Pumpkin the cat knows all about civic duty. He’s a hard-working feline that calls the Athens County Board of Elections home. There, he protects the integrity of the vote with a curious feline eye. You won’t sneak any funny business past this election house guard!
In 2013, Athens County Board of Elections Director Debbie Quivey and Penny Brooks, Deputy Director, shared the tale of Pumpkin’s adoption into the election world with The Athens Messenger. The trio’s meeting was an absolute moment of chance, and though Debbie is a Republican and Penny a Democrat, they could both agree, this orange kitty boy was something special.
Directors Vote Pumpkin the Cat In
Pumpkin came to be an election house cat when Debbie and Penny came across two Ohio University students arguing about an orange cat. The boyfriend demanded the cat vacate the couple’s apartment. So, the girlfriend handed over the cat to Debbie and Penny.
Of course, they took the poor cat, but he was in a bad way with an eye infection, ear mites, and fleas. But with some medical treatment and three hundred dollars of their own money spent, the Board of Elections in Athens had a cat mascot. And all of Pumpkin’s care comes from personal pockets, Penny having said, “No county money, we buy his food and litter.”
But Pumpkin, or Pierre as he’s known formally, is worth every penny!
When he first came to the election house, Debbie and Penny kept him in the back offices, but Pumpkin decided his job was more a visual one. He revealed his decision to the ladies when they heard a tapping on the front window. Pumpkin had stretched himself out in the front window and had already started gathering fans!
“The cat was out of the bag, as they say,” joked Penny.
No one seemed to mind. In fact, visitors to the election enjoy Pumpkin’s presence. The staff fell for him right away too.
Debbie explained, “I honestly noticed a difference in stress in the office during the general election.”
“We spend five minutes with the cat and we’re chilled out,” agreed Penny.
Pumpkin is a chill cat himself, loving to stretch out and nap, so a recent display of home defense proved a couple of things. First, Pumpkin will come alive to protect his home and people. And secondly, Pumpkin would never vote for a dog!
Pumpkin Votes No to Dogs
A recent picture posted to Twitter illustrates Pumpkin’s fierce side when it comes to the canine kind. In the pic, Pumpkin is hissing it up at a dog passing by his window. It seems Yogi the dog wasn’t having it either, baring teeth in return. But as the post read, “Pumpkin is the great protector,” and he had no problem proving it!
It’s no surprise the photo gained so much popularity. Pictures of Pumpkin are a regular occurrence on Twitter and Reddit. In fact, you can find him a few ways:
- @PumpkinAthens on Twitter or Instagram.
- If you want even more Pumpkin, follow his @pumpkin_the_cat_fanpage on Instagram.
- You can also catch him on Reddit as he’s been seen in groups “cats with jobs,” and would you elect him.”
This one particular Pumpkin cat pic was posted to Twitter by Grace Eberhart, an Ohio University junior, after a friend snapped the photo. Grace posted the photo of Pumpkin in fierce feline mode because he’s usually more on the lazy side.
As Grace told The Athens News, “Pumpkin is usually dead asleep when people see him in the window, so it was wild seeing him stancing up and defending his kingdom.”
The Athens, Ohio community loves their election cat, and Grace put it best, saying, “I think it’s awesome that so many people love him and see him as an icon of OU’s culture. He deserves the fame.”
— Simon🇺🇸🇬🇧 (@SimonRedcoat) September 15, 2021
H/T: www.theathensnews.com
Feature Image: @pumpkin_the_cat_fanpage/Instagram