Six months ago, an angel, disguised as a 75-year-old man named Terry, was sent at the doorstep of Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Terry is a man who loves animals, and when he knew about the cage-free, ɴᴏ-ᴋɪʟʟ cat shelter, he felt the need to offer help. With Terry’s charm, and his excellent cat-brushing skills, it didn’t take long for him to win every ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇ cat’s ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ. A one time visit easily turned into a commitment as an official volunteer.
Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary is a sanctuary and adoption center that specializes in ʀᴇsᴄᴜɪɴɢ cats with various special needs. The volunteers’ main job is to help socialize the cats, getting them used to interacting with people and providing them love and comfort. The sanctuary’s volunteers are all incredibly loved and appreciated — but no one could have ever imagined that they’d find a volunteer like Terry. Elizabeth Feldhausen, founder of Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary said: “He just walked in with his own brush, and started brushing cats.”
Terry has brushed and spent time with each and every cat who lives at the sanctuary. He can tell you all about each one’s likes and dislikes, and greets them all every day as if he is greeting a group of old childhood friends. Terry loves hanging out on the sanctuary’s comfy couches and brushing all the cats — and more often than not, he’s so comfortable and content that he ends up falling asleep. Feldhausen said: “Terry sleeps on accident like … every single day here. The cats love when he falls asleep, they always sᴛᴇᴀʟ his body heat and sleep with him. I think he makes them feel safe.”
Even though it’s always by accident, Terry’s naps have become a staple part of the sanctuary’s daily schedule. All the cats absolutely adore whenever Terry falls asleep, and take turns snuggling up in his arms and napping alongside him. None of the staff at the sanctuary mind at all when Terry falls asleep. In fact, they think his nap time with the cats is pretty perfect, and are incredibly grateful to have him as a volunteer.
Every day he takes care of them, takes some naps and cuddles with them, and now that he’s famous as the ‘cat grandpa’, he’s making waves of influence around the internet, inspiring many to support the sanctuary. If you are interested to show some support, you can do so by following Safe Haven Sanctuary on Facebook and making a donation over at their website.
