The owner of a re-homing charity for pets, based in Chester, is acknowledging a significant milestone.
It was exactly five years ago, Friday, when Angela Rafuse says she made the decision to adopt her grandfather’s cat, MacKenzie, after he passed away.
That choice kickstarted My Grandfather’s Cat (MGC) which has now helped more than 1,500 pets and 460 adoptions.
“I just can’t believe what came from, what was at the time, a very simple decision,” says Rafuse. “I never would have thought it would have become this.”
The charity launched on her grandfather’s birthday, May 18, 2021, with just Rafuse and her mom – it has now grown much larger and spans nationwide.
“We have a team of over 50 volunteers across Canada. [They] help us with the adoptions, the pet pantry, our social media, every element of My Grandfather’s Cat has volunteer team now helping,” explains Rafuse.
She adds, it’s not possible to help the number of animals that they do, alone.
Some stories just stick
Although every story they encounter, touches her, Rafuse says one recently stands out.
The mother of three cats was diagnosed with ALS and only had a year to live.
Tulip, Daisy and Astor were unable to be re-homed with any family members, but over the course of a couple of months, MGC was able to find them a home together.
Daisy Photo: MGC
“It was just amazing. I still can’t believe we pulled that off,” says Rafuse. “I can’t believe we had so many people interested in adopting a trio.”
She says, something beautiful that has come out of MGC is how many “good, wonderful people there are in the world”.
The service is free. More information can be found on their website.
