Onset Man Generously Pays Adoption Fee for Cat at Bourne Pet Store

A special cat is going to find a new home thanks to the generosity of an Onset man – but he’s not the one actually taking the cat home.

That lucky person could be you.

Chris Laque recently moved to Onset and occasionally visits the PetSmart at the Bourne rotary. Back on April 9, he posted in a couple of Wareham Facebook groups about three cats there looking to be adopted: Snickers, Chanel and Caesar.

When he returned to the store on Monday, he was happy to see that Chanel and Caesar had been adopted, but Snickers was still looking for a home. He took to Facebook once again and put the word out that the cat was looking to be adopted, and the person who wanted to take her home would have to pay the $300 adoption fee.

“When I first posted about the cats, I figured, hey, let’s see what we can do to get her adopted,” Laque said. “But when I went back yesterday, there was still no interest.”

Get our free mobile app

That’s when Laque came up with an idea to help Snickers get adopted more quickly. He went into PetSmart today and paid the $300 fee to cover the cost for whoever wanted to adopt her. The applicant will just have to pass PetSmart’s adoption screening to ensure they are a good fit for her, and then Snickers is all theirs with no cost to them.

“After the last two years, anything to make things a little better for someone,” Laque said, noting that a lot of people could use a pet following the pandemic. “I got paid today and I had some cash to spare, so I paid the $300 adoption fee and shared in the Facebook groups that whoever wants her can go apply to take her home.”

PetSmart’s assistant store manager said it’s the first time he’s ever seen someone come in and pay the adoption fees for another person to take the pet home.

“It was an incredibly generous offer. He’s a very, very nice man, and it was very nice of him to do that,” said the assistant store manager, who asked only to be identified as Peter.

Peter said Snickers has been in the store awaiting adoption for “a few weeks,” but that he’s not sure how long the adoption center had her before that.

He also said that there are a lot of applications already for cat adoption, which is done on a first-come, first-served basis.

“We can’t promise any cat to anybody because of that,” he said. “It can take a while to get approved, when we have the time to sit down and call references and all of that. Right now, I’m down two managers, so it could take a week or so.”

Of course, the question many are probably wondering is why Laque didn’t just take home Snickers himself?

“I just moved to Onset back in December, and I’m renovating my house,” he said. “It wouldn’t be very good for a cat or any animal to be in that situation. I’m a couple of months out from a pet, or trust me, I’d take her in a second.”

The self-proclaimed animal lover said he’s paid for others to adopt a pet in the past as well.

“Animals are something I have a wicked fondness for, and it breaks my heart to see animals on display. It breaks my heart because I couldn’t imagine myself being in a cage,” he said. “Whatever led to her being there, it’s not the cat’s fault.”

If you would like to apply to adopt a cat – remember, the store can’t promise you’ll definitely get Snickers – you can visit PetSmart’s pet adoption page. You can also find out more about Hearts4Paws, the organization that runs the adoption center at the Bourne PetSmart, on their website.