2011
Special to the NEws SentinelRusty, the cat at Wild Birds Unlimited in West Knox, spends his days greeting customers, patrolling the store after hours and playing with all the toys customers and friends bring him.
Cats and birds arent known for getting along.
Just think of Tweety Bird and Sylvester the Cat from Looney Tunes. Sylvester spent hundreds of episcats shopodes trying to catch Tweety for dinner.
However, a West Knox orange cat named Rusty promotes the livelihood of birds by bringing customers into Wild Birds Unlimited, a nature shop full of bird feeders, food and other supplies.
Rusty, an 8-year-old rescue cat, has called the Kingston Pike store home the past four years. Employees visit him twice a day when the store is closed.
He has a warm bed in the store, receives presents weekly and is adored by employees and customers.
He may be the most spoiled cat in West Knox, but employees say the cat promotes business and their mission of helping animals and the community.
Its a natural synergy, what the stores core mission is all about enjoy nature, protect it where you can and be good stewards of nature, said Kathy Getsey, co-owner of the store.
She and her business partner, Nancy Harless, were pet lovers long before they bought Wild Birds Unlimited in September 2007 when previous owners retired.
Getsey had shopped at the store since it opened 17 years ago and didnt want to see it close. Though a franchise, she
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ArticleTitle:Allison Rupp: Beloved West Knox store cat becomes ambassador for animal rescue &
ArticleUrl:http://www.kitty-blog.com/catsshop/6.html
