A 28-year-old who helps the elderly to re-home their pets before passing away has celebrated her 100th adoption.
Angela Rafuse was inspired to create her charity after her 85-year-old grandfather died, leaving his cat, Mackenzie, without a home.
None of Angela’s relatives had capacity to take on the responsibility, so she decided to take in the calico cat herself.
After a bad break up, Angela moved home to live with her parents in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and began sharing the basement with the feline.
” I was grieving the loss of my grandfather and the breakup. My only choices were to adopt her or take her to shelter. She had to be .”
Although Mackenzie became very grumpy and hissed a lot, Angela soon realized the cat was just scared. It eventually warmed to her new owner after lots of love and attention, inspiring the Canadian woman to start a new venture in 2021.
Angela’s non-profit, “My Grandfather’s Cat”, facilitates the adoption of senior cats and dogs.
While Angela and the tabby lived in her parent’s basement for 18 months, she started posting videos on TikTok. Soon the duo grew a following of 656,000 people–and many commented about how their grandparent’s pets had to go into shelters after they passed.
” It was like God had sent me. I knew this is what I should do.”
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“We had 30k followers at that point and I thought ‘I can launch it on TikTok, as there were so many people in need’.”
Angela’s launch date was May 18, on her late grandfather’s birthday–and since then it has brought peace of mind to 100 pet owners.
“It gives me so much purpose in life–and I have an amazing team of volunteers.”
Most seniors are referred to My Grandfather’s Cat by care homes or shelters. The team creates a profile for them to share on social media.
They interview potential candidates and determine who’s a good match. The senior can also interview their family members.
“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.”
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Angela won’t forget the time she assisted a dying woman with terminal cancer.
” We helped her to find a home for Koko and Lily. She chose a multi-generational home that included two senior citizens, their daughter and their grandson.
“She passed away knowing her best friends had the best home.”
It was the last and most important thing on her to-do list.
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