Have you ever known one of those cool cats? A cat that lives nowhere in particular and is cared for by everyone they meet?
That is the life led by one Hoover the Cat, a 12-13 year old feline who calls the town of Oriental, North Carolina home. He’s a portly fellow, a classic orange tabby. He spends his days sleeping at the local marina, visiting customers of the local cafe, or catching some sun rays on the backs of boats.
“He got tossed in the street. A woman passed away and we sort of started feeding him and he adopted us.”
That’s Amy Dish, a self described “jack of all trades and master of none” at the Oriental Marina & Inn. She’s one of Hoover’s primary caretakers, although not in any official capacity. During the cat’s seven years at the marina, he has seen his fair share of drama, according to Dish
“Well he’s missing an eye,” she said. “He lost an eye to a blue jay and they got in a fight and he ate the blue jay, but the blue jay got his eye. We tried to save it, but it didn’t work out.”
One of Hoover’s favorite nap spots is right on top of the calculator used by front desk workers at the Oriental Marina & Inn.
However, the spiciest drama came last December, when Hoover vanished.
“So Hoover has gone on disappearing acts before,” she said. “He was gone for about a week and everybody starts asking questions. Everybody that works here, and even people that frequent the coffee shop and the woman’s shop across the street, um, just because we’re on a corner of the town and he, he bounces back and forth between a couple different places.”
Dish said Hoover’s absence cast a dark shadow over holiday celebrations.
“I refused to give in and say that he was gone. So the bowls sat in the office empty, of course. Well there was food in the one I just, I and then New Year’s and I, you know, I’m cleaning the office thinking I should put up the cat bowls. He’s probably not coming back. I’d gone home to get coffee and came back and I saw animal control out in front of the hotel. And that’s when we found out that he had been found, and thank God for a chip.”
After a brief mixup in which Hoover’s chip came back registered to a dog, he was correctly identified. Only, he was nowhere near Oriental. He had somehow ended up all the way at the Orange County Animal Shelter.
“He was brought in as a stray. He came from here in Chapel Hill and someone found him on the road. So, um, other than being just a little dehydrated, he seemed perfectly fine.”
That’s Tenille Fox, communications specialist for Orange County Animal Services. She said while they don’t know exactly how Hoover made it to the Piedmont, they can make a solid guess.
“The theory that I’ve heard the most is that he curled up on a trailer or a boat or maybe, you know, somewhere on a car where someone wasn’t paying attention, like an open spot. But, um, in any case, he made it all the way here and, and he made it safely. So that’s good. And then he made it back safely, so we’re proud of that.”
She said Hoover’s story highlights the importance of both getting pets microchipped – and checking to see whether animals have one.
“Every animal that’s adopted out of our shelter has a microchip, which we think is great. We’re able to get home animals a lot more quickly when they do come into the shelter. So if you find stray pets rather than, you know, taking them to a shelter right away, maybe try to get that scan and see what’s up.”
Residents of Oriental gather to celebrate Hoover’s safe return.
After being driven back by a friend of hers, Dish said the community of Oriental were so excited they had to celebrate.
“So we threw a town wide party and we um, we advertised it in the newspaper also and we got 25 pounds of shrimp for appetizers. And we had a musician and we packed a restaurant. It was a good time.”
A series of snacks available to party-goers at Hoover’s return shindig.
And in case you were wondering, yes, Hoover was given some of the shrimp. He ate about five according to Dish. As for how Hoover himself is doing, she said based on his behavior, it’s hard to tell he ever even disappeared.
“Oh, he’s like he’s never left. He walks around like he owns the place. He’s spoiled rotten.”
Featured images via Amy Dish
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
