Big G's CAT SHED
Big G’s CAT SHED
A Backyard, a Calling, and the Cats Who Changed Everything
Big G’s CAT SHED sits quietly in northeastern Ohio—just a backyard shed with a heater, some bowls, and a lot of heart. You can watch it live on YouTube (streaming before Christmas 2025). If you like cats, you might love the CAT SHED. If you like stories about how love sneaks up on you and rearranges your life… you’ll definitely love the backstory.
How It All Started
Our home is surrounded by six large apartment complexes. We can’t say for sure where all the stray cats came from, but frequent move-ins, move-outs, and “oops, we can’t take the cat with us” situations likely had something to do with it.
The question was never should we feed them.
Our hearts didn’t even pause there. We knew it was right.
The first feral momma would hiss if my husband got too close—her way of saying, “Don’t pet me. Don’t even think about it.” But hissing didn’t stop her from eating.
Before she ever trusted the porch, we’d see her lounging in our park-like backyard, watching us from a distance.
She would eventually become Momma #1, the unwitting harbinger of Big G’s CAT SHED.
But she wasn’t our first rescue.
From Dog People to Cat People
(God Has a Sense of Humor)
My husband and I were dog people. Confidently dog people.
Then God had other plans.
After losing our two beloved boys—Buddy the Rottie and Oliver the Westie—and relocating to Ohio, we adopted our first cat: Louie.
Louie was rescued in November 2011, around two years old, by my husband’s parents. I was there the day they picked him out. I knew instantly he was special.
Louie had a no-nonsense, take-no-grief attitude—much like my father-in-law, who chose him.
You didn’t mess with Lou.
And you didn’t mess with Dad.
In 2014, allergies welcomed Louie to move in with us. He remained—an indoor cat, though he occasionally made daring jailbreaks to snack on grass like it’s a gourmet salad.
Three years later, God sent us another surprise.
Lilly Chose Us
Lilly appeared one October evening in 2017 as we pulled into our driveway after dinner. She ran straight up to us, yelling—not meowing—as if to say, “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting.”
That first night she stayed on the porch with food and water.
The second day, my husband caved.
Lilly came inside, got fixed and made herself right at home.
She’s now an indoor rescue who occasionally sneaks out just to sit dramatically in the front bushes for a day or two, reminding us who’s really in charge.
Somewhere between Lilly and Momma #1, we learned a crucial lesson:
If you feed them… they will breed.
Lincoln, Laylee, and the Cat Hair Point of No Return
In the summer of 2018, Lincoln and Laylee were discovered beneath our living room window—placed there carefully by Momma #1.
I tried to find them homes. I really did. But without being able to vet potential adopters, my heart wouldn’t let go.
Allergies happen. Life happens. Pets get returned.
So instead, cat hair happened.
Alot of it.
Four rescues’ worth of cat hair.
Vacuuming became a lifestyle.
Surprise visitors became a nightmare.
Momma - Our First TNR
Before Lincoln and Laylee were born, their mother had already figured out that my husband was a soft touch. One snowy winter day, he watched her shake snow from her paws and immediately built her a heated shelter.
The next day, she moved in like she’d been waiting her whole life.
That winter she stayed on the back porch.
The next winter, she upgraded to a heated two-story cat house.
Eventually, we trapped her—after many failed attempts—and learned she was positive for Feline Leukemia. She’s buried in our backyard.
While she was alive, she defended her food bowl like a Navy SEAL. Other strays would approach cautiously, and she’d shut it down with precision.
One of those strays would become Momma #2.
Momma #2 — The Warrior
Momma #2—Libby—was on her third litter when we finally trapped her. She was the one we were desperate to stop.
Today, she’s the resident queen of Big G’s CAT SHED.
Pictured here with her fixed babies—Larry and Laura—she still comes to the kitchen window like she owns the place.
Because she does. And now she prefers that her food be brought out to her in the Cat Shed.
Lexie — The Fighter
Lexie was weak at birth. Libby was exhausted. We hand-fed Lexie while she tried to nurse.
One day she vanished.
We found her trapped in a fallen tree on the neighboring property, crying faintly. She survived. She thrived. She grew up with our pug Frankie and eventually earned indoor-outdoor privileges.
Lexie even learned how to trigger the Ring doorbell to get back inside.
Smart girl.
The CAT SHED Cats (The Ones Outside)
Rescue work is joy and heartbreak wrapped together.
We could handle losing kittens.
We could handle euthanasia when necessary.
What we didn’t expect was the indifference.
The confused looks.
The quiet judgment.
The expressions that made us feel, for a moment, like we were doing something wrong—when all we were doing was caring.
What this journey taught us is that compassion can make people uncomfortable.
Not everyone understands it.
Not everyone wants to see it up close.
We learned to keep going anyway, because...
“Not one creature is forgotten before God.”
(Luke 12:6)
Lemon — The One Who Stayed
Lemon appeared one day at about 12 weeks old. Not born here. Just… delivered.
We’re convinced someone knew where to drop him.
He wasn't feral.
A human already made an imprint.
He was abandoned and eager for Love.
The other cats tried to run him off.
Lemon stood his ground.
We got him fixed, loaded him up with the shots he needed (like we did with all our TNR's) so he could thrive and have a place to belong.
About a year later, we found him peacefully passed on the back porch steps.
It was terribly sad, but we also felt blessed. Lemon came home to pass at our feet, which was a sign of thanking us for knowing his life mattered. We didn't have to worry about what became of him.
Not every ending is the one you want.
What Six Years Taught Us
In ten years we adopted/rescued 5 indoor cats; and in the last six years, we trapped, neutered, and released 12 cats:
three feral mothers, two male troublemakers, and the rest—their kittens.
Not every story had the ending we hoped for.
One of the feral mothers was lost to Feline Leukemia.
One of the male troublemakers was too.
Some kittens grew up here, moved on, and only reappear now and then, as if checking in.
Others were able to go to shelters—already neutered—giving them a real chance at a different life.
At this point, we honestly can’t remember which kitten belonged to which litter anymore.
I could go through our saved and filed veterinarian dated invoices, but they will only remind me that he and his team were our biggest supporters through all of it—guiding us with the trapping and easing the financial weight with small discounts that we didn't expect. He understood the size of what we took on, and he stood with us every step of the way.
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.”
— Proverbs 19:17
We turned a heated box into a shed.
A bathroom into a hospital.
A backyard into a sanctuary.
Some left and never returned.
Some died in our hands.
Some are still here, warm and fed.
And through it all, somehow—everything else in our lives worked out.
We named many of them with L-names.
Because Love was the point all along.
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.”
— Proverbs 19:17
The Two Biggest Trouble Makers of them All
This is us.
We argue like cats and dogs—often about absolutely nothing.
The important stuff? We’re solid. Always have been.
Twenty-five years together and life has thrown just about everything it could at us.
We didn’t dodge it. We didn’t run. We stood in it—sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly, occasionally while slamming cabinets.
But when it comes to what matters—love, loyalty, and doing the right thing—we’ve never been on opposite sides.
Every cat in this story exists because we chose compassion over convenience.
Every shelter, every late-night feeding, every hard decision was made together.
We may be the biggest troublemakers…
but we’re each other’s kind of trouble—and we wouldn’t change a thing.
Before you go, we added a little fun.
Click the image to the right to play our custom Pac-Man–style CAT SHED game, built just for laughs.
It’s simple, kid-friendly, and a great way to share a smile with your family while supporting the cats who inspired it all.
Play, share, and enjoy.
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