Pets are incredibly important parts of their owners’ lives – especially for owners who spend significant time at home alone or those who are older and in need of companionship. Though as pet owners get older and eventually pass pets are left alone, posing issues for their care. This is where one woman stepped in. To help pets who no longer have owners.
Angela Rafuse experienced the terrible circumstance after her 85-year-old grandfather passed leaving his cat, McKenzie, without a home. Through the situation, Rafuse realized that many other pets must be experiencing the same situation and that inspired her to take action.
After Rafuse’s grandfather passed her only options were to take McKenzie, his beloved cat, in or take her to a shelter. So Rafuse took her in. This process led Rafuse to launch her non-profit “My Grandfather’s Cat” in 2021 to help senior citizens with terminal illnesses or those looking to move into retirement homes find adoption options for their cats or dogs – on their own terms.
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She began to post videos on TikTok where she gained 656k followers in an effort to find people to help. On May 18, 2021, the day of her late grandfather’s birthday, Rafuse launched her venture and has helped 100 pet owners so far.
To Upworthy Rafuse said,
“It gives me so much purpose in life—and I have an amazing team of volunteers.”
The non-profit has received referrals from mainly seniors looking to move to care homes or shelters. After receiving the referrals they create a profile for the pet that they then release on social media, which draws in potential adopters that they then interview, narrow down, and allow the senior pet owner to interview before making the final decisions of where the pets will go.
Rafuse explained,
“The senior then picks their pet’s second forever home—and the adoptees can stay in touch with the new owner who will share updates.”
This service and Rafuse’s idea has helped many people find second homes for their beloved friend/pet to go before they pass, giving them the comfort of knowing where their pet will end up.
Awesome, need this nationwide
Many seniors would love to have a pet but the cost of all the shots required, discourages many from having one. This is a significant hindrance to good health, because so many have few family members who contact them regularly.