What started out as a concerned neighbor taking care of another neighbor, ended up becoming a death-bed promise that would turn into a life-saving mission for one family new to Checotah.
Teresa and John Ellifritt, along with their children, Joslyn and Jaxon, moved to Checotah in April of 2020 but then COVID-19 shut the world down.
“We moved from the OKC metro area where we had a small poultry farm with a home on a few lots near the lake,” Teresa Ellifritt said. “We have always been animal rescuers, but on the farm it was usually bunnies, ducks, geese, turkeys or chickens. While we did have one cat, we were more dog people than anything.” The Ellifritts moved just outside of Checotah not knowing how their lives were going to change when they promised to help with a neighbor’s crew of pets.
“When we first met our next door neighbor, Jerry Bray, we weren’t really sure what to think of him. He was a veteran who lived alone, but was a master gardener and an animal lover. While we didn’t always see eye to eye, Jerry was a sweet and generous man who knew he could count on us when he needed us.
“Then one day I got a call from him saying he needed my help. He had fallen and was pretty sure his hip was broken. He was in lots of pain but didn’t want to leave his dog or the cats he took care of regularly to go to the hospital. However, after promising him I would look after the animals, I convinced him to go to the hospital.
“Jerry’s dog, Payne, was scared of people and highly aggressive towards everyone but Jerry. Jerry had wanted me to feed her at his house but after two days we knew that he wasn’t coming back home for a while and she just wouldn’t eat. So I gloved up and got her over to our yard and into a kennel with her biting me and barking the whole way. We also started putting food out for all his cats and when we counted them, we were amazed that there were at least 15 living under his house and in his yard. All were feral and none were fixed. So we definitely had a big problem.
“Within a week though, we saw great progress in his dog, but unfortunately we also learned that Jerry had terminal cancer and would never make it home. We were saddened by the news but we were able to visit with him before he died and he even got to video chat with Payne to say goodbye.”
“On his deathbed Jerry told me and his cousin that he wanted me to have his home and to take care of all his cats and his dog. We promised but we did not understand how that promise would forever change our lives.”
“We quickly realized that Jerry’s cats were going to keep multiplying and would interbreed, which causes diseases and malformations, if we didn’t get them fixed. So we started to trap the feral cats and started taking them to Happy Paws to get fixed. Between some generous friends and a lady that provided discount vouchers, we fixed the first seven of Jerry’s cats, on Dec. 8, 2022. Eventually, we caught and fixed all of Jerry’s cats, and kept our promise to him.
“We decided to work with the cats that weren’t too feral, to try and get them adopted to have better lives and that’s what we have been doing ever since. What started with honoring my neighbor’s dying wish for us to take care of his animals has turned into a lifetime commitment of caring for feral cats.
“We decided to call the rescue, Jerry’s Cat Rescue, after him. We keep saying we aren’t going to take in any more, but then people keep calling. Currently we have rescued and fixed over 43 and we have 12 ready for adoption. We only adopt out or post on our social media pages “fixed” animals because we know there is an overpopulation of unwanted pets and it’s not fair to them because they never chose this hard life.
“God has been good to us by connecting us with people who need our help and people who are looking for that special cat. We love how the cats bring us together with the right people.”
“It wasn’t our goal to start a rescue due to very limited space, but we pray over all of our rescues, and will continue to help while God wills it.”
“We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without some generous people who help support us because we currently spend over $400 dollars or more a month on food, litter and other supplies for our cats. While we do ask for an adoption fee, we only ask for the cost we pay to the clinic to spay/neuter, get shots and get their flea and tick treatment. Some of the items we constantly need is litter, wet cat food and dry cat food. Pet carriers are also needed on spay days.
“While we work hard to save as many cats as we can, it’s the connection with the people that we get the most joy out of. Like Jerry, many people are lonely and receive love and affection from animals. We love the way that rescuing an animal, also rescues the rescuer. We have built lifelong connections to the people who adopt our cats because we try to match the right cat to the right owner.
“This is not a business for us, we live on one income and what small amount my art brings in, so we can’t take in more cats then we can feed or handle. We are now trying to keep our number at 10 or less as I am currently going back to school to get my counseling degree to hopefully make a difference in people’s lives too.
“Our greatest wish is for people to please spay and neuter their pets so there aren’t so many unwanted pets in this everchanging world. We also wish for people above all else to be kind to your neighbor because you never know what God has planned for you. We are just grateful for the opportunity to do God’s work through the animals He has entrusted to us and to have been able to fulfill Jerry’s dying wishes for the ones who gave him comfort and companionship until he went to his eternal home.”
Teresa is also a member of the Checotah Art Guild and volunteers to keep the Heartland Heritage Museum & Gallery open. She loves creating unique art pieces to sell to help with the rescue. To inquire about her rescue or art go to Jerry’s Cat Rescue on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
