This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A Utah cat has a new home, thanks in part to President Donald Trump.

The Humane Society of Utah's longest resident was a brown tabby named Sprite, who'd been in the shelter since around the time Trump secured the Republican Party nomination last year. Mystified that the friendly 11-year-old cat had been passed over by so many, the Humane Society of Utah recently changed his name from Sprite to Covfefe, a non-word that's become part of the vernacular since Trump tweeted it just after midnight May 31.

It's likely that "covfefe" was a typo of "coverage" — Trump's now-deleted tweet read: "Despite the constant negative press covfefe." In a happy twist, coverage in The Salt Lake Tribune is what caught the attention of Covfefe's new family.

After reading about Covfefe's plight in Friday morning's paper, a mother and daughter went to the Humane Society of Utah to adopt him.

"They saw the article and felt so sad — they didn't want a senior cat to be in a shelter," said Deann Shepherd, the Humane Society's marketing director.

The family already has a dog at home, but has never had a cat before, so shelter workers spent time going over the basics of cat care.

With Covfefe being an older fellow, Shepherd said, he'll likely spend time napping and cuddling when he feels like it. But he won't be Covfefe much longer — the family plans to change his name.

The shelter often renames animals to try to boost their appeal factor, Shepherd said. Sometimes staffers choose names that are based on the prospective pets' personalities, or name animals after popular characters.

Other times it's a matter of removing the negative connotations of an existing name. A cat named Rasputin had lingered in the shelter for a long time, but was adopted almost immediately once he was given a cuter name, Shepherd said.

Now that Covfefe has left the building, Shepherd said it might be "time for a makeover" for Jerry, a gray-and-white, relaxation-loving feline who now holds the dubious honor of being the longest-serving shelter cat.

Animals "can stay with us as long as it takes to find a home" — the Humane Society of Utah is a no-kill shelter, Shepherd said. But despite the amenities — window views and massive climbing trees in Kitty City; private "catnip TV" with videos of birds and squirrels in interior rooms; visitors and volunteers to provide emotional and mental stimulation — cats are much better off in homes of their own, she said.

Currently, the shelter has a room full of "adorable little tiny kittens," Shepherd said, as well as plenty of more mature cats.

And even those who aren't interested in adding a pet to the family are welcome to visit the shelter — at 4242 S. 300 West in Murray — to hang out with the cats or help walk the dogs.

Twitter: @racheltachel