While three people are locked in a race to be America’snext president, thousands of our nation’s shelter cats are on a campaign of their own: to win your heart and be your loving pet. One of those cats, a friendly black-and-white “tuxedo” female from Animal Care & Control of New York City (nycacc.org), recently glad-handed her way to a home in the hub of our nation’s political action: Washington,DC. She did it by gently reaching one whitetipped paw out of her cage and making unforgettable eye contact.
Because of that overture – a time-honored technique used by smart political animals everywhere – Penelope the cat won over Preetha Nooyi, who adopted her days before moving to DC to work for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. “I love this cat,” says Penelope’s biggest constituent.
“And she looks just like Socks!” (Socks, of course, was the Clinton family’s famous cat, back when they lived in the White House.)
“If you want a friend in Washington,” the old saying goes, “get a dog.” But it’s just as true of cats. And while Nooyi is a firsttime cat owner, she handled Penelope’s adoption
with the skill of a political strategist, researching the best, most politically correct necessities for her new best friend.
A cat carrier was first on her list: She chose the red Deluxe by Sherpa Pet (sherpapet.com). Nooyi already knew what kind of eco-friendly brand of dust-free cat litter she’duse: World’s Best (worldsbestcatlitter.com), which is made from corn. She then went online to find a premium cat food, finally settling on Innova EVO (naturapet.com).
Finally, on her way out of town, Nooyi made a pit stop at The Pet Stop (petstopnyc.com) to purchase the remaining items on her list: a litter box, scratcher, teaser and catnip toys. She also picked up Premier Pet’s “Come With Me Kitty” harness and leash set (premiercom) so Penelope could emerge safely from her carrier to enjoy the view on the long drive home.m
js@pet-reporter.com