Kitten Krazy dream come true for feline friend

MEDINA — In May 2004, Wendy Mirrotto opened Kitten Krazy, a nonprofit organization created to help take care of cats and kittens until they are healthy enough to be adopted. Previously, Mirrotto volunteered at the Parma Animal Shelter for five years. She then moved to Medina with her husband and was looking to start volunteering again. She asked around and found there were no foster facilities in Medina. When she asked where all the stray cats went, she was told the cats usually went to dog shelters and most of them were put down. Mirrotto wanted to save the stray cats and kittens, but wasn't sure what to do. After praying while on vacation, Mirrotto said God told her what she needed to do, and when she got back from vacation she started Kitten Krazy. Most of the time, stray cats and cats left at veterinary clinics are the most common ways Kitten Krazy gets its animals. It also gets cats from people who have had a family member die and they can't take care of the cat, and sometimes people will give their own pets they don't want or can't have anymore. Kitten Krazy usually gets around 50 cats a week during the winter, but in summer the organization can get up to 200 people a week calling about cats they want Kitten Krazy to take. Sadly, Kitten Krazy can't take them all, so people have to make an appointment and it will examine the cat to see if the organization is able to take it. The nonprofit takes in about 55 to 60 cats a month, which means about 675 cats in one year. They have about 650 cats adopted every year, but how many are adopted each month depends on the time of year. In December, Kitten Krazy usually has about 70 cats adopted, but in summer, only about 30 to 40 cats will be adopted in a month. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rules at Kitten Krazy have changed. The organization requires masks be worn inside the building and hand sanitizer be used in between each cat room. The number of cats being adopted every month has gone up since COVID-19. In July 2020, 98 cats were adopted. Even the cats people don't usually want are being adopted. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kitten Krazy lost a lot of volunteers because people didn't want to leave their houses, but now people are starting to volunteer again. Kitten Krazy is a mostly volunteer organization. The only person who receives a paycheck is the shelter manager. "Even I volunteer my time to Kitten Krazy," Mirrotto said. People ages 8 and up can volunteer at Kitten Krazy. "Without the volunteers and the good people in the community, Kitten Krazy wouldn't be possible," Mirrotto said. "Thank you to all those who helped to make my dream possible and help to take care of the cats of Medina." Zoe Cortes, a seveth grader at Brunswick Middle School, is one of more than 50 student "backpack journalists" (grades six-12) in the award-winning BEAT Video Program.