For 7-year-old, happy felines means a perfect birthday

Raine Sloan likes cats.

The 7-year-old Atwater resident has a cat named Serafina, a feral kitten that found a home with Raine and her mom, Lana Sloan.

Raine likes cats more than most folks, though. She likes them so much she gave up getting gifts for her seventh birthday a couple of weeks ago. Instead, her party guests brought donations to the Last Hope Cat Kingdom, a local nonprofit cat rescue.

"I've always been someone who wants my daughter to be aware of the world," said Lana. "I want her to know there is more to life than just presents."

Raine learned about cats from her friend, Jasmine Schmitz. Her grandmother, Renate Schmitz, and her mom, the late Ramona Schmitz, gave Last Hope its start.

"My daughter knew Jasmine because they both go to St. Anthony's Catholic School, and they are good friends," Lana explained.

The friendship led to a lot of playtimes together, including some at the cat rescue center in rural Atwater.

"My daughter just absolutely loves cats, and when I asked if she was interested in raising money for Last Hope, she jumped on it," Lana recalled.

Jasmine's mother, Ramona, was murdered by her boyfriend in June 2008. Lana had to talk to her daughter about the tragedy because the two little girls were friends and Raine knew Jasmine's mother.

"When I talked to Raine about helping the cat kingdom, I reminded her that Jasmine's mommy started it, and that's all it took," Lana said.

Staging a party with a purpose isn't the first time Raine and her friends have helped others. The little girl trick-or-treated for UNICEF at Halloween, along with other students from St. Anthony's.

Raine is an only child, and her single mom adopted her when she was 9 months old from China. The 7-year-old has reached the age that she wants to help others, and first Lana thought that maybe Raine could hold a party for children in China.

"But then I thought about it, and she doesn't really have strong ties there," she said. "But she loves cats and always wants to help them, so this worked out well."

Now other students at St. Anthony's have jumped on the "party with a purpose" bandwagon. One little boy is going to have a party soon where children bring a book and a bear, or a stuffed animal.

"The books and the stuffed animals will go to the Atwater Police Department," Lana said. "They can keep them in their car trunks, and when they come across a child in need, they can give them a book and a bear."

Renate, Jasmine's grandmother and one of the founders of the cat rescue, said the money Raine raised has been a solid contribution.

"We got more than $350 in money and donations," Schmitz said. "Think about it this way: $350 feeds 200 cats for two weeks. That's a huge help."

Lana Sloan is pretty sure her daughter isn't going to stop helping others.

"She didn't really want the presents this year," she said. "She's old enough that she gets it now. It's not all about her."

Raine's own cat's name, Serafina, comes from the Latin, "seraphim," or fiery ones. Like Raine, they too were angels.

Reporter Carol Reiter can be reached at (209) 385-2486 or creiter@mercedsun-star.com.