Donor Spotlight: Steve Chisholm

Donor Spotlight: Steve Chisholm

How an office cat without an owner turned into a monthly donor with a home.

Above: Steve Chisholm and Alexander, in their tuxedo best.

Steve Chisholm has an infectious laugh and a welcoming voice all his own. His monthly support of PAWS, he admits, is not from him. Every single donation for the past eight years he says comes straight from Alexander—one of his black and white tuxedo cats.

In fact, Alexander is one of Steve’s three tuxedo cats, and he joined feline friends Frank and Bob eight years ago. What makes Alexander’s addition to the household so special? Call it the perfect mix of kitty litter and kismet.

While familiar with food banks for humans, until 2010 Steve had never heard of PAWS, a program dedicated to care for the pets with services like free pet food, free or subsidized veterinary care and more, so that the owners facing challenging circumstances can care for themselves. “It was such an obvious idea—it was right under my nose. But when I heard about PAWS and realized how important that care is, well, it hit me like a ton of bricks,” says Steve.

“I think about the joy, love, comfort and peace of mind that a pet provides. Wouldn’t it be nice to give that to someone else? Giving clients the ability to just enjoy the pet—what a gift.”

Steve’s aha moment came during a work-sponsored volunteer event at PAWS eight years ago. Having worked in administration for 30 years, Steve’s volunteer role as “head of kitty litter packaging” for the day was certainly a change of pace. “It felt like playing in a sandbox—we kept reminding ourselves, at least it is clean!” Steve recalls.

As the day was ending and Steve was preparing to go home to Frank and Bob, the PAWS volunteer coordinator introduced the volunteers to Alexander. At the time, Alexander was the PAWS office cat, having come to reside there following his owner’s death because no long-term care arrangements had been made. Since his owner had been a former PAWS client, Alexander was quite comfortable at PAWS and even had a Facebook fan page.

“As soon as I saw Alexander, it struck me—his black and white markings were just like Frank and Bob. By the time we sat down together and he started purring in my lap, well, it was all over,” admits Steve. That very day he went home, discussed the matter with Frank and Bob, and two days later called the PAWS office. Alexander found his new forever home—and PAWS got a new monthly donor!

When Steve reflects on why he (and Alexander) support PAWS every month, he thinks about that first meeting. “I think about the joy, love, comfort and peace of mind that a pet provides. Wouldn’t it be nice to give that to someone else? Giving clients the ability to just enjoy the pet—what a gift.”