Meet the Man Who Has Fed 300 Cats Each Night For 13 Years Straight

If you haven’t heard of him yet, it is about time that the world knows about Glen Venezio, also known as the “Cat Man” of Puerto Rico. In 2006 he knew that he needed a break from the rush of NYC, but had no idea that his new life would entail taking care of hundreds of cats in need. Listen to his full podcast interview.

A Problem Spotted In Puerto Rico

Shortly after arriving in Puerto Rico, he noticed countless feral, stray, and abandoned cats running the streets and realized that they were only increasing in population. Glen decided to do something about it. He first began feeding the cats on his block, knowing that they were not getting the nutrition or amount of food that they needed. In addition to feeding his local feral cats, he began doing TNR when he could afford it and giving the cats that allowed it love and affection during his routine trips.

A Nightly Cat Feeding Routine

Not only did Glen continue this feeding route over the years, but he expanded his work tremendously. He now travels by car on a complex route, traveling out of his neighborhood, going out of his neighborhood to cover a 30 block radius each night. He currently reports that he feeds around 300 cats that depend on him. While it can sound rewarding to make such an impact on the lives of so many sentient beings, Glen has expressed how challenging the work is, physically and emotionally.

Glen currently leaves his house around 11 PM every night and returns home at about 7 AM in the morning, leaving him to catch up on sleep during the day while also working his regular job. While on his feeding runs, Glen has two people that take over driving shifts during the week but is the only one distributing the food and water for the cats.

A Rough Night

In addition to the lack of sleep and local support, Glen is constantly harassed and has even been physically assaulted. Instead of being supported by the community, he is more often yelled at, insulted, and purposely intimidated by folks who blame him for the presence of the cats who have long been seen as a nuisance.

Glen’s A Solution, Not A Problem

“I’m obviously not the reason that the cats are there,” Glen reminds us. He says that an 80-year-old neighbor informed him that since she was a child, there were always hundreds and hundreds of cats in his area. It seems that many locals view them as a problem, not wanting to look for long-term solutions, and frequently release and abandon their cats to the streets.

Once I opened my eyes, I couldn’t close them because I would continue coming out of my door every day and seeing the animals in the street. Once your heart or eyes open, it is impossible to close them again. Most of the population of this island can live with this suffering that’s all around them… because they’ve learned to close their eyes. I don’t want to be someone who closes their eyes, I want to do this with my eyes wide open. To be a model for compassion – that’s why I do what I do.

Glen Venezio

How To Support Glen’s Work

There are a handful of ways that we can support Glen that are not limited to in-person volunteering. It costs him about $200 each day to feed the cats, so donations are greatly appreciated and highly valuable. Money can be sent to Glen at https://paypal.me/glencats or can be transferred into PetSmart e-gift cards to be used for cat food. Glen can be contacted at eachlifeischarmed@gmail.com or through his Facebook page.