Let me tell you the time my cat almost became a Senator

Now this is a story all about how our lives got flipped-turned upside down

This is Hank, our baby boy kitty. And this is the story of his run for US Senate in Virginia in 2012, his subsequent fame, and how he - in a small way - made the world a little better place.

(This is going to be a VERY long post, so please bear with me)

Baby Hank

Hank and his mother & siblings were rescued from a kill shelter in Shenandoah, VA just before euthanasia by a non-profit no-kill animal rescue group called Animal Allies. We volunteered with them and were asked to foster Hank - our one time fostering.

As you can imagine, we couldn't bear to part with him, and he became part of our family.

Besides being amazingly beautiful and sweet, Hank was also very smart and well-read. He was especially a fan of history, politics, and of course animal welfare.

So in February of 2012, Hank officially announced his candidacy for US Senate in Virginia. It just so happened that the incumbent was retiring, so the race was wide open.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6z5zC8W2Mk

We file the paperwork

We filed the required paperwork for Hank's candidacy at the state board of elections in Richmond, VA.

Yes, we really did.

Hank Becomes a Media Celebrity

Hank's campaign quickly gained media attention both here in the United States and internationally. As you can see - Hank was running against Republican George Allen and Democrat Tim Kaine (the same Tim Kaine that's now running with Hillary Clinton's for the office of vice president).

Hank, of course, ran as an Independent.

Always Available for Interviews

Like any good politician, Hank made himself available to the media to make sure the voters could hear his message. Here he is being interviewed by Fuji TV from Japan.

National Geographic Kids

All told, Hank appeared in hundreds upon hundreds of newspaper articles, web articles, TV segments, and magazine articles - including Anderson Cooper, The Tonight Show, and Ripley's Believe It or Not.

Oh, and Mental Floss too.

Campaign Appearances

For obvious reasons, Hank quickly grew a huge fan base. People were at first drawn to his cute face, but quickly realized that he had some great ideas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF2dwIfMfJw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNLAzUYcHpU

Hank's campaign was one of shifting work from specialized defense spending to repairing the nation's crumbling infrastructure - creating more jobs for both skilled and non-skilled workers. He also called for fixing No Child Left Behind, encouraging STEM training - and of course, animal welfare.

The War Room

Like any politician, Hank's rapidly expanding campaign needed a full-time staff

And the candidate didn't slack off either - he pitched in and worked tirelessly to make sure his message was heard.

Meet Hank, the cat that ran for Senate in the US.

He cared deeply for his fans, and took the time to sign each and every correspondence with them

Fashion Coordinator

Of course, a candidate has to look the part. "Dress for the job you want" applies to politics as well, so Hank's sister angrily stepped up to layout his wardrobe. (I say angrily because she's a torty.)

Campaign Advisor

Hank's older brother Sammy stepped up as well, becoming his trusted campaign advisor.

They were inseparable and incredibly close.

Sammy was always very encouraging.

Like all brothers, they sometimes had their disagreements.

But quickly made up and all was forgiven.

A Revolution Begins

Hank's story inspired another feline candidate, Tuxedo Stan of Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada who ran for mayor under the newly formed Tuxedo Party.

Hank quickly endorsed his brother-in-arms and threw in his support.

Hank proudly stood by Tuxedo Stan and his efforts up north.

The Russians Take Notice

Word of Hank's story reached a Russian artist named Svetlana Petrova. You've probably seen her work before - she reimagines famous paintings with her cat Zarathustra.

Svetlana created a wonderful work of Hank and Zarahustra at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, among other works. It's featured in her book.

She also created $2 bills, featuring Thomas Jefferson holding Hank and the Declaration portrait on the reverse.

Jefferson & Hank closeup

These bills were sold, with all proceeds going to animal rescue in Russia. As you can imagine, there's not much money for animal rescue there so every little bit helps.

Zarathustra's endorsement.

Other artists are inspired as well...

This wonderful work was done by an artist named Kyle Mosher, and donated to the campaign. Prints of this work were sold by the campaign, with 100% of the proceeds going to animal rescue.

