Meet Tom: FH Business Ambassador

If you've been to any of the stores in the Fair Haven Business District, or even taken a stroll down that section of River Road, you've likely passed the district's unofficial ambassador without a nod or a "Hello."

Rude? No. Perhaps just not entirely plugged in.

Well, here's your chance to get to know Tom, also known as Sir Thomas, ambassador of the Fair Haven Business District. He's a very cool old cat who makes the rounds to see business owners, check out the business scene and, yes, get some kibble along the way, business owners told Patch.

Tom has been around for years now. He has a pretty quiet, shy demeanor, but a prideful strut around what he knows as his turf.

What makes Tom special is that he is a rescue cat who was found hanging around the back dumpsters seeking shelter after running from a Fair Haven home nearby where his animal-lover mom passed away several years ago, so the story goes.

Mostly an outdoor cat by nature, he wandered around, missing his deceased mom. Tom, in his wandering in search of his deceased mom, stayed out in the cold in back of some Fair Haven businesses for so long that he ended up with a bad case of frostbite. No one knew he was out there, until ...

Vickie, found him, took him to the vet — where he had to have one of his damaged toes amputated — and gave him a new home and niche. He's been quite content ever since.

Now, everyone knows the gray, aging little fella and he knows them and the area he has taken on as his business, so to speak.

So, next time he slips by you when you're shopping in Fair Haven, stop and say "Hi" to Tom, give him a little pat on the back. Dropping a treat or two wouldn't hurt, either.

And that's a slice of a rescued life in Fair Haven ...