Ratchet the Hardware Cat

In a little red brick building, in the heart of Winnipeg's north end, lives Ratchet, the world's only hardware cat. If you've ever been to Pollock's Hardware Co-op, you've probably met her, curled up on the vintage cooler, napping by the paint machine, or meowing by the basement stairs. The 101 year history of Pollock's wouldn't be complete without her. How Ratchet came to live a Pollock's is a bit of a mystery, but she has been running the place for 14 years and never fails to bring a smile to people's faces. She is the star of the show and a beloved cat in our community and beyond.

Unfortunately, Ratchet had a really tough summer. We noticed she wasn't her normal self, she lost weight, slept way more than normal, and was not eating. We took her to the vet and they diagnosed Ratchet with diabetes. They told us it was really lucky we didn't wait much longer too as her blood sugar was very high and it was becoming very dangerous to her health.

Since then, we've started taking special care of Ratchet. Special food, insulin twice a day, diabetes friendly treats, blood sugar monitoring, and (of course) extra love. Ratchet's care has been a team effort, with Pollock's staff and volunteers tag-teaming to make sure our little hardware kitty is okay.

But we need help. The extra cost of caring for Ratchet's condition is more than our store, staff, and volunteers can manage. We know how much she is loved, and many people have expressed interest in helping, so we opened this GoFundMe for those that are able to help by financially supporting us with her ongoing medical care.

Our goal is to raise $4,600 to help cover the next three years of care for Ratchet and we are asking for your help with this effort. Your donation will go directly towards paying for Ratchet's immediate needs such as daily insulin, needles, glucose monitoring, lancets, test strips, vet appointments, diabetic food and treats.

Thank you for taking the time to consider Ratchet, our special north end hardware cat. A donation of $20, $50, $100 or more would be sincerely appreciated and go a long way to help keep our kitty healthy and active.