A Little Momo Goes a Long Way Thanks to a Very Special On-Call Angel
September 25th, 2025
By Olivia Carpenter, Membership Coordinator –
On-Call Angels are a special group of donors who pledge to fund specific RedRover Relief Urgent Care and Safe Escape grant applications. Their recurring pledges to the program allow us to help greater numbers of pets in need of either urgent veterinary care, or temporary boarding for the pets of people seeking safety from domestic violence.
When it’s time for an On-Call Angel to fund a case (at a cadence chosen by them), they receive the details of a specific situation that needs their support, including any pictures and updates the family may have shared. Not only do On-Call Angels get to experience the joy of helping others in a more direct, meaningful way, but they also become part of the collective effort from community-minded people actively pushing back against an increasingly divided world. These acts of kindness give hope to the families seeking help for their beloved companions, and serve as reminders to all involved that good people are out there, and good deeds happen every day.
One On-Call Angel who has taken that belief to heart is Cynthia M., who joined the program in early 2024 and chose to specifically fund cat cases quarterly. A mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother many times over, she has gone above and beyond by sharing her cases with her four animal-loving great-grandkids, emphasizing that the help the kitties are receiving is a family effort, including them in the program, and instilling in them the love of animals and the value of being good Samaritans that is so important to her. Cynthia’s two oldest great-grandkids, Russell (eight) and Brucey (five) especially love hearing about the kitties their family has helped, like their first case, for a one-year-old tuxedo kitty, Momo.
Momo was a neighborhood stray and deeply beloved by everyone he met. One of his kindest friends was a young, full-time college student who took it upon herself to feed the little guy. One day, Momo turned up with open wounds from a fight with another cat, so she caught him and took him straight to a local animal clinic. The veterinarian who examined Momo told her he would need surgery to close the lacerations and set a broken leg. Being a full-time college student with only a part-time job, she was already barely making ends meet and knew she would need help to make Momo’s surgery possible, so she reached out and applied for a RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant. Thanks to Cynthia and the On-Call Angel program, Momo was able to get the care he needed right away, and, to make the happy ending even better, Momo’s student friend decided to keep him after the ordeal, taking him off the streets and giving him the forever home he so deserved.
The day Cynthia received the email letting her know she was Momo’s On-Call Angel, she felt like the stars had aligned; her granddaughter had given birth to a baby girl that very day. Cynthia decided to dedicate her pledge for Momo’s care in honor of the new baby. She says, “In our family we call acts of kindness Acts of Mercy. I look forward to telling her all about how her first Act of Mercy was on the day she was born. I think this means she will be a great animal lover.”
When Cynthia told Brucey and Russell about Momo and shared pictures of him with them, they were enthralled; weeks later, they were still asking about him and thinking of him fondly.
To this day, Cynthia continues to share her cases with her great-grandkids. She says of her third On-Call Angel Case, “I remember my granddaughter telling me that Russell’s “heart was full” when he heard Chippy’s story. He and Brucey [attend a school] where love of nature, animals – and kindness – is emphasized. At five, Russell has a great deal of empathy for animals, his brother and sisters, and his two cats, Tulip and Billie.”
It’s easy to see that love and empathy are in the adorable picture of Russell and Billie that his family so kindly shared with us. We have no doubt his respect for animals and desire to help others will only grow with time, and who knows? The lessons Cynthia is instilling in him today may someday give the world a future veterinarian, zoologist, or animal welfare nonprofit CEO named Russell who never forgot the pets his family helped when he was only five years old.
If Cynthia’s story resonates with you, consider becoming an On-Call Angel! Visit RedRover.org/angel to learn more and submit an interest form. You can also reach out to our On-Call Angel coordinator, Olivia, by emailing her at olivia@RedRover.org
