Elizabeth Feldhausen, founder of Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary, was enjoying her time in Chicago. She was heading back to her hotel on Adams Street when a homeless man playing with a cat on the corner of a building caught her attention. She stopped on her tracks and approached him. Elizabeth gave the homeless man named Daniel $20 and asked him about his feline friend.
As soon as he heard her query about his cat, Casper, Daniel instantly brightened up. He shared that he found the cat just a few months ago. Back then, Casper was a sickly kitten that kept wandering on the streets without a family. Daniel picked up Casper and made use of the little resources he had to look after him. He begged for cat supplies and luckily, someone gave Casper a cat tent. Daniel also spared what’s left of his money to buy kitten food.
Three days after caring for the kitten, Daniel noticed that Casper was slowly recovering from his illness and began gaining weight and strength. He fastidiously nursed his furry friend back to health, and then found a nonprofit organisation to aid him in getting the kitten neutered and vaccinated.
Daniel was even able to save up money to buy ear mite medication. Elizabeth shared that she checked Casper and found that the cat was in a very good state of health. For Daniel, Casper is his friend, support, and family. Thus, he cares for the cat more than he does for himself.
The man is extremely fond of his furry pal. At night, Daniel would let Casper sleep beside him. He would bundle both of them with a thick blanket under a tarp to ward away the cold. He also keeps Casper’s picture tucked in his notebook. Casper adores his human companion too. Every time Daniel calls his name, he will come and stay next to him and never leaves his side.
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Elizabeth shared that Daniel worked as a carpenter before he got laid off from his job and became homeless. Despite his difficult situation, he still reached out to take care of the sickly kitten he found on the streets. And now, Casper has grown to be a loyal and faithful companion.
Later that night, Elizabeth came back to give Casper food and also a job offer for Daniel to work at Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary. She can see how fond Daniel is of cats, and he’s done a terrific job caring for Casper.
Elizabeth said that he’s definitely the type of worker they are looking for in Safe Haven. She added, ‘If this homeless man found a way to be responsible by vaccinating and neutering his kitten, there is no excuse for the folks who don’t even try.’ Elizabeth hopes that Daniel will accept her offer and reach out to Safe Haven. She is aiming to find a job for Daniel and a home for him and his cat before winter starts.
Before Elizabeth left Chicago, she shared Daniel and Casper’s heart-touching story on Facebook. She was able to raise $200 from the people who heard their story and gave it to Daniel before leaving the city. As of now, Daniel has not called the shelter. Maybe he’s still considering it or found a better career. Either way, Casper is still his driving force to continue striving hard to make ends meet.