Hank's campaign staff also created their own political posters, based off historical American campaigns (this one is from Harry Truman's campaign) All of the proceeds were donated to local animal rescue charities in either Virginia, Canada, or Russia.

Our cat gets an attorney

A wonderful attorney volunteered her services to Hank to make sure his campaign materials were protected under Copyright Law and worked pro-bono for Hank. The Kyle Mosher print was donated to us along with the rights to it (we offered to copyright it for him, he refused), and thus was protected as well.

Hank's fanbase grows

Hank's message (and cuteness) garnered him many fans from all walks of life and genomes.

(Hank supported multiculturalism)

The attacks begin

Of course, when you threaten the status quo you're going to make enemies. A Super PAC called Canines for a Feline Free Tomorrow launched attack ads against Hank

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M0r-dNEH38

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdpMWqyGcis

Hank is Undeterred

Hank refused to respond, instead electing to stay positive

Hank overtakes Tim Kaine

That's right, Hank was (and let's face it: is) more popular than Tim Kaine. In your face, Kaine!

That face

I mean, really - how could you not fall in love with that face?

Hank gets a softball team

We were contacted by a softball team who wanted to show their support for Hank by naming the team after him, and thus Hank's Hitters was born.

Do you know how surreal it is going to watch a baseball game of people you've never met with your cat's picture on their jerseys?

No, you don't.

Campaign Materials for Sale

Although Hank was raising a lot of money, he didn't keep one cent for himself - often donating not just the full net proceeds but also 100% of the gross proceeds as well to animal rescue.

Hank's Message to Politicians

Hank used the money for good - making sure that it would go to small independent animal rescue groups who would use it to save lives from euthanasia, spay/neuter, and vaccinate.

Hank had a message to all politicians: Follow in my pawprints. Instead of raising millions of dollars for attack ads and to line your own pockets, raise millions of dollars and donate them to the charities/causes you believe in. You say you believe in cops? Give to charities that support them, first responders, and their widows. You say you support the troops? Give to groups that help rehabilitate soldiers and help provide artificial limbs, home handicap modifications, PTSD animals, etc.

By doing so, Hank said - not only are you proving that you're the genuine article, you're also getting free press and goodwill that far exceeds a 30 second attack ad. You also improve your community before a single vote is cast for or against you, and even if you lose, you've made a real difference to many lives.

Animal Rescue Pledge

Hank opened the door for his opponents by offering the Animal Rescue Pledge, which he of course signed. The pledge says that each candidate will donate $15,000 (a drop in the bucket for the other two candidates), and will promise to provide welfare and protection to animals in Virginia and abroad.

A Gentleman and a Scholar

Hank was not only a gorgeous boy, he was extremely intelligent and thoughtful as well. He was far more conservative than we are, but still ran as an Independent because he felt that America deserved more than the lesser-of-two-evils that a two party system had given us.

As such, he wrote a number of articles on many topics.

A topic he wrote about often was the exorbitant amount of money in politics, as well as the negativity. He pointed out that a person seeking a job doesn't spend the entire interview telling the hiring manager why all the other candidates are terrible - job candidates are supposed to convince the hiring manager why they're the best for the job. He thought that politics should be no different, and that we should reject candidates who bring nothing to the table except to tell us how bad the other candidates are.

Hank also cared deeply about the Constitution, and lamented that people so focused on some rights (the Second Amendment) while completely ignoring others (the Fourth Amendment). He felt that *all* of our rights deserved to be protected. And that by allowing the government to continually erode our rights against seizure and warrant-less wiretapping that we open the door for future dissent and whistleblowing to be stifled or suppressed - to say nothing of political adversaries being silenced, creating a de facto dictatorship.

As well as posting on Facebook, Hank also wrote a number of articles about topics important to him on Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hank-the-cat/hank-the-cat-dc_b_2594284.html?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hank-the-cat/cat-for-senate_b_1974782.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hank-the-cat/happy-holidays_b_2360628.html?

Tax Returns

Unlike another candidate, Hank gladly released his tax returns.

