Pets aren’t just animals we let roam in our homes – they’re family. That’s why, when Nancy Saur was still alive, she prepared for what would happen to her seven purebred Persian cats when she was no longer around. The plan she set up got the Humane Society of Tampa Bay involved. To say they were floored by the request would be an understatement.
When 84-year-old Nancy passed away in November, she didn’t have any close family members left – her husband and son were no longer alive. Having the means to do so, she set aside $300,000 to cover the cost of caring for all seven cats for the rest of their lives.
For the first six months, Cleopatra, Goldfinger, Leo, Midnight, Napoleon, Snowball and Squeaky continued to live in Nancy’s home. Her executor, a friend, paid someone to regularly take care of the lonely felines. But when she discovered they weren’t actually getting adequate care, she reached out to the local Humane Society.
“She’s certainly a cat lady,” Sherry Silk, CEO of the shelter said. “I guess she’s had cats all of her life. They were her four-legged family.”
Sherry said they were happy to take Nancy’s precious cats out of the dog cages they were confined in so they could freely explore and have fun in the shelter.
“If you adopt, she left money to fund all the vet care, all the grooming, all the food, whatever these cats need,” Sherry said. “We’re going to take care of them because of Nancy’s request, which is great.”
Here’s how it works: The Humane Society has the $300,000. Anytime an adoptee pays an expense for their feline friend, all they have to do is bring the receipt into the Humane Society. From there, they’ll get a refund!
Luckily, these cats won’t have to wait long for their new furever homes. They have over 100 adoption applications! In fact, Snowball has already been adopted by a local veterinarian. Plus, even with all these applications, the shelter is carefully vetting applicants to ensure they all go to the best homes possible.
Although not everyone can afford to leave their four-legged friends with this much of an inheritance, Sherry still encourages folks to make a plan.
“Just make some provision for your animals so that when you do die that a friend or relative or someone is going to take care of them so they don’t end up homeless,” she said.
Sherry also says that she hopes that some of the attention these precious Persian cats are receiving will carry over to the many other cats they have available, all of which are also in search of their own furever homes.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!
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