In Hopewell Borough, finding Trouble isn’t hard at all. The friendly tortoiseshell cat has become a fixture at Seminary Avenue and East Prospect Street, where she greets schoolchildren, escorts parents, and has quietly built a devoted fan club over nearly a decade.
“Trouble is the highlight of our walk,” reflected Lori Saporito, a Hart Avenue resident who walks her neighbors, ages 6 and 9, to school each morning. “She always comes up to us for a pet. There’s often a bit of a competition between the kids as to which one Trouble will approach first. I’m pretty sure she’s aware of this.”
Trouble has left an indelible impression on a generation of HES students. Her fans use words like “gregarious,” “affectionate,” “savvy” and “independent” to describe her personality.
“We were late to school a couple of times because we were visiting with Trouble,” said Robert Loftin of Broad Street, now 16 and a high school sophomore at Solebury School. “A lot of times she’d even walk with us all the way to the playground.”
Trouble is so well known that neighbors were concerned when her human, David Anderson, adopted a dog and relocated to a new home in the Borough this spring. What would happen to Trouble? When Anderson’s house went on the market but Trouble remained, they wondered who would care for her.
Trouble’s challenges were the talk of the neighborhood. Thanks to some kind friends and an outpouring of support, she’s found her way home again.
How Trouble Got Her Name
Trouble’s love story with Hopewell began several years ago, when she was a feral youngster living with about a dozen other wild cats. A friend of Anderson’s was looking for homes for these felines. In an effort to help, he picked out Milo, a frisky female with a soft black and orange coat.
“Somehow I liked this cat, but I didn’t particularly like the name,” he recalled.
Anderson lived with his wife, Georgie, and their two children at a Sears and Roebuck home within sight of the elementary school. As a kitten, Milo took to hiding under a large bush on the corner.
“She would be under there, and whenever a dog came by she’d jump out and scare it!” Anderson recalled. “So I started calling Milo ‘Trouble,’ and the name stuck. It was kind of embarrassing when I would go out at night and call her to come in. But I guess the neighbors figured out they didn’t really need to call 911.”
Over the years, Trouble’s pastimes evolved. She took up a spot on the lawn where she could see neighbors, especially children, who needed her to escort them down the sidewalk. But Trouble isn’t the first cat on the corner.
“The kids have really gotten to know our cats over the years,” said Anderson, now 78. “Trouble is just the most recent. There was Petey, and Bob. Valerie One and Valerie Two. And of course, Buttercup.”
Buttercup, Trouble’s immediate predecessor, was also well-known among HES students, Anderson explained. She would lie on the sidewalk on her back, spreading her legs wide in front of oncoming foot traffic to receive affectionate rubs.
“Parents and kids love kittens and cats, and they walk by twice a day,” Anderson said. “It’s a busy corner, and a good location.”
Transition Troubles for Trouble
Anderson’s beloved wife died in January of 2024 after a long illness. He found himself occupying the four-bedroom home at Seminary and Prospect with only Trouble’s companionship.
“The house was really too big for me,” Anderson said, “and I wasn’t keeping it up as well as I should have been. I was the caretaker for my wife as she got sicker, and I didn’t take very good care of myself during that time, either.”
Anderson decided to seek out the companionship of a dog. He adopted Thor, a small, chihuahua/dachshund mix. While Thor and David became fast friends, Thor and Trouble did not.
“[Thor] kind of took over the house,” Anderson said, “and he really did not enjoy having Trouble inside.”
Trouble spent more time outside the house to adapt, but when Anderson moved to a smaller apartment the cat had a hard time with the transition.
“It took me about 18 months to get my act together and empty out the house,” he explained. “I got into a wonderful apartment here in the Borough just a few blocks away. I tried rehoming Trouble here, but Thor wouldn’t allow it. Eventually, Trouble got scared of even coming near the apartment door.”
Anderson tried to find a new home for Trouble, but initial attempts didn’t work out. That’s when her neighborhood admirers stepped in.
Neighbors to the Rescue
“Folks were interested in what was going to happen to Trouble when I sold the house,” Anderson said. “She’s been popular for many years.”
Once Anderson moved to his new apartment, neighbors quickly noticed Trouble was still spending her days near the old house. “People would stop when I was in my garden and ask, ‘Hey, what’s going on with Trouble?’ and ‘Why did her owners abandon her?’” said Barbara Merry, who lives across the street. She reassured them that Anderson was still caring for his famous cat — just from a few blocks away.
Merry began keeping an eye on Trouble herself. She set up a small refuge for the tortoiseshell on her screened porch with a bed, food, and water. It lasted only briefly. “I heard noises and thought she was playing,” Merry said. “When I checked, she was climbing the screen door and managed to get out! She’s a cat that does not want to be inside.”
As the summer went on, questions and assumptions about Trouble’s situation flooded local social media. Merry stepped in again — this time to calm the chatter. She created a lighthearted GoFundMe page “to raise awareness,” she said. It worked. Within days, the page had raised $900 and proved just how many people in the Borough cared about the cat.
And despite the concern, Merry noted that Trouble has never been lacking for food. “Other people are so sure she’s not being fed,” she said. “I think she’s actually being overfed now.”
Through it all, Trouble remained unfazed, splitting her time between Merry’s porch and her old corner across the street, greeting passersby as faithfully as ever.
Finding Common Cause as Feline Fans
Anderson’s family home wasn’t on the market long. Whether the friendly tortoiseshell kitty helped influence buyers or not, the home sold quickly and renovations are underway.
“The young couple who will be moving in just lost a cat of their own,” Merry explained, “and they’ve agreed to eventually take on Trouble so she won’t have to move. She can stay right there.”
That’s great news for Trouble’s fans young and old, as she’ll be able to remain on the corner of Seminary and Prospect, escorting kids and parents to and from school each day. As fall becomes winter, Trouble is still at her post, thanks to Merry’s ingenuity. Trouble enjoys a heater cat shelter on her screened porch, with plenty of warmth to keep her from the overnight chill.
When Anderson and Thor take walks in Hopewell Borough Park (“Gazeebo Park”) Trouble often meets them there.
“She doesn’t walk exactly with us, but she wanders back and forth and eventually catches up,” he said. “She knows her way around the park, but she doesn’t come back to the apartment. She’ll stop and walk back to the house, and Thor and I go on.
“I’m doing much better now,” Anderson said. “I’m taking care of myself. I got cataract surgery. I’m losing weight and I’m walking more, so I’m feeling better.
“This is something that gives me joy,” he continued. “I love sharing my cats, and I love that it brings joy to the families and the kids, too.”
As for Trouble, her neighbors cherish meeting her on the street each day.
“She, along with many of the very friendly dogs in town, tend to bring out the best in people,” Saporito said. “We can all use a little more of that in our lives.”
“She is always welcoming and loves all people equally,” Loftin’s mother, Andrea, agreed. “Trouble being a wonderful, uplifting kitty is one thing everyone can agree on in this divisive time. She brings people together through her unwavering kindness and love.”
Trouble has been a source of common interest for her many admirers in Hopewell Borough this fall, just as she has for many years before.
“A cat is an easy thing to find common ground about,” Merry reflected. “Rallying around Trouble is, I think, a way for people to say ‘Hey, I’m your neighbor. We might differ, but we can show concern for an animal at least.’”
