Very Friendly Cat Found in Atlas Court NE

by Prince Of Petworth March 17, 2016 at 9:18 am 20 Comments

cat

“Dear PoPville,

I found a cat the other day and was wondering if you would be so kind as to post her to the blog. She was found Monday, 5/14, in Atlas Court NE on the I street side of the alley. She was very a very tattered nylon collar with no tags. I’ve taken her to be scanned and she isn’t chipped. She weighs about six pounds, very friendly and comes when called. She’s missing a few teeth, including a lower canine. She seems to be older and is unable to jump more than a foot or two. She’s a wonderful cat, and I’d love to see her in her home (my dogs would love it too).”

If you recognize this cat please email princeofpetworth@gmail.com and I’ll put you in touch with OP. Thanks!

K

Cute kitty. Did you send this to Elise at Frozen Tropics? A lot of H street readers read PopVille (obviously) but frozen tropics might catch a wider pool of neighbors. Also Elise is a cat person and who would probably be happy to help.
nightborn

Poor sweet girl! I hope you find her owners soon.
lawderly

A lot of cats in H st/Atlas are indoor/outdoor cats too. Maybe picking it up and taking it inside isn’t the best way for it to make its way home. I know our neighbors have some outdoor cats without collars.
- FreshlyAlive
  
  Exactly. Whenever I see a cat I let it be. They have a keen ability to find their way back home. I would only take it in if it looked hurt or sick.
  - Ailurophile
    
    This cat does sound hurt! She can’t jump and she’s missing several teeth. She shouldn’t be an outdoor cat. Or even an indoor/outdoor cat.
    
    OP- please take her to WHS. If she does belong to someone, her owners can come get her. If she doesn’t belong to anyone, she will get the care she needs and will have the chance to get adopted.
    - wdc
      
      Right, the best thing for an older cat who’s used to coming and going as she pleases is to be cooped up in an unfamiliar and frightening place. A place she is very likely to pick up an infection, which at her age could easily kill her. Maybe even before the pound can euthanize her for being too old to get adopted in kitten season. Solid plan.
      - Ailurophile
        
        Very cynical.
        She clearly likes people and would almost certainly thrive in a foster home until she gets adopted. I’ve fostered with WHS for years and know that they would make every effort to get her into a foster home as soon as possible.
        
        Also, by taking her to the humane society, if she is lost, she has the chance of getting reunited with her family. If my elderly cat got out and was wandering the streets with these frailties, I would be hoping someone would take her in to the shelter, not just shrug and assume he belongs outside.
    - distritera
      
      +1 to Ailurophile. I understand the different views given that this is a neighborhood where outdoor cats are common. But given the cat’s apparent health issues, and the fact that WHS is the central place for lost and found animals in our city, taking her there seems like the best move. Letting her out and just hoping that she’ll find her way back home (if she indeed has one) does not sound like the most humane solution under the circumstances. (And she’s far more likely to get an infection outdoors than inside, even in an unfamiliar home.)
- JohnSmith
  
  +1 for probably being an indoor/ outdoor cat.
- jcm
  
  If she has people then they should put a collar on her and a chip in her. Abandoned/lost cats look exactly like collar-less indooor/outdoor cats.
  - C_petworth
    
    As a Cat owner, most people with an indoor/ outdoor cat these days get then micro chipped! the fact that she is not and only weights 6 pounds makes me feel like she has been outside for a while.
wdc

If she’s friendly, she’s not lost. Lost cats are scared and suspicious. A relaxed cat is on its home turf, and you should leave it alone. Please let her out so she can go back to her people.
distritera

It’s very kind of you to be willing to keep her in your home if her owners can’t be found. Good luck!
KM

She’s adorable, and I’m so glad you brought her in. Going to have to disagree with those who say you shouldn’t have picked her up. Cats who are pets in DC shouldn’t be outside at all; it’s too dangerous for them. If someone owned this cat, let it roam outdoors, and didn’t even bother to have him or her microchipped, then I’d say they are negligent pet owners that don’t really deserve to keep their cat (especially given the state of the cat’s health). Also, I rescued one of my cats after finding her in my driveway. She was in absolutely awful shape (crawling with fleas, an eye swollen shut, covered in scabs) but was completely friendly from the beginning. Friendliness does not mean this cat doesn’t need help.
- wdc
  
  I know the rules about outdoor cats, but I wish people would quit taking the law into their own hands regarding other people’s pets. Parking a car in front of an alley is illegal, and dangerous for the car. Does that give you the right to claim the car as your own? Or tow it yourself to an impound lot, so that the owner can reclaim it there?
  Call animal control if you must. Put out food or a warm shelter if you’re so moved. But scooping up other people’s pets because you don’t approve of the way they care for them is the wrong way to express your love of animals.
  - CoHi
    
    Cat are different. There are feral cats and pet cats. Have you ever met a feral automobile?
    .
    It’s easy to put a collar and tags on your cat if it is going to live outside (even though pet cats shouldn’t live outside in cities), and also fairly easy to get them chipped. If a cat guardian is not going to put enough care into their guardianship to tag or chip their cat, and especially if they never file a lost report with WHS, then it’s their cat to lose.
    .
    My recommendation would be to at least file a “found pet” report with WHS, and to either take her to WHS or offer to hold on to her in case her owner is found within a few days.
    .
    I know we had outdoor cats in my small town when I was a kid, but (1) my neighbors all knew they were our cats, and (2) I would never do that now (it was a different time). Cats belong indoors. Otherwise it’s dangerous for them, and for the wild birds in the area.
    - Makhnovisti
      
      “Feral Automobile” is a great name for a band.
    - C_petworth
      
      I agree. The human society lets pet owners micro chip their cats for under 50 bucks. I have indoor only cats and I jumped on this in case they ever went out.
      
      The OP should report the lost pet to the humane society even if they are ok with fostering the cat for a while. If this kitty does have a loving owner they will sure enough contact the humane society to see if she has turned up .
llucas

My cat is an indoor outdoor cat and loves to be outside on a warm sunny day. He also likes to tag along with me on walks throughout my Riggs Park neighborhood and hang out with his cat pals. The idea that someone sees a cat outside and brings it into their home claiming it’s lost really bothers me. The cat you brought in today seems to lives in the neighborhood. Just because she is outside does not mean she’s homeless.
Renee

I can’t believe anyone would recommend takingan animal to WHS. All they do mostly is kill animals who aren’t adopted in a week or less and that does mean older cats and dogs get an automatic death sentence. This cat needs an indoor home and is probably abandoned. I hope you keep her or find her an indoor home.

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