Exclusive Intermew! Pip The Beach Cat

Last fall a friend from my home town of Ocean City, MD shared a photo of an orange tabby kitten a friend of hers had adopted (I wish I could remember who!). This special orange tabby loved the beach, and they decided to name him him Pip the Beach Cat.

Something told me that I wanted to follow Pip's adventures, and I'm so glad I did! Pip is now a world famous rescue kitten, doing wonderful things in Ocean City and beyond.

I've always been fond of orange tabbies, in fact, my first kitten as a little girl in Ocean City was an orange tabby, so I'm a sucker for Pip! My daughter has been lucky enough to meet Pip on a recent trip to Ocean City, MD while visiting the Ocean Gallery.

Exclusive Intermew with Pip the Beach Cat

Pip took some time away from his busy volunteering, meet and greet and sleeping schedule for an exclusive intermew! If you want to learn more about Pip and his story, you will want to read this!

We know you’re a world famous rescue kitten, but tell us the short version of your story.

Sure! So I was just a little stray cat wandering the streets of a town called Berlin. It's in Maryland too. It's a pretty cool town, but being alone wasn't what I wanted to be anymore! So I showed up on a doorstep after a thunderstorm and started mewing. A nice lady opened the door and let me in, but she didn't actually even live in that home. When the people who actually lived there came home, they said they couldn't keep me. So some phone calls were made and I started my journey of trying to find a home. I spent some time at different houses, and eventually ended up in Ocean City, Maryland. I wasn't supposed to stay- I was supposed to be put into the system and adopted our through the Humane Society, but they were full and couldn't take me either. So days turned into weeks, and I just stayed in Ocean City with my now Pawrents.

What’s one thing you want your fans to know about you?

I always want my fans to know my story, and to do some research I guess. I think sometimes my newer fans that find out about me think that my parents adopted me with the purpose of making me famous, but actually I made myself famous and they didn't have much to do with it other than just letting me be who I wanted to be, and accepting that I wasn't a cuddle-bug, but was actually a wild adventuring feline! I also hope that my fans realize I am not the only adventure cat and that there are tons of us! It's important to realize that every cat is different, so you need to explore their purrrsonalities!

What do you like to do when you aren’t meeting your fans?

Sleep. I'm a cat after all! Actually I sleep a lot while meeting my fans- but they don't care, which is good. I also like to stare out the window, catch bugs, go on walks, volunteer, and practice my tricks. Whenever I learn something new, I am always purring the whole time. Oh and I love to play with my sisters Natty and Mowgli, and my foster-brother Oliver. We run and run and run alllllll over the house!

Where is your favorite place to relax in Ocean Gallery? How did you choose Ocean Gallery as the hot spot for your meet and greets?

Well I have a few favorite spots. I know if I sit on the red table out front and give high-fives to people I get special treats. So once I know the special treats are in Meowmy's bag- I'll jump up there a few times a night to get some. If I'm feeling really tired, I like to be with my Daddy in my bubble, because then I can sleep and he won't let anyone touch me. My actual favorite spot is on the corner of the building where there is a little patch of sand- above it is a bird who just had babies. I liked the spot so much when the eggs first hatched that I think the bird-mommy almost had an aneurism- so I had to be kept away for a little while because I was really stressing her out. All the way upstairs is the fine art room, it's really spacious and cool so I like to go there once or twice a night. People joke that the Gallery pays me to make everyone go up to where the expensive stuff is. There is also a tv upstairs that plays the Ocean Gallery documentary that just came out- I've been known to lay down and watch it (really!). And finally, there is a little spot out front where water sometimes drains out. As soon as I hear it- I rush over to watch it.

I’ve seen you do a lot with the community, which is wonderful. What are some of your favorite things to do when you are volunteering?

I'm a bit of a wild volunteer! If it is somewhere new, I have a little presentation I give, showing the residents, clients, or students short videos of me doing crazy things! Then they get to ask questions. And then I do my tricks for them, and with them! Sometimes we read my book and talk about all our memories. And sometimes it's a Little Pip Project Day! Which means I am delivering Little Pips to everyone and anyone that wants one! I go to developmental centers, nursing homes, and schools, so it really just depends on the audience. For the two nursing homes that I visit weekly- I check in with my residents that have requested me, and we just spend some time visiting together. I make sure they have everything they need, and I try to bring them little special treats for holidays and things. Anything that can just brighten their days.

Where can people find you when they visit Ocean City MD? Do you ever visit other places? Any plans to travel to Seattle? (I have to ask!)

