Of all the places stray (流浪的) cats can live in Beijing, perhaps none provides greater companionship than an underground facility known as the "Cat Shed". A variety of cats are spread across the shed's 100 square meters. They jump and play on toy towers or rest on cotton blankets on iron-framed beds.
Since the facility was established in 2012, some 150 cats have lived there. More than 100 volunteers attend to the strays. Many claim that they gain greater benefit from the interaction than the cats, because the animals offer not just companionship, but also a kind of healing.
The "housekeeper" is Yin Yi, a doctoral candidate at the Central Iron and Steel Research Institute in Beijing. When the 29-year-old arrived in the capital in late 2015, he faced huge pressure from his studies and personal relationships, while the alien environment exacerbated his feeling of loneliness.
After gaining a master's from a university in Inner Mongolia, Yin relocated to go for a doctorate in material sciences. Accustomed to having friends around, he was not used to a lonely life, especially working by himself and spending up to 10 hours in a lab most days. To improve his mood, he decided to contact animal bases, looking for opportunities to care for stray cats. When he heard that a stray cat basement near his campus was looking for volunteers, he contacted Wu Xinhua, who organizes activities at the Cat Shed, and was soon surrounded by furry friends. His favorite moment is when he dishes out food and a dozen strays gather round, with several rubbing against his feet. When he graduates, Yin plans to house three strays in his apartment.
