Lexington’s bar-hopping cat now raising money for animal shelter

Looking for a truly magnificent present for someone on your list? Check out the Cairo shirts from Varsity Print.

The shirts immortalize the Kenwick neighborhood’s bar-hopping (and couch-hopping) cat, with proceeds going to benefit the Lexington Humane Society, which is where Cairo came from.

One version is an artsy take on the friendly orange tabby, the other his silhouette on a barstool.

Cairo, who is well known around the neighborhood, gained a new level of fame in September when he wandered over the National Avenue to hang out at Mirror Twin Brewing and Cosmic Charlie’s bar.

Photos of him draped across the bar and lounging on barstools were soon posted to neighborhood social media sites, where his fans recognized him.

Now, according to his Facebook page (yes, the cat has his own Facebook page, Cairo the Magnificent), his owners Theo and Dawna Scripps have teamed up with Varsity Print on National Avenue to raise money for the animal shelter.

Short sleeve shirts are $16; long sleeved are $20. Varsity Print is taking pre-orders now and will have them in the shop next week.

The Humane Society announced on Wednesday that it is in a $50,000 financial hole after an expensive quarantine that also limited revenues from adoptions of dogs. The shelter usually uses revenue from December adoptions, which have temporarily been suspended during the closure, to help finance the slower months of January and February, according to the humane society.

Donations can be made by visiting AdoptLove.net.

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 3:42 PM with the headline "Lexington’s bar-hopping cat now raising money for animal shelter."