Dear ARC Folks:

I have always proclaimed that I am not a "cat person".  Nothing against cats, it is just that I've always had dogs as companions. That is until
a little over 2 years ago, when spotting Salem (aka Master and Commander Cat) on the SMAWL website.  I didn't know why, but I kept checking the site to see if he was still there.  After many weeks of deliberating, I chose a cold and rainy day to visit the ARC and, with Jen's help, returned home with a most handsome tuxedo cat with whom I was somehow already smitten.  He had me before hello.  

Over the next 2 years, he thrived.  He came to be called "Master and Commander" because that is the role he assumed in our home.  He found a most unlikely friend in our lab, Stella and even managed to adapt to a new Corgi puppy in the house.  He was a happy and grateful gentleman who could be found sleeping around my neck, in my lap or on my keyboard.  I came to love that little charming cat more than I ever thought possible.  We had to let him go this week and he was ready.  There is a huge hole in our home once occupied by this mighty little fellow.    

I want to say thank you to everyone at the ARC and SMAWL for the work that you do.  If not for you giving Salem shelter when he needed it, I never would have had the pleasure of being converted to a "cat person".  I also want to encourage the adoption of these older, wiser souls as they have so much to give.

With gratitude,

Katherine Stormont