When Mr Dave Foster lost his beloved cat, he reached out to Julie Kriel for help in finding a senior cat to fill his home with love; Trinity has become his new best friend.
Edenvale, South Africa (11 September 2023) – Julie Kriel has been a pet sitter and animal welfare activist since 1998 and has touched so many animal lives along the way. Recently she got a call from Mr Dave Foster, an 80-year-old man who had lost his beloved cat and was looking for a senior companion to spend his time with. Julie immediately knew that Trinity would be a perfect match, and she was!
Julie shared the heartwarming story on Facebook, explaining that Mr Foster has no family left and took a great deal of comfort from his cat. When his cat passed away, he was devastated but was ready to open his home and heart to another senior cat. He called at his local SPCA but they only had kittens up for adoption. It was recommended that Julie would be able to help.
“This sweet elderly gentleman contacted me after the devastating passing of his precious companion cat over the weekend. He said he was lost and empty without his cat and asked if I had an older cat for him to love. I took Trinity along to meet him and she was quite at home from the get-go. Trinity has been with me for several years and is a cat that prefers human company to cat company. She has also just had a dental and 10 teeth removed.”
Trinity instantly connected with Mr Foster and they are bonding. What Julie didn’t foresee was that while Mr Foster had adopted Trinity, she had now adopted a grandpa!
“Mr. Foster has no family š so I’ve made him a deal that I will visit weekly to check on him and Trinity and bring her new food and I’m just a phone call away should she need vet care or anything else. So we’ll just kind of co-parent her š Thank you, Marita, for passing on my number. I think I just adopted myself a Grampa””
Julie has committed to calling him twice a week to check in, as well as going to visit both Mr Foster and Trinity once a week. As Mr Foster is mostly stuck at home, she plans to take him some groceries each week when she drops off Trinity’s food and spend some time with him.
Mr Foster still works here and there despite his osteoporosis. He specialises in turning audio tapes into DVDs for people to earn a small income. Julie hopes that in sharing Mr Foster’s heartwarming story, she can highlight how beautiful it is seeing seniors adopting senior pets. As an animal lover, her heart feels fuller for having met Mr Foster.
“Helping animals is my soul-food and people in my area and beyond have come to know me as one who will always try to help any animal in need to the best of my ability. So I have taken on pets when owner’s have relocated or emigrated and found new, loving futures for them. Bottle-fed pups and kittens aplenty and homed them when old enough and vaccinations and sterilisation contracts are in place.
I fund-raise as much as possible by doing markets, lucky wheel spins and baking into the night to feed and vet the pets in my care and try my best to help others who are struggling and ask for assistance. Basically, I just do my bit.” – Julie Kriel
We loved that Julie has been able to make such a big difference in this case. If you would like to reach out to her and support her efforts, you can find her Facebook page here.
Update: Mr Foster passed away in August 2025, leaving behind a heartbroken Julie. His memory will live on in the beautiful friendship they shared and in all those who connected with this lovely story.
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