A 28-year-old celebrates her 100th pet adoption for older people to help them deal with the anxiety of where their pets will go when they pass away. Her name is Angela Refuse, and she first got the idea after the passing of her 85-year-old grandfather and how his cat was left without a home.
The story of how she came to help with pet adoption for older people and the terminally ill starts with personal reasons. Still, as she began to help others, her impact magnified across the community of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada. Here’s how Angela decided to help the elderly and terminally ill with pet adoption.
What happened to her grandfather’s cat?
Angela’s grandfather passed away at 85, and his cat Mackenzie was left without a home. This resulted in problems when no relative could take on the responsibility of caring for a cat ending up with her deciding to take care of the cat herself.
Although she might not have been ready to take care of the cat, since she was processing the heartbreak and grief of losing her grandfather, she was only left with two options: to take the cat to the shelter or adopt her. Angela then decided to adopt her, which opened her world to potentially doing this for others as she saw the importance of adopting the cat herself.
How did the cat open up?
At first, the cat was grumpy and hissed a lot because of the sudden change in owner, but Angela realized that this was mainly because the cat was just scared. Finally, the cat opened up, and she realized the importance of arranging for pet adoption before the passing of older people.
This way, the pet could start warming up with its new parents instead of abruptly having to change owners, which causes stress and anxiety. Finally, when Angela realized she wanted to do this, she set up a nonprofit called “My Grandfather’s Cat.”
‘My Grandfather’s Cat’ nonprofit organization
My Grandfather’s Cat was inspired by Angela’s experience adopting her grandfather’s cat. The nonprofit organization was created for a senior moving into a retirement home or care facility due to declining health, people diagnosed with a terminal illness, or a senior who has passed away and the family cannot adopt their pet.
After learning that many families have a similar experience, she launched the nonprofit organization on May 18, 2021, her grandfather’s birthday.
Instead of housing the animals, the organization works to arrange homes for them before their humans move into retirement homes or pass away. The goal is for the animal to stay with their human up until the very last day to provide comfort and companionship to their human.
To date, the organization has completed more than 100 pet adoptions.
How the process works
For the process to work, she has to interview interested people to find out who might be a good fit.
The senior also has the opportunity to interview the potential adaptors who still play a massive role in who they entrust their pet to when they pass away or become too old to care for. Finally, after Angela and the senior interview the potential adaptors, the senior has the final say in choosing who will take care of their pets.
The good thing is that even after the pet adoption, the senior still gets access to the pets and can even stay in touch with the new owners for repetitive updates.
The bottom line
What Angela does is an act of kindness both for the owner and the pet. She still runs the nonprofit and continues to help other seniors find new homes for their pets. While pet adoption is sometimes an overlooked service, it is often required, especially for the elderly, when they become too old or unfit to care for their pet.
