Los Altos Couple Grateful for Longtime Cat Companion

Donna and John Shoemaker used a carpet sample to find their perfect cat. They wanted to make sure the cat’s fur would blend in when it shed.

The Los Altos residents discovered Pets In Need in 2004 when they visited the shelter, which was located in a small building on Fifth Ave. in Redwood City at the time, to adopt a pet.

Donna recalls walking through a maze of rooms with the sample, comparing the shade of carpet to each cat’s fur. Scooter, née Mikey, was a match.

The couple enjoyed 17 sweet years with Scooter until he passed last September.

“John had never missed a day of work until Scooter died,” Donna said. “We both stayed home because we were so distraught.”

Scooter's Spot

To show their appreciation after adopting Scooter, Donna and John made a generous gift in 2009 to Pets In Need to help fund the construction of a new shelter in Redwood City. Today, a plaque that reads “Scooter’s Spot,” is affixed to a wall near the cat rooms, a tribute to the couple’s beloved pet. They made an additional gift after Scooter’s death.

Adopting a pet is very personal,” Donna said. “We felt like the staff at Pets In Need really cared about the animals and about finding not just a home, but the right home.”

By the time Donna and John met Scooter, he was a year old and had been adopted and returned three times. Still, he made himself comfortable in his new home and also made good on the old adage that cats have nine lives.

Donna and John enjoy reminiscing about Scooter’s escapades, including a dangerous encounter with a raccoon that snuck into the house, and the time Scooter disappeared for three days, finally to be found stuck in a crawl space that had been opened by a plumber making a repair.

Then there was the time when an obsolete septic tank the couple didn’t realize existed on their property caved in while Scooter was sleeping on the ground above.

“I heard a boom and he came in the cat door like a bullet,” Donna said. “There were so many bizarre things that would happen that involved him. We were so happy with that cat and enjoyed him so much.”