Josie offers ‘pet and retail therapy’ to clients at thrift retailer, and nonetheless even catches mice, with an ongoing tally posted on the wall
At an estimated age of 24 years old, Josie, who’s the resident retailer cat on the Pet Save Re’Tail’ Thrift Store on Notre Dame Avenue, may probably be Greater Sudbury’s oldest cat.
If you transformed her age into human years, she’d be about 112.
When Sudbury.com visited, Pet Save Re’Tail’ Thrift Store co-ordinator Kari Fabiilli defined that Josie was surrendered to the Pet Save animal rescue organization round 11 years in the past, and the vet stated she was round 13 years old on the time.
Because she was already a senior cat, it was determined that she’d keep on the thrift retailer whereas she awaited adoption, because the shelter atmosphere wouldn’t be good for her.
But adoption wasn’t meant to be for Josie. When she first got here into the organization’s care, she hid at the back of the thrift retailer fairly a bit, and most of the people don’t need to undertake a senior cat anyway, so “we decided to keep her as a store cat,” Fabiilli stated.
Josie has come out of her shell over the years, and enjoys her position as retailer cat.
She’s most energetic within the morning, and wanders across the retailer, visiting with clients, who generally even convey her treats. The remainder of the day, you’ll seemingly discover her resting on her favorite spot on the cat tree subsequent to the money, or transferring from solar puddle to solar puddle.
Customers come for “retail and pet therapy, I call it,” Fabiilli stated. “Lots of them can’t have pets of their own, for whatever reason. Sometimes they say their spouse is allergic. So when they come here, they get a little cat therapy.”
She stated that is true for herself as nicely, as she misplaced her personal two cats just lately, and Josie has been an actual consolation.
“You can pet her,” Fabiilli stated. “We do have a sign on her cat tree — just not on her back end, because she has developed arthritis. So she is a little bit sore in the back. But her neck and her head are her favorite, and she is going for monthly arthritis injections, which do help a lot. And she’s doing pretty good.”
Despite her extraordinarily superior years, Josie even acts as mouse management for the thrift retailer building. Staff have posted her “mouse count” behind the money.
“Fortunately, I’m usually the first person in the store, so I have to do clean-up,” Fabiilli stated.
In normal, Josie is a dwelling image of what Pet Save Re’Tail’ Thrift Store does, as the shop raises money for the Pet Save animal rescue organization.
“When you shop here, you’re helping animals like her,” she stated. “And It’s a nice added bonus. I love when people come in and you know they’ve seen 100 cats, but when they see Josie in the store, it’s like the first time they’ve ever seen a cat, and I love it.”
Fabiilli stated Josie may probably be Sudbury’s oldest cat. “Other people have said they have a 20-year-old cat or a 22-year-old cat,” she stated. “So close, but nothing has come to 24.”
(If you occur to reside in Greater Sudbury, and have a cat simply as old or older than Josie, drop us a line at [email protected] – we’d love to listen to about your pet).
If Josie’s age could possibly be verified, she truly isn’t that far aside in age from the world’s oldest dwelling cat. Flossie, who lives within the UK, is the oldest verified dwelling cat on the age of 28.
The oldest verified cat ever was Creme Puff of Austin, Texas, who died in 2005 on the age of 38.
The Pet Save Re’Tail’ Thrift Store is situated at 685 Notre Dame Ave. It’s open from 10 a.m. to five p.m., Monday to Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. Animals & Pets is made potential by our Community Leaders Program.
