ROSS, Pa. — One more candidate entered the presidential race on July 22, promising to “Fix America.”
Billed as “a former homeless pet turned Business Cat,” Dolly kicked off her campaign at a news conference at the WearWoof Shop in Ross, which was festooned with balloons, lapel pins, posters and yard signs all done up in the campaign colors, pink and gold.
Dolly hopes to be the Cat President of the United States, aiming to fix America and end local pet homelessness by raising $250,000 for affordable spay-neuter programs.
She has already won the endorsement of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto. A blurb in The Huffington Post called her the president America deserves, said Nancy Lee, who owns the cat and the upscale women’s resale store.
Lee adopted the green-eyed brown tabby three years ago from the Animal Rescue League Shelter & Wildlife Center. Dolly is the “shop cat” at WearWoof, where all sales benefit homeless animals at 22 shelters and rescue organizations. More than $58,000 has been donated since the shop opened in 2013.
“Dolly says, ‘Read my lips: No new litters!’ ” is part of the shtick printed on the pink and gold fliers.
The Dolly for President campaign is “a pleasant distraction” from the more serious issues in the news, Lee said. The cat’s presidential campaign “is taking over our social media and web page and has already raised over $4,000.”
“Dolly promises to be tough on mice,” deadpanned campaign manager Jimmy Krenn, local comedian and radio personality.
Fifteen minutes into the news conference, Dolly finally made an appearance. She strolled out of a back room headed for the showroom. When she saw the crowd — about 50 people — she ran back to one of her hidey-holes in a back office. She later returned for a brief appearance in the arms of Mr. Krenn.
Because Dolly is uneasy in crowds, her running mate was carefully picked to balance the ticket. Adora the Bull is a white pit bull adopted from the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society. A certified therapy dog, Adora makes frequent public appearances to benefit animal causes.
