The jingles of a bell on a cat’s collar can be heard while shopping in The RE Store or Bellingham Wind Works on Meridian Street. The bells could be either Wayne’s or Saul’s, or both, if you’re lucky.
Wayne and Saul are brothers who have found a home in the neighboring stores in Bellingham’s Fountain District.
In 2017 The RE Store took the brothers in as kittens when a customer gifted the cats to the store.
“They’re some good boys,” said Aaron Smith, a 12-year employee of The RE Store.
RE Store customers were involved in the naming of the kittens. Workers placed jars at the register, each with potential names for the cats. Smith said customers placed their spare change and donations in the jars with their favorite names, eventually deciding on Wayne and Saul.
When the pandemic started in 2020, The RE Store closed for three months, but Wind Works offered to house the cats. Now the cats sleep in their own beds at Wind Works and spend time wandering between the two stores, even visiting other stores in the neighborhood.
Customers compliment the cats “all the time,” said Pace Rubadeau, a Wind Works employee. “People will come in just to see the cats.”
WTD runs on Wednesdays. Have a suggestion for a “What’s the Deal With?” inquiry? Email us at newstips@cascadiadaily.com.
CDN thanks Western Washington University professor John Harris for submitting student work from his newswriting class.
