After being recognized with most cancers in November 2023, Horatio — also referred to as “Assistant Manager Cat” — alongside together with his buddies from Seventh Son Brewing Co. search group help to pay for his most cancers therapy and donate to funds like UC Davis’ Feline Cancer Research Fund and Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund. Credit: Collin Castore
Just 5 minutes after Colin Vent’s spouse Lisa Sullivan walked out the entrance door to move to work on a summer season day in 2013, his cellphone rang.
He answered, unaware their tiny household was about to get slightly bit greater.
Horatio, also referred to as “Assistant Manager Cat,” making himself comfy between Seventh Son brewmaster Colin Vent’s ft throughout his first day on the brewery on Aug. 30, 2014. Credit: Colin Vent
“There’s a little kitten out here and you need to come get it,” Vent recalled her saying to him.
He dashed towards the entrance door, slipped on his flip-flops and stepped out into the mid-morning August warmth, the place he was met by two calm inexperienced eyes that belonged to a small, white mackerel kitten lined with grey and brown stripes, who Vent mentioned couldn’t have been greater than 1 12 months old.
“He was a kitten, but he was one of those teenage kittens — real long and skinny with long legs,” Vent mentioned. “[My wife and I] already had two cats so we weren’t going to keep him, and so I thought, ‘Well, I’ll take him over to the brewery with me when I go give my tours today.”
Vent, the Seventh Son Brewing Co. brewmaster, didn’t know then that over the subsequent 11 years, this kitten would turn into a cherished member of the brewery’s group.
Though it might be identified for its craft beers and Kitty Paw exhausting seltzers, Seventh Son Brewing Co. can also be now identified by many for its cat mascot Horatio — also referred to as the “Assistant Manager Cat” — who spends most of his days hanging out with the brewery’s patrons and lounging across the patio.
In an Instagram publish from March 6, the brewery introduced Horatio had been recognized with fibrosarcoma, a type of most cancers that originates within the connective fibrous tissue discovered on the ends of bones within the legs and arms.
Horatio. Credit: Collin Castore
“We know that many of you may have heard that our favorite employee Assistant Manager Cat (aka Horatio) has cancer in his right hind leg,” the publish reads. “Fibrosarcoma is more common than we realize in cats. We hope to use this moment to highlight feline cancer treatment and help other pets and their parents in a similar situation.”
The neighborhood has been serving to take care of Horatio for the reason that early days of the brewery, which is situated at 1101 N. Fourth St., and opened in 2013, mentioned Collin Castore, Seventh Son co-founder and proprietor.
“We didn’t have a technical assistant manager at the time so the position was open and our [general manager] at the time, Tony, just kind of started referring to him as that and it stuck,” Castore mentioned.
The identify “Horatio” got here a short while later, Castore mentioned.
“People used to butcher the name of one of our IPAs called ‘Golden Ratio’ and they’d say ‘Horatio,’ so he just became Horatio,” Castore mentioned.
Vent mentioned it actually wasn’t the brewery’s intention to have a cat as its mascot, however the expertise has been a contented accident.
An American golden ale titled “Assistant Manager Beer” is without doubt one of the brewery’s 4 unique drafts, previously titled “Waffles” after Castore’s personal cat. However, Vent mentioned after the workers found “Waffles” had already been trademarked as a cat cartoon in Great Britain, the brewery looked for a brand new beer identify.
“We were like, ‘We have our own cat now and he came to have this silly name,’ so we ended up calling the beer the ‘Assistant Manager,’’” Vent mentioned. “We asked for this goofy cartoon drawing of him that became the art on the can and then that really kicked off the idea that this cat is slowly turning into our mascot.”
Since then, Vent mentioned Horatio has additionally been featured on the brewery’s merchandise, together with numerous T-shirts, stickers, posters and even face masks.
In November 2023, a number of the brewery’s staff seen a lump on Horatio’s proper leg and took him to the vet. Castore mentioned it was there, on the Short North’s Elemental Veterinary Center and Pet Spa, the place Horatio was recognized with most cancers.
“We immediately decided that we wanted to take care of him and figure out what was best for him,” Castore mentioned. “He has had one surgery, which was the day after we found the lump, just to get as much of it as we could out of there, but we weren’t sure if it was cancerous or not at that point. Once we found out it was, we developed a treatment plan with his doctors at Elemental and MedVet where they said they could take it down to a microscopic level.”
Fibrosarcoma usually happens in cats by means of irritation that types from bodily trauma like punctures, injections or accidents, mentioned Jane Flores, Horatio’s veterinarian at Elemental.
“Cats are such wonderful producers of inflammation that trauma, even just an injection of saline, can cause inflammation that can lead to tumor formation,” Flores mentioned. “It’s not anything specific to vaccinations, cats are just unique in their ability to form inflammation.”
Veterinarians usually recommend amputation as the correct therapy for fibrosarcoma, although Flores mentioned Horatio was a distinct case.
“As veterinarians, we have the luxury that our patients have four limbs, so if one has to go, generally those patients do fantastic with three legs,” Flores mentioned. “The reason that [Horatio] has to have radiation is purely due to the location of his tumor. There was some concern at how high up on the leg it was.”
Through 19 rounds of radiation — one a day for 19 days, starting this upcoming Monday — Flores mentioned Horatio’s tumor may be minimized to a microscopic stage to which it turns into innocent.
Cancer in pets, and the destructive repercussions it will probably have on their house owners, is a extra widespread incidence than folks might imagine, Flores mentioned.
“People don’t realize the emotional wear and tear on the owners,” Flores mentioned. “It’s a lot to watch your pet go through and owners deserve so much love and Collin [Castore] and his wife are fabulous people. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do for their pets.”
Since Horatio’s prognosis, Castore, Vent and different Seventh Son staff have been asking the group to assist their cat, in addition to different pets in want.
The brewery created a GoFundMe web page March 6 with the purpose of elevating $15,000 for the cat’s most cancers therapy. The web page states that fifty% of the proceeds will go to the Assistant Manager Cat himself, and the remainder shall be break up between UC Davis’ Feline Cancer Research Fund and Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund.
Earlier this week, Seventh Son introduced the GoFundMe web page’s preliminary purpose of $15,000 has been met. As of now, the GoFundMe web page stays lively, and all additional donations shall be equally break up among the many aforementioned organizations.
Additionally, the brewery is promoting limited-edition, $15 commemorative glasses with an etching of Horatio on its web site. These proceeds shall be break up the identical manner because the GoFundMe.
Juli Burnell, the chief director and founding father of Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund, mentioned the fund has been offering financial help to pets that require emergency and specialty medical take care of eight years now, having helped over 475 pets by spending practically $1 million in whole.
Horatio. Credit: Collin Castore
“Pet lovers are amazing people,” Burnell mentioned. “They are so kind and so generous and so I thought, ‘If we can build something so that people who have a little extra money can help people that need it right, then everybody feels good.’”
Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund works by staying intently linked with veterinarian places of work. Burnell mentioned this ensures the funds get to pet mother and father who want additional help.
“It has to be the veterinarian who is providing the service that contacts Ellie’s,” Burnell mentioned. “They are the ones who know if there is a history of taking care of the pet and know if the pet is important to the family.”
Castore mentioned Seventh Son is grateful for Columbus’ help of Horatio and open to organizing further fundraisers sooner or later.
“Our hope is that Manager will have several more happy years of lounging around the patio,” Castore mentioned. “After he is back to work and 100% better, we hope to do more fundraisers to continue to help people in similar situations.”
