Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2017

PETS 9

F A V O R I T E S

Pete –

cat/tabby

Owner – Meredith Nelson

Pete was a feral cat at our former location on Sullivan's Island. Pete and some of his feral

friends were trapped, neutered and released with the help of a great program, the Feline

Federation Coalition. Old and with only two teeth, PrimeTime Fitness couldn't leave Pete

behind when we relocated to Mount Pleasant. We worked hard for months before our move

to tame him and make him comfortable as an indoor cat.

The second day in Pete's new home, he escaped and ran straight for the marsh. I put out

an email to all of the gym members, asking them to let me know if he was spotted – al-

though I knew that, being so old, having no teeth and being protected for so long were not

in his favor if he was out on his own.

Surprisingly, a member contacted us immediately and said she had seen Pete – at our

former location on the island! Sure enough, I drove out to Sullivan's – skeptical the whole way. But when I pulled up at our old spot,

there was Pete basking in the sun in the front yard. He had avoided coyotes and cars and made it all the way from Mount Pleasant

back to Sullivan's – not only making the two mile trek but also crossing the Ben Sawyer Bridge.

I scooped him up and took him back to PrimeTime in Mount Pleasant. He remained with us for six months, a fixture in the gym.

Members would often stop in with treats or just to pet him and say hello. Pete's "toothless tongue" always hung out of his mouth and

brought a smile to everyone. Unfortunately, Pete was old and also had feline leukemia. We had to say goodbye to him last year. Prime-

Time Fitness hasn't been the same without him!

RITE PETS

mitted by our readers