My full schedule is on my website- it changes here and there when we get asked to go to special events. You'd be surprised how many times we get asked to go to something a week before it's happening! But the easiest place to find me is Ocean Gallery. I am there in July and August, pretty much everyday. Mondays and Tuesdays are always depending on how we feel so sometimes we take these days off. Wednesdays are short, I get there really late, like 9pm. And Thurs-Sun I am there around 6:30 until when I'm ready to go home. I do a private storytime for the guests of the Residence Inn Marriott once a week on Wednesdays. And I also am at the Commander Hotel on 14th street every Thursday. From 3-5pm it's for hotel guests, and then from 5-6 The Commander lets anyone come see me! The daytime is for me to rest or volunteer. And we have no idea what's next! So who knows where I will be in September or October! Or even next year! You never know, we might just be in Seattle!

I’m an Ocean City native, so I definitely have my favorite boardwalk treats, what is your favorite treat to enjoy on the Ocean City boardwalk? What about your Meowmy?

Well mine is to be determined. I've only tried Thrasher's and Fisher's so far- which means I have a lot more to try! Meowmy's is Julia's Cannolis! They've been there a very very long time, and are fresh, homemade, family-run. Just everything you would want in a boardwalk treat. And unlike the hot favorites like french fries or caramel corn, they are refreshingly cool, but filling (unlike say a snowcone.) Anyway- she doesn't get them very often because she lacks self-control and would eat 5 at a time. But then again, when you live here, you don't really enjoy the boardwalk the way visitors do.

Your first book, 'Pip’s Guide to Ocean City vol 1'`is now available nationwide! Congratulations! Where can your readers find it? When can we expect volume 2?

It's very easy to find! We sell it directly through our online store www.pipthebeachat.com/store and those copies all come pawtographed and signed. They can even be personalized with special notes! And of course we always have copies with us in person. It's also available through all major book retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, but is sold-out/back-ordered currently and those come from a warehouse so we can't sign them 🙁

Locally- it is also at The Life Saving Museum in Ocean City. Pam's Hallmark in West Ocean City. Runaway Tide General Store in Berlin.

If all goes according to plan there will be a Volume II next year. Hopefully by the beginning of summer. But we haven't written it yet- so we've got some work to do!

Just between us, which is your favorite beach? Assateague or Ocean City? Why?

Oh it's always been Assateague. We live biking distance from the Ocean City beach, and will go there sometimes in the fall. But for the most part we're Assateaguers! Even before I was in the picture, our family always chose Assateague because you could surf all day and the surfing area was NEVER crowded. There's way less regulations so it's just more fun. Being able to surf for more than a set couple hours a day is truly great. But now that I'm around Assateague is our place because the National Park Side is pet-friendly! So it's actually the only beach I can go to until October 1st.

What can people do to help rescue kittens such as yourself?

I think fostering is a great thing to do. For a few reasons actually. A lot of people want really small kittens, and I don't think they realize the best way to do that is to first foster them, and then if you decide to keep them (as some call it, foster-fail) you've saved a little kitten. Of course you can also foster and not fail, meaning you raise the little munchkins and then find them great homes. Either way, you're helping little rescues! We're in the middle of our first foster-mission here at my house and I couldn't be happier! This little guy we're raising is so much fun, and I get to teach him so many things! Of course there are a lot of older cats at shelters that need homes too, so I highly recommend going to check them out as well!

Is there anything else you want us to know?

MY BUBBLE IS MY SAFE SPACE AND IT'S AIR-CONDITIONED. If one more person yells at Meowmy without first asking questions or doing research I think she might lose her mind and/or stop meet and greets altogether. They scream at her, and it makes me sad.

No, but seriously, Pip's carrier, because that's what it is, is his safe-space. Occasionally Pip has to be put into his carrier for safety reasons. For example, he's about to go to the car and get buckled in, he's going to the vet, he's extremely tired and needs a break etc... Otherwise, Pip is never put into his carrier. He chooses to get in it and get out of it. On one side is his air-conditioner, on the other side is a door that is always left open so that Pip can come and go as he pleases. He is never hooked in. He always has a leash on, so that if he does jump out we can easily see where he goes, and walk with him, but it isn't tied to anything. People really misunderstand the bubble if they don't have cats or have never met Pip, and I really wish they would just ask us about it, instead of just ranting at us as they walk by on the boardwalk. It hurts our feelings, and it makes our fans that are visiting us sad.

Also- just because you're a "dog-person" doesn't mean you have to tell me that, or make me feel bad for being a cat. At least twice a night someone comes up to me and looks right at me and says, Oh, ugh, no, I'm a dog-person- and walks away. Cats have feelings too, and just because you prefer dogs doesn't mean you have to tell me that. There is a serious amount of discrimination that I didn't expect, just because I am a cat, and it really makes quote on quote "dog-people" look mean. I even had someone tell me that they would never buy my book because it has a cat in it. Why would you tell me that?! To my cute little kitten face.

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