Imagine falling in love with a farmhouse, only to find out it comes with a catch—16 conditions, to be precise. Would you still go through with it?
Emily and Dylan faced this very dilemma when they decided to purchase a historic farmhouse. The twist? It came with 16 feral cats.
“The realtor said they don’t think they can really catch the cats,” Dylan told The Dodo. “Is it going to be a deal breaker? And I said, ‘No.’”
The couple first encountered the farmhouse during the summer of 2018 and were immediately captivated by it.
“It was everything we had dreamt of and more. Fast forward a few months and the house is officially ours now. We moved in a few weeks back, but are looking forward to spending forever here,” Emily wrote on their Instagram post. “The plan is for this home to become a sanctuary as well – a safe haven for many animals in the future. And so Freedom Farmhouse was born! We are so excited to share everything that is to come with this truly special property.”
Several months later, Emily and Dylan, along with their three dogs, moved into the farmhouse, which also became home to 16 cats.
The cats resided in an outdoor shed on the property. Whenever Emily and Dylan wanted to interact with them, they would go to the driveway to play with the cats.
“I remember when I would go out there to feed them, they would scatter and they would run. They were so skittish,” Dylan shared. “And now when I come home, they’ll come up to me and they’ll want some sort of attention.”
Initially, Emily had mixed emotions about the cats. “When we first moved in I was not happy about all the barn cats that were left behind. I have never even owned a cat before, let alone [16],” Emily admitted. “Fast forward 7 months later and I love my kitties.”
The previous owners had only provided an old shed for the cats, which lacked windows and doors, leaving them unprotected from the elements.
“From there, our thought process was, ‘these cats need better shelter,’” Emily said.
Utilizing an unused outdoor storage room, they transformed it into a cozy space for the cats. They equipped it with cat beds, food bowls, toys, a heater, cat towers, and even a catwalk on the walls.
“They absolutely love the cat room!” Dylan reported.
What began as a daunting situation turned into a life they couldn’t imagine being without.
“I think the best part is just having that unconditional love that the cats have given us. It taught me a lot about just loving animals in the way that they deserve and they want to be loved,” Emily shared.
The farmhouse, once a sanctuary for slaves in historic times, has now become a sanctuary for animals, thanks to Emily and Dylan.
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