Winter is a deadly time for stray animals who can succumb to freezing temperatures and die a lonely death on the streets. No animal deserves that simply because pet owners were too selfish to spay or neuter their pets, adding to the feral cat population, specifically.

And while we might feel bad and insist we care about the sweet cats and kittens that have to survive the freezing temperature, few of us do anything to help them. But Philip Rogich from Ogden, Utah isn’t like most people.

Rogich is collecting old coolers – items that would normally end up in landfills because people are quick to discard them in favor of newer models – and turning them into cozy cat shelters for the winter months.

“I saw a Facebook post about a man making them and thought I would give it a try. I made my own post looking for old coolers and it kind of took off. I do a lot of charity work mostly with children. My wife and I are also animal lovers and I wanted to do something for them,” Rogich told Bored Panda. “[I’ve made] 77 so far and have coolers to make 15 more.”

While coolers are technically used to keep things cool, they’re really built for temperature control.

“They [the coolers] are already insulated to keep things cold, but they can be used to keep things warm as well. Old ones end up in landfills and the don’t decompose. I’m giving them another use,” he told Bored Panda.

Rogich said 2 or 3 cats can fit into some of the coolers and while he’s currently the only one engaging in the project – at least as of 3 weeks ago during his interview with Bored Panda – he’s made a how-to video on Facebook so people all over the world can help their local cats.

People around the state are already helping Rogich find places to put the shelters.

He’s also been the beneficiary of donations of coolers and straw as well as money thanks to a national news story Fox News aired about his wonderful project.

And while straw might seem simplistic with all of the new materials we have, it’s both warm and biodegradable.

“Straw has been used for hundreds of years as bedding for animals and that’s because it has the ability to dry out.”

The new story made Rogich realize that his project could grow as large as he wanted.

“I had no idea this was going to get so big. It started with a Facebook post asking for old coolers. Then the local Fox station did a story on me. The story went national. I’ve been hearing from people from all over the world. I’m glad to be a catalyst for bringing a little good to our four-legged friends,” he told Bored Panda.

But this is more than a simple good deed for the cat lover.

“They’re living creatures… to me, living creatures, they deserve to have their basic needs met,” he told Fox 13 Utah.

Rogich has no plans to slow down his project, so if you’d like to donate to his endeavor you can contact him through Facebook HERE.

Be sure to scroll down below to a video interview with Rogich.

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Source: Fox 13 News Utah, Bored Panda, Batman of Ogden via Facebook