Salem (also known as Binks or Pete the cat on campus) found a new home, as he was adopted by Charles Lee on March 1.

Salem was a stray cat that was found on campus around January’s Movie Night, going into classrooms and even sleeping on Assistant Principal Sara Martinez’s chair. Courtney Bell, the English 1 teacher, took the cat home on Feb. 11 and cared for him until Feb. 28.

“We had a couple of people who were interested in him…my mom’s employee, Charles, was the first one who was very serious about the cat,” Bell said. “We’re like ‘Okay, cool!’ because he’s very nice, very dependable, and a very good person.”

The people who knew Salem on campus realized that he was one of the sweetest cats that they’ve ever met; he was very affectionate, wanting to be on students’ laps, hang out, and sleep.

“He was such a sweetheart. He was so calm. When he went into the wellness center, he made himself right at home,” said senior Sofia Hernandez. “He jumped right onto the student’s laps and decided that he wanted to stay there, and for a while, they had him in the office.”

While it has only been a month, the people who cared for Salem did everything that they could do for this cat. From asking people around the neighborhood to letting him into their own personal spaces, they had the best intentions in mind for this cat.

Martinez said, “I didn’t want him to get eaten by a coyote or run over, so we were trying to find if he belonged to somebody in the community, and nobody seemed to know who he belonged to. So we started asking the teachers if they wanted to inherit a cat.”

Moving forward, the cat caretakers wish Salem well in his new home with Lee.

“I got him fixed, and [Lee] also got a year of free veterinary care for him. So he’s all set up to have this perfect life with [Lee],” Bell said.