last days on God’s green earth.
During her 86 years, Liisa enjoyed many hobbies and was always true to her Christian faith. She had a special love for animals and nature and that devotion is what sparked my imagination.
My mom loved cats and we took in several strays over the years that became wonderful members of our family, specifically a little girl we christened Lucky and a sweet boy we named Sisu (a Finnish word meaning guts). We also fed and interacted with a number of strays passing through our yard, offering them food, shelter (if they wanted it!) and most importantly, love.
Mom also had a passion for flowers and always had a wide assortment growing in the house, the yard and at our summer cottage in her native Finland.
As I followed news accounts of the stray and feral cat problems facing many of our local communities here in Central Pennsylvania, I realized there needs to be a positive solution. When I spoke with a local veterinarian, he stated that although many people think they are doing things to help, it’s often not solving the real problem. Trap-neuter-release programs feel good, but are they really helping or merely perpetuating the situation?
While many traditional animal shelters may have a no-kill policy at their shelter, unadopted cats are often sent to neighboring counties where they will do the deed. Sadly, many well-intentioned facilities are at full capacity and will not accept any more homeless cats. This is unacceptable!
Given this need to do something to truly help ALL of our feline friends, and honor my Mom’s memory, I decided to establish Liisa’s Garden, An Open Door Cat Sanctuary.
My dream is to eventually acquire land and build a place in the country where all homeless and unwanted cats will be welcomed, no questions asked. It will be a place where our feline friends can run, play and sleep to their heart’s content. They’ll be well fed and cared for, safe from all harm, for the rest of their lives. Our goal is not necessarily adoption, rather we wish to offer a permanent home for these precious creatures.
The plan is that every resident will be vaccinated, spayed/neutered and microchipped. We’ll have big rooms with lots of sunlight, plenty of toys, scratchers, food and treats. And of course, there will be flowers…lots of flowers!
I realize this is a big dream. It will take a lot of work and a lot of money to make it come true. We’ll be relying on donations of money, food, litter, toys and perhaps most importantly, the time of cat loving volunteers. As a person who always shops for the best deal and bang for his buck, I assure you that every dollar donated to Liisa’s Garden will go to make homeless cats lives better!
Every cat, just like every person, has a unique personality and deserves to live their lives in a safe, loving home. With your help, that home will someday be Liisa’s Garden 🙂
Pawsitively yours,
Tom Settle
P.S. As we are still in the planning stages, we are not accepting donations at this time. Please stay tuned for updates as we move forward with our mission. In the interim, feel free to contact us with your comments and suggestions