Marnie Miszewski with \u201cTommy\u201d the cat. PHOTO PROVIDED<\/p>\n
If asked to describe herself, Marnie Miszewski might chuckle and say, she\u2019s a super duper pooper scooper, however, that depiction is not far from the truth as her life heavily involves caring for many cats on Pine Island, at her Helping Paws Animal Sanctuary. <\/p>\n
\u201cI guess I\u2019m a cat person. That\u2019s my life basically, in a nut-shell,\u201d Miszewski said.<\/p>\n
She said was the first one in her family to come and that she came to work in Pine Island in 2010, making 2026 her 16th anniversary here. Living in Cape Coral made the island an accessible location for the animal sanctuary she\u2019d wanted to open, so when she found it, Miszewski knew she was on to something, saying it was meant to be from that point. The feeling that Pine Island was a unique and amazing place she loved was instantaneous, she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI had been living in the Cape for years and driving out to Pine Island to do things, but having people see my new business and knocking on the door to help or volunteer \u2014 that was almost instant and how do you not love that?\u201d Miszewski said.<\/p>\n
Miszewski said she believes when she first came out to the island she drummed up a lot of curiosity about her place and didn\u2019t blame folks at all for wondering what she was doing with Helping Paws. Her love for Pine Island, she said, is likely most obvious in the animals she serves.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anyone likes me best, I think it would be the cats, with runners up being the people who get cats from me,\u201d Miszewski said.<\/p>\n
Without effort, Helping Paws has become almost its own tourist attraction, she said, admitting that it\u2019s fun and that there are out-of-town regulars who make a point to visit the animal sanctuary during our seasonal period and bring treats for the animals. <\/p>\n
If she were to describe Pine Island to someone who\u2019d never heard of it, she said she would tell them it\u2019s an eclectic community of people who care about each other and also that it feels very much like a small town. <\/p>\n
If Miszewski were to make a wish for the island, she admits having its own animal shelter would likely be the greatest one on it, however, when thinking exclusively for Pine Island, it\u2019s bit more collective for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want the new people and everybody to be a part of the community and to have things go well \u2014 to rebuild and finish with the construction I guess,\u201d Miszewski said.<\/p>\n