The Karchers, below, happily adopted Snoopy’s kitty, above, and plan to call the pet after his former owner.
When Anthony “Snoopy” Toussaint died in June, his beloved pet cat was left homeless. The full-grown, tame orange and white kitty had been totally cared for by Snoopy all his life. When his master did not appear to feed or care for him, he simply stayed near Snoopy’s cottage, waiting for his master to come home.
Snoopy was a well-loved resident of St. John for 38 years. Originally from Dominica, he lived in Coral Bay where he was well-known by many residents. A member of Caneel Bay Resort’s grounds crew, he worked under Oriel Smith, Director of Horticulture and Grounds, for Caneel.
A stellar employee, Snoopy became a close friend of Smith whom he helped after hours to feed homeless cats in Coral Bay. Snoopy was also well-known for his love of music, entertaining with several of St. John’s bands over the years. A kind, gentle person, he epitomized the best qualities of “Love City.”
After Snoopy’s death in New York City, he was brought “home” to St. John by his sisters, and he was buried on July 13 in the Cruz Bay cemetery. Tributes were presented during the ceremony, and some of the residents of Coral Bay started to plan a memorial celebration of Snoopy’s life to be held on the beach. During all this time, Snoopy’s beloved pet cat was homeless and forgotten.
Smith asked Elaine Campbell, a friend from the Animal Care Center, to write an obituary for Snoopy for Tradewinds, and it appeared in the July 15 issue of the island newspaper. The last paragraph of the Tradewinds obituary reads, “Snoopy’s beloved pet cat is now homeless, and the most meaningful tribute to Snoopy’s memory would be for one of us to give a home to the beautiful red and white kitty.” Oriel Smith’s e-mail was given as a point of contact for anyone generous enough to give Snoopy’s cat a “forever home.”
No one responded to the appeal. Smith would drive out to Coral Bay and put fresh water and food for the faithful cat, while awaiting an offer for a life-long home for the pet who had never known abandonment.
A friend in Cape Cod, Paula Myles, learned about the situation and decided to write an advertisement to be placed on the Connections bulletin boards. She e-mailed it to Anne Marie Porter, asking that Porter take the ad to Connections.
In the meantime, Smith had collected the kitty and taken it to his cottage at Cinnamon Bay. Smith, about to leave the island for a three-week vacation, asked Porter to come out to his cottage daily and feed and clean up after his kitties, including Snoopy’s pet cat, all living in Smith’s cottage. Porter became the new point-of-contact on the Connections advertisement.
Finally, a month and a half after Snoopy’s death, kind souls saw the advertisement and contacted Porter. They told Porter, who is St. John’s “barefoot minister,” that they have a home in Coral Bay, and although they were about to leave for their mainland home in Pennsylvania, they would adopt Snoopy’s kitty.
Alan and Cheri Kaucher, who have spent many seasons at their home on Seagrape Hill in Coral Bay, told Porter, “We loved Snoopy and have fond memories of him from many years ago.”
In honor of Snoopy’s memory, they told Porter, they would name his well-loved cat after him: “Snoopy.” They then searched for a carrier to enable the cat to fly with them, took him to Canine, Cats, and Critters for his travel documents, and have just left with their new pet for their farm in Pennsylvania.
From Cape Cod, Myles writes, “We’re all in this together. One network and I’m proud to be part of it.” Thus, Love City’s “coconut telegraph” has once again worked. This time it enabled an “off-island adoption” for one of St. John’s homeless animals.
