Tape W. Orm

Meghan Tumolo and her husband were at a family party when they discovered a feral kitten in a barn behind the house. Not planning on adopting another cat, Meghan did her best to ignore him. But the weather was turning cold and her family was concerned that the tiny kitten wouldn’t last much longer on its own. Unable to bear the thought of leaving him, Meghan and her husband brought him home. Not knowing where the kitten came from or what kind of health it was in, the couple jokingly referred to him as “Tape,” short for – you guessed it – tape worm. Although the vet later assured them that their new pet was in perfect health, the Tumolos were hard-pressed to come up with a better name and “Tape” (forgive the pun) stuck.

Meghan attempted to make the offbeat name slightly more dignified, by spelling it, “Tape W. Orm” and occasionally addresses him as “Sir Tape Worm.” Though Tape has settled nicely into his life as a city kitty, he is proof that you can take the kitten out of the barn, but you can’t take the barn out of the kitten. “He’s a little rascal and such a farm boy,” said Megan. “He wakes us up in the morning with a very loud cry, which we think sounds more like a neigh. Perhaps it’s something he picked up from the horses back in the barn.”

Although the couple was happy to save Tape from life on the farm, it was not a decision they made on a whim. Meghan knows first-hand how costly being a pet owner can be. About a year ago, she lost her 2-year-old cat to a rare form of heart disease, but not before doing everything in her power to care for her. In the end, Meghan endured the painful process of putting her pet to sleep and walked away with $2,000 in debt. It was this unfortunate experience that made insurance a priority for any new pet she brought home. “It’s important that my pets have a policy with VPI,” said Meghan. “I want to make sure they can have whatever treatment they needed to be ok.”

Meghan Tumolo
VPI Policyholder Since 2010

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