Despite frigid temperatures taking over the United States this winter, shelter cats in Laureldale, Pennsylvania, are staying cozy with the help of a woman named Frances “Franny” Cronan.
After being approached by a woman while knitting at a farmers market in 2010, Franny began her kitty blanket journey, and has since knit over 608 blankets for the Humane Society of Berks County in Reading. And she’s nowhere near done.
“As soon as I get twenty or so, I take them in right away, and I always make sure that I visit all the kitties,” said Franny. “I would love to take them all home!”
She jots down the number of blankets she drops off in a notebook each time she visits the shelter.
“Every time I look at this little book, I just can’t believe that I’ve done so many,” she said. “It’s just unbelievable.”
Friends and strangers alike donate yarn to the shelter, allowing Franny to continue her work.
While some of the blankets are still at the shelter, most of them have found their way into forever homes with the cats they belong to. When a cat is adopted, its blanket is adopted, too.
Not only is this initiative a perk for the kitty’s owner, but it also makes the transition from shelter to home easier for the cat, as the familiar blanket provides comfort in a new setting.
Franny will continue to knit blankets for the shelter kitties so long as there is yarn to knit with.
