A 75-year-old man visits a local animal shelter on a daily basis so he can enjoy “brushing cats” while often falling asleep on the job and napping with the felines.
Terry Lauerman decided one day to introduce himself to a local Green Bay-area animal sanctuary, telling the folks at Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary Inc. that he likes to brush cats.
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“Terry just came along one day and introduced himself. He said he’d like to brush cats,” the animal shelter said in a Facebook post. “Eventually it became every day. He brushes all of the cats, and can tell you about all of their likes and dislikes.”
Lauerman also falls asleep sometimes while on the job — pretty much every day.
“He also accidentally falls asleep most days,” the animal shelter said. “We don’t mind – Cats need this! Terry is a wonderful volunteer.”
It just so happens that Lauerman’s good work has captured the internet’s attention, with Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary’s Facebook post being shared over 17,000 times and liked by over 30,000 users.
Photos show the elderly man napping on various couches at the animal shelter, with the furry felines nestled in closely.
“I’ve always liked cats and I always had cats when I was kid, and I loved them,” Lauerman told the Green Bay Press Gazette. “In many ways, I see my old cats in these cats here.”
Safe Haven founder Elizabeth Feldhausen told the newspaper Lauerman’s naps happen pretty often and staff members have been snapping photos of “The Cat Grandpa.” She said Lauerman spends two to three hours at the shelter, six days a week, where he brushes and socializes with the cats.
“He has this special brush,” Feldhausen said. “And he is able to get cats that normally don’t like to be touched to jump up on his lap and want to be held and brushed. He knows all of their names and all of their personalities.”
Lauerman told the newspaper he chalks up his naps as a result of cutting down buckthorn trees before he heads to the shelter.