Phil Cappadora Cat Condos Fundraiser

There are a ton of cat-lovers out there among Aplez.com's readers. This is especially true in our home neighborhood of Astoria, which is home to thousands upon thousands of loving feline moms and dads.

If you're anything like this writer, you know from experience that mischievous

though they may be, cats just seem to make life a little bit better. And that kind of positive, loving energy is something we can all use, considering what the world has been through over the last couple of years.

Many of you probably remember the profile we did, around eighteen months ago, on the ever-resourceful Phil Cappadora and his one-of-a-kind cat condos. If not, here's a link to that profile. It's well worth reading.

A devoted cat dad and long-time Astoria resident who now splits his time between the local neighborhood and the Hudson Valley hamlet of Goshen, Phil is working on a new, updated version of his wonderful cat shelters. Based on 3-D printer technology, these visually stunning cat shelters are made out of specially-made plastic bricks.

Sounds like something that Captain Kirk from Star Trek would've been into if he had a cat on the Enterprise! Or even Spock! Maybe a cute but eccentric Vulcan cat?

Anyway, the ever-resourceful Phil has been around cats since he was ten years old and he certainly knows a thing or two about them.

Phil was nice enough to connect with Aplez.com, to fill us in on these amazing condos and to create awareness for Ava's Happy Corner Go Fund Me page. You can click on it right here.

Phil's passion for felines is almost a part of his DNA; it is so deeply rooted. Growing up with an emotional disability and learning disorder, Phil found that cats and animals, in general, helped to keep him grounded.

As he grew older, Phil's goal in life was to become an actor, something that, after much perseverance, he was able to achieve, appearing in several films and plays. The parts may have been small, but Phil made an impact on audiences, nonetheless.

"Becoming an actor was a ridiculous idea at the time because of my inability to read very well. But, I stuck with it, had five weeks to prepare for the show and got through things better than I'd hoped. Hey, it was an emotional roller coaster, but, every night when I returned home, I had my cats and dogs waiting for me. You could not ask for a better support system."

By the way, even though Phil no longer acts professionally, he has kept his hand in the game with the Astoria Filmmaker's Club.

Creating an online community that brings together actors, writers, directors and creatives, the Astoria Filmmaker's Club holds special events and screenings throughout the year and features podcasts that focus on the acting life. if you're in the arts you should check it out!

As Phil talked about the cats in his life, he, understandably, became a little emotional. His oldest cat passed away just a little over a month ago.

" He was 22 years old, had been my cat since middle school and lived an incredible life. We'll never forget him, but my wife and I keep busy with our other felines, all of whom have their own unique personality. Because of my passion for movies, we named our black cat Zatara which was the nickname of Edmund Dantes from the Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo. This cat showed up on the porch one day out of the blue and we have kept her for almost fifteen years."

" Then there's Bootsy and Linxy who are siblings to my other cat Lily. Bootsy is a jaguar of a cat. Sometimes I call him Sly because he is the Rambo of all cats; being solid muscle. Linxy is an absolute beast of a cat. She is just as strong as Bootsy but is twice his weight. And, of course, there's Ava, who Happy Corner is named after. Originally her name was avalanche 'cause she literally fell into my life. Once we discovered she was female, though,I just shortened her name to Ava."

With cats being such a huge part of Phil's life, it was only natural that he eventually became involved with some local organizations that were addressing the homeless cat problem. The numbers will sadden you, for sure with an estimated one to three thousand cats roaming the streets, alleys and parks at any one time.

"I got involved with Astoria Cat Rescue and Rikers Island Cat Rescue, going out with volunteers to feed the cats and get them to safety; hopefully finding these feral felines a home and a lot of love. I definitely learned a lot being in the field and received my TNR certification, as well."

The logical next step for Phil was to build cat shelters that could be used by either pet moms and dads for their cats or for the feral population. In fact, Phil had worked in the construction industry until being injured on the job, which prematurely ended that particular career. Phil loves working with his hands and using his imagination to come up with new ways to build something.

With the cost of wood going sky-high, Phil had to find a way to continue constructing those cat condos with a less expensive type of material. It was while working at Lego Land in Goshen N.Y. that the light bulb went off in his head.

"During my time at Lego Land, I learned a great deal about the company's history and how the founder used to be a wooden toy maker prior to creating the famous Lego "brick".

I knew that I had the answer to my predicament. For almost a year, prior to Lego Land, I worked as a 3-D printer technician, so I became very familiar with how to be creative utilizing this technology. After a ton of trial and error, I came up with a brick that doesn't require any adhesives to be assembled and stay together. The interior of these bricks could even be insulated, if necessary."

Phil is thus able to make a cat shelter at almost any scale based on how big the customer desires, simply by using more bricks. He can also customize the color of the bricks for you and your cat, building the condo in a way that matches your cat's unique traits and personality.

The overall quality of these bricks is amazing compared to the bins and styrofoam huts that we see out there that give homeless cats minimal protection from the elements. Phil's new and improved shelters are much more appealing to the eye, setting a desirable community standard to stabilize the cat's quality of life when living in outdoors.

Like most entrepreneurs/inventors Phil is always working on something new. Right now, Phil is developing a prototype for a cat condo kit that anyone can build for themselves. This would be great for families with kids who have a cat in the house.

Phil's goal is to raise awareness for the plight of homeless cats and is hoping that this project is something that people will support. A standard condo requires 250 bricks. Phil wants to raise enough capital to purchase the required inventory. He would like to give these special shelters to cat rescue organizations at cost.

Of course, he is also interested in taking orders from anyone who wants to provide their cat with a cute, inviting shelter for their backyard or apartment.

When looking over Happy Corner By Ava you'll come across the phrase "It's okay to be happy."

These few, simple words mean so much to Phil and his philosophy towards people and life.

"My teacher Gary Kingston of the neighborhood Playhouse engraved these words on my heart every single Monday for a full year at school," explained Phil.

"He would have the kids sing it's okay to be happy. Between these words and my wife identifying our life as a happy corner I just thought of combining them both so here we are. The real meaning of these words is to encourage people to live their best life and not be afraid to reach for whatever makes them happy."

One of Phil's favorite flicks is "It's A Wonderful Life" and its lead character George Bailey. Phil strongly believes that one man CAN make a difference in the lives of others. And he wants more than anything else to make a positive impact on the lives of our homeless furry friends out there and those who are trying to help them.

We are ALL stronger when we work together. Whether it's donating whatever you can afford to make Phil's cat condos a reality or donating food and supplies to cat rescue organizations throughout the city, you too can bring security and serenity to a cat in need.

And, if you volunteer to go out and interact with these homeless felines, don't be surprised if you hear a heartfelt MEOW ! of gratitude.