Hank Gets Frustrated

In seeing yet another gridlocked Congress that still found time to do dozens of pointless partisan votes knowing they'd get blocked, Hank became frustrated and adopted a new slogan: VOTE THE HUMANS OUT. It resonated with his fans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unqbeR54dTQ

Hank Celebrates America

Hank wasn't always working - he always took the time to send his fans a positive message and photo on holidays.

New Years Eve

Passover

St. Patrick's Day

Sports season

Halloween

Fall harvest

Thanksgiving

Happy Holidays

Christmas

Election Day Arrives

Of course we spent election day at the polls handing out flyers and sample ballots to voters.

Hank eagerly awaited at home with poise and repose.

Hank comes in third

Unfortunately, when it was all said and done, Hank placed third with 6000 votes - but he broke the glass ceiling of American politics. And his campaign rightfully brought shame to a broken and corrupt political system in America. But he showed voters that we could do better.

Unfortunately, as we see now - his lessons weren't learned and things are far far worse. Who knows where the bottom will be.

Hank gave Hope

Hank showed that politicians can do better. He showed that we don't have to keep heading to the bottom - and in doing so, gave hope to his fans.

But more than that, he raised over $16,000 for animal rescue. We'll never know how many lives he saved because of his campaign. How many animals would have been euthanized who were instead given a chance at life, and given a new home. How many homes are, right now, enriched because they found a wonderful loving dog or cat that otherwise may have been lost and unloved.

Hank Re-Enters the Private Sector

His campaign behind him, Hank turned his attention to business - offering his leadership and expertise to the construction sector.

Hank's Story Gets Told

Last summer, an independent filmmaker named Emma Kouguell contacted us and told us she wanted to create a documentary film on Hank and his story. We of course happily agreed and assisted in any way we could - providing some materials and being available for interviews.

Hank's Film is Released

http://www.wildabouthank.com

The film was absolutely amazing and Emma did a wonderful job. It's cute, it's funny, and it's very touching. She's made it available free online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt7ZrDzUqrA

Opening Night

Hank's fans turned out with a line out the door to see the documentary.

This is one of my favorite photos of Hank - it's of him sleeping soundly on my lap, which he'd do every single night. He was very serious and ran on a set schedule. He had to be fed at a certain time, then he'd go cuddle with Sammy for the day. At night, after supper, he had to cuddle with us on our laps. When it was time for bed, if you were late he'd complain to remind you of bedtime. If you didn't go to bed on time, he'd go to the top of the stairs and wait. Then he'd get carried to bed, and spend the entire night sleeping with us until bedtime - of course he'd make sure to milk/make biscuits on our legs first.

:`(

A little over a year after Hank's campaign came to an end, he stopped eating for a couple of days. We took him to the vet, expecting it to be something minor. They felt a lump in his abdomen and he was given an ultrasound and biopsy. The ultrasound revealed a mass in his intestines, and the biopsy came back positive for cancer. We immediately began chemo treatment and he was given a steroid to promote healing. Naively, we expected the best.

His big brother Sammy of course knew something was wrong and held him - the picture above is the last picture ever taken of Hank.

His health rapidly declined and he spent the night in the emergency room, but just kept getting worse. We brought him home, hoping he was just stressed out being there - but he continued to get worse and worse.

After about 14 hours of him being home and obviously in great pain, we made the hardest and most painful decision of our lives and decided to let him go. We took him back to the hospital and held him, telling him how much we loved him and how special and wonderful he was, and how very proud of him we were. Then, after we had said our goodbyes, we held him and saw him off to his next adventure - his promotion to guardian angel.

One of his fans, a 9 year old girl in Indiana, sent us this a few days after his passing. We framed it and it hangs above his portrait - a reminder that he wasn't just loved by us, he was loved by thousands of other people who were never lucky enough to meet him.

Years later, he's never far from our hearts - and we've never (and will never) make any apologies about that. Even if he never ran for Senate, even if no one had ever heard of him or met him, he was still an amazing soul.

And he'll always be our baby boy. And our baby Senator.

Rest In Peace

You are so loved and missed, baby boy.