A Turkish dentist known for her love of cats has opened her home to strays during the cold winter days. She’s built a ladder that leads directly to her window so they can come in and warm up.
Sebnem Ilhan is a dentist in Tekirdag, Turkey. She also is a cat fancier, and has been worried about the homeless cats on the street in her hometown as they’ve been under quite the cold spell this winter. Concerned that the weather would leave many frozen (even to death), she opened her home as a winter refuge for street cats.
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Her compassion is admirable, but goes even further when you see what she’s done with her home to ensure the cats have easy access. Calling her house comfortable, she wanted to invite the cats inside… but she lives on the second floor and couldn’t just leave her front door open for them. So, Ilhan designed a cat ladder that leads to her open window. The ladder also doubles as a decorative flower-pot holder.
The decorative part was more so that her neighbors wouldn’t complain about a ladder from the sidewalk to her window outside of their complex. Everyone likes decorative flowers! She was right… in fact her neighbors don’t seem to have an issue at all, and several cats have already figured out her home is the (warm) place to be.
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Ilhan’s unique ladder is just another way that she shows her love for dogs and cats, particularly strays. She volunteers throughout her city helping with stray cats and dogs. Saying that she wished that no animal was ever hungry or thirsty, she believes that this world is not just for people and that animals matter.
