A Retired Man Naps With Shelter Cats Every Day, and Thanks to That, He Raised $100,000

Retired teacher Terry Lauerman has loved cats ever since he was a child. When he retired, he decided to make his old dream come true and work with animals. He became a volunteer for Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary, where he planned to take care of cats for several hours a day. But a certain habit quickly turned Lauerman into a star.

He wanted to help the shelter but ended up becoming the cats’ grandpa.

At the Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary in Green Bay, Wisconsin, they take care of 4-legged animals with disabilities. This is the last chance for cats that have suffered from cruel treatment or require special medical and psychological assistance. The pets here do not live in cages but freely move around the premises.

Since all animals require special procedures, the shelter is always happy to receive any help from volunteers. One beautiful day, Terry Lauerman appeared at the doorstep of Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary. He introduced himself and offered to groom the pets. The elderly man had retired and wanted to dedicate his time to a good cause.

Terry quickly became an indispensable helper. He has a special gift and easily understands what cats like and dislike. In addition, Lauerman has a calm demeanor, which the 4-legged animals sense and are drawn to him. Even the most nervous and scared animals calm down in his company and allow themselves to be touched.

He quickly turned into a universal favorite.

There are quite a lot of pets in the shelter as animals in need of special care are sent here even from other facilities. So grooming and taking care of all these creatures sometimes could be exhausting, and Lauerman quickly became tired. Several times, he would sit down on a chair or sofa to rest, and a multitude of furry friends would immediately join him.

According to some experts, sleeping with cats can help cope with stress and has a positive impact on both mental and physical health. In addition, this pastime brings many benefits to the animals. For cats, especially those in need of special care, sleeping together is only beneficial. They learn to interact with humans in a relaxed atmosphere and recover faster.

So Terry quickly went from a regular volunteer to a professional nanny who naps with the pets. The “cat grandpa”, as he was called in the shelter, soon reached such heights that now he wakes up every hour to let all the cats in the shelter take turns lounging with him on the sofa.

Terry helped the shelter raise $100,000.

The shelter staff decided to post a photo of Terry napping with cats on their Facebook page, and the post quickly gathered thousands of likes, becoming viral. Terry became a beloved figure to everyone, although the man himself was quite taken aback by all the attention, as he was just helping out the shelter workers.

When people tried to explain how famous he was online, Terry just said that if all the people that liked the photos sent at least $5 to the shelter, it would make a huge difference. Soon after that, the shelter got around $100,000 in donations.

Terry became so popular that the shelter even launched a special brand of coffee, gift mugs, and calendars featuring the image of the sleeping grandpa. Followers adore Lauerman and worry when photos of him don’t appear on social media for a long time. The man himself doesn’t really understand all the fuss but hopes that his example can inspire others. After all, life is too short, and it’s not worth wasting time on things you don’t like.

Other people in town followed his example.

Terry has been working at the shelter since 2017 and strives not to miss a single workday of cat-sitting. “I’ll keep doing this as long as I can,” says the man who is already over 80 years old. Other employees genuinely love Lauerman and become very worried if he doesn’t show up to work on time.

Recently, everyone got scared when they saw Terry lying on the floor in one of the rooms. But it turns out that he was just trying to tame two wild kittens that had recently ended up in the shelter. So they wouldn’t be afraid of him, the man got on the floor and lured the pets with a laser pointer. And his plan worked, the animals stopped behaving wildly and hissing.

Terry’s example proved to be contagious. As a result, other volunteers appeared at the shelter, including Victor, who mainly takes care of elderly pets, making sure they get enough food. However, the shelter has become a popular place where many events are held, ranging from yoga classes to stand-up comedy performances. This not only helps to raise funds but also entertains the 4-legged residents of the Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary.

Terry’s story turned out to be so interesting that articles about him continue to appear with amazing regularity, and many people are keenly interested in the details of his life. Meanwhile, Terry considers himself a living example of the fact that changing the world around us is much easier than we think. “When you retire, you can do all kinds of neat things. Find something and do it,” said the cat grandpa.