A beautiful, long-haired white cat was the center of attention at the Tualatin Petco on Feb. 12 as Rumi (named after the greatest poet of Islam), along with his owner Melanie Howe, was responsible for Cat Adoption Team (CAT) in Sherwood being awarded a $10,000 grant from Petco Love.
Each year Petco Love, in partnership with BOBS® from Skechers (TM), has invited adopters of pets to share how their pets have changed their lives, with the entries providing the organizations they have adopted from a chance to receive award grants.
Howe, who lives in Portland and adopted Rumi 10 years ago from CAT, had one of just 25 winning entries from among thousands submitted. Howe’s entry described how she and Rumi, who is deaf, have traveled cross-country twice, camped in a yurt and hiked all over the Pacific Northwest, which has been a form of therapy for both of them.
“I realized being deaf made (Rumi) fearless and confident in the forest, and filled him with endless joy,” Melanie said in her entry. “I love watching his playful kitten energy come out as he leaps from rock to rock, tightrope walks logs and flops down on the trail for a dirt bath. He brings giant smiles to anyone we pass on the trail, too! My depression and anxiety melt away when I’m with Rumi on an adventure!”
(To share their joy with others, Melanie posts about Rumi’s adventures on social media at instagram.com/rumi.roams.)
For submitting a winning entry, Howe won a Petco shopping spree and a pair of BOBS® footwear. “This is so exciting,” said Howe, who volunteered for years at CAT. “He’s my adventure cat. I promised him an adventure after this.”
Brandon Follett, the Tualatin Petco store manager, noted that this year the winning grants total $500,000 and go to animal-welfare organizations.
The store has a glass-walled room complete with human-sized furniture, with a kitty from CAT available for adoption always living in-house. “We are CAT’s only outside location with adoptable cats,” Follett said.
Representing CAT were Karen Green, executive director; Heather Miller, development and communications director; Mia Osherow, communications assistant, and Allison Baer, development and grants officer.
The amount of the check was a surprise, and the CAT team clapped their hands when a label was torn off the huge check and the amount of $10,000 was revealed. “Thank you so much,” Green said. “This is so amazing. And thank you for hosting our off-site location.”
Follett replied, “We love having (the cats) here. The staff takes their breaks in there. And when people bring in donations, they go to CAT.”
Green added, “Stories like these highlight the love and joy that pets bring to our lives. We are grateful to Melanie for sharing her story to help CAT receive this lifesaving investment from Petco Love, which will help us give more cats and people the opportunity to find love.”
In a statement, Petco Love President Susanne Kogut said, “For the past 25 years, Petco Love Stories has spotlighted the incredible effects of pet adoption. With the awarding of 25 grants this year, we’re not just celebrating milestones but also acknowledging the significant roles these pets play in enriching the lives of their adopters.”
Since its inception in 1999, Petco Love Stories has shared more than 25,000 adoption stories and donated an impressive $8 million to animal welfare organizations. For more information, visit petcolove.org.
Cat Adoption Team is the Pacific Northwest’s largest cat-only animal shelter committed to finding a home for every cat it takes in. Since its founding in 1998, CAT has found loving homes for more than 60,000 cats and kittens, and provided thousands of low-cost spay/neuter surgeries and other services to the community. For more information, visit catadoptionteam.org.
