Ruth Ann Van Heel left her job to care for her ailing parents, and after they died, she had no home and no income. All she had was her car, a cellphone paid for by a friend, and the cats.
She couldn’t find a shelter that would accept her and the cats, and she couldn’t bear to give them up. “I’ve had them for three years and I ran out of money – like so many people have with COVID. I couldn’t get a place to stay, and I couldn’t get a shelter.”
Ruth had been living in her car in parking lots with the cats for more than 2 months. Employees of a nearby business brought Ruth Ann and the cats food and blankets. On employee, Katie, posted a picture of the cats on the Facebook page of an animal shelter. Within hours, people were reaching out to help.
The cats are now in a foster home, and Ruth Ann was able to get into a shelter.
(Image: Getty)