I saw Rue featured on Greenstreet Gardens social media channels and had to know more. Tim Williams, Manager of Greenstreet Gardens of Virginia, location on 1721 West Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA, shared this bio of Rue:
"Prior to the fanfare and notoriety she now enjoys, Rue was born sometime during June or July 2017 either to feral parents or later abandoned as a kitten. She was rescued by the Blue Collar Cat Program, organized by the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, DC, and was placed with Greenstreet Gardens in April 2018.
"Our story mirrored those of many who seek to adopt cats through the Blue Collar Cat program. Greenstreet Gardens, a full-service garden supply and plant store, was interested in getting a cat to help prevent mice from damaging products. Customers and employees regularly open the doors as most of our products are outside, and without any physical boundaries, it seemed clear that our environment might not be suitable to a cat used to living inside.We reached out to Blue Collar Cats after being referred to them by several cat-loving individuals because Blue Collar Cats places street cats of varying degrees of socialization with businesses and individuals who need rodent control.
"Rue arrived at Greenstreet small (weighing a mere 6 lbs.) and very shy. She is still petite, but between her rodent dinners and the treats, regularly given her by employees, she has filled in and rounded out quite a bit. More importantly, as the months passed, she became increasingly comfortable with the people she saw every day. We all hoped she would eventually feel comfortable around customers, if not outrightly friendly. Not only has she become a popular member of the team here at the store, she has managed to find her way to tolerate (as only a cat can), the pets that often accompany their humans to the store; and she recently even allowed a customer hold her.
"When the weather is nice, Rue spends most of the time wandering around the store property; you can often find her observing employees as they work. She is allowed to come and go anywhere she wishes and has learned that by simply sitting near a door she will soon have several customers and employees vying to be the one who opens the door for her to enter or exit. We initially were concerned she might wander too far or try to cross the busy streets that surround the property, but she has shown a remarkable understanding of the areas safe for her to explore. She will occasionally sit on the edge of the parking lot, but she has never ventured out to areas where cars could hit her.
"Like most cats, Rue knows what she wants and uses the people around her to get it. We have had to enforce a “no treats” policy because her appetite was voracious and she knew that begging for more not only earned her more treats, it also brought added attention and showers of compliments: “Oh, she’s so cute!”
"She still gets plenty of the modern comforts like air conditioning and fleece-lined, padded beds, where she often spends the hottest hours of the day curled up in a sunbeam; she’s also comfortable with being out in cold or damp weather – the one exception being thunderstorms when she seeks refuge in the store’s office underneath (and as far back as she can get) one of the desks. Her favorite seasons are Spring and Fall when the weather is cool and there are new areas to explore as the store’s inventory and design changes for the season: either stocking up on new plants or laying out straw and pumpkins.
"How did we come to name her Rue? We certainly didn’t lack for suggestions – employees at all the Greenstreet stores chimed in, as did customers. Early on we decided that her name would be that of some variety of plant and that it would also reflect her distinctive character. After much deliberation the decision was made to name her after the herb Ruta graveolens, which aptly translates as “herb of grace.” Rue’s personality has also encouraged a variety of plant-related nicknames including Ruellia and Rutabaga. She has a very round face, so even the latter name is reasonably well-fitting.
"Rue had already become a popular and loved member of the community, but in spring 2019 she gained celebrity status when People Magazine ran a full-page story, which included her picture in their May 20 issue. Now. she finally has the popularity to go with her princess-like bearing and strut. In the months that followed she has also been photographed and ‘interviewed’ by Agence France-Presse and Scripps."
Cats in Gardens blog readers may recall that we featured Rue's "cousin" Patch, adopted by GreenStreet Gardens in Lothian, MD, in this post.
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