Found in the 3900 block of Woodlawn Ave North in Wallingford: a young, all-black, female short-hair cat, appears to be in good health, but no collar, no tags, no ID chip.Cautiously friendly: permits petting and chin scratching. Seems generally clean; no ear mites. Likely a lost pet, not a feral cat.
The Seattle Animal Shelter at 2061 15th Ave West will euthanize her if we take her in, they told us they have “too many black cats.”
(FACT: black cats are the LEAST popular for adoption.)
We have many cats in the neighborhood which may be why she found her way here. She is being fed but is living/sleeping in our yards.
She seems to be familiar with “indoor living,” as she shows a strong interest in coming inside. She is understandably a bit tense from living al fresco for a couple of weeks, but the consensus opinion here is that she would probably mellow out easily once she regained a feeling of security.
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Here’s the response from the Seattle Animal Shelter:
First off I would like to apologize on behalf of the Seattle Animal Shelter for the misinformation that you were given. We do not euthanize any animal because of its color, coat length or any other physical appearance. If you still have the cat and have been unable to locate an owner we can have a field officer pick the cat up from your residence at no charge or it can be brought to the shelter during our normal business hours for drop offs of noon to 5:30pm Wednesday to Sunday. For a field pick up you can call the Seattle Animal Shelter dispatch center directly at 206-386-7387 ext 7. The dispatch center is open seven days a week from 9am to 6:30pm. If you would prefer to hold onto the cat you can also post a found notice on our website by following this link https://web1.seattle.gov/dea/
romps/ and selecting the option “I FOUND a pet”. Stray adoptable animals are held at the shelter for three business days to allow an owner time to come and redeem their pet. If no owner is located the animal would then be put up for adoption. If the pet becomes sick or needs a break from the shelter it is transferred to one of our foster homes to recover and it continue stay in our system and is promoted via our online adoption process.
Thank you and again I apologize for the incorrect information that you were given about the Seattle Animal Shelters approach to stray animals.
Don Baxter
Manager – Animal Care and Volunteers
Seattle Animal Shelter
(206) 386-4292 – desk
(206) 386-7387 – SAS dispatch
I saw a sign for a lost black cat in Wallingford last week. I don’t remember exactly where, but this could be the same kitty.
Who currently has the cat? Is this person going to keep her? I’d love to spread the word about getting her adopted, but I also know that Animal Talk on Roosevelt would likely take her if her owner is not found.
Why is there no contact info in case we recognize the cat, or would be interested in adopting her if no one else wanted to?
@Mark, Sorry, I should have posted that folks can email us at [email protected].
In any event, Jim wrote me this morning to tell me he may have located the cat’s owner. We’ll keep you posted.
The Seattle Animal Shelter never euthanizes a cat just because it is an unpopular color. never. Do you remember who you talked too that said that?????
Please don’t take this kitty to the Animal Shelter!! She may be euthanized!! Please let her hang out; hopefully, her owner will find her soon!!!
There is a black cat that often “hangs out” around 42nd and Whitman. This cat looks very similar. Did you take the cat in? Perhaps you should let it go so that it can make it’s way back home. Isn’t it possible that it’s a indoor/outdoor cat just out for a stroll??
I agree with Sara, this looks like the cat I see wandering around 40th and Whitman, I always assumed that it went inside at night.
I see a black cat aroun woodland park n and 41/42 often when walking.. let this cat out so it can go home
He doesn’t have the cat inside, yoyo.
Sara B and yoyo: what does the sentence ” She is being fed but is living/sleeping in our yards” mean to you?
I would also like to address the objection raised by DON BAXTER and CHIP concerning the euthanizing of animals by the Seattle Animal Shelter. The comment about the Seattle Animal Shelter having “too many” black cats was made to my neighbor, not me, but she is a responsible adult and has no reason to make up stories about the SAS. Several years ago I experienced this same kind of “doublespeak” from the Seattle Animal Shelter. I was told by a shelter worker that strays would be euthanized and when I pursued the issue the story changed to just what Don and Chip said above. At that time, years ago, I assumed I had heard something incorrectly the first time. Now the issue arises again. Don Baxter should instruct all his volunteers and employees to chant “WE DON’T EUTHANIZE” when they throw the KILL switch. Last year I donated several hundred dollars to the Seattle Animal Shelter’s FUND FOR THE ANIMALS. That stops now; the money will go to Pasado’s or the Humane Society instead.
@Jayme — I called Animal Talk on Roosevelt. They have no room for her right now.
I don’t have a cat in this fight, but … just for the sport of the semantics, note the ambiguity in the Seattle Animal Shelter response. The outline of how they handle cats they receive doesn’t mention killing them, but when he addresses the point directly, he doesn’t just say they don’t, he says they don’t for the cited reasons.
But … if people hate to see cats get killed, they need to work harder to make cats rare and valuable. Going after the outfits that receive the overflow of unwanted cats, only drives the killing out to less visible and less compassionate places.
pardon me for making you mad
Check yoyoself before you wreck yoyoself, yoyo.
The shelter doesn’t euthanize because of color; however, shelters do euthanize unless they are branded and proved no-kill. The problem is they only have so much room. With cats, they will euthanize unhealthy animals first. They do look for fosters and they have a time limit (usually). Its very sad. Too many animals out there needing homes. The shelters can only handle so many. If your cat is going to be outside it really should be chipped and either spayed or neutered.
As for this black cat…please try Cat City by PAWS before taking it to a shelter. They take in many animals.
I volunteer with a small West Seattle based cat rescue and work in Wallingford. We currently have room if you are still looking for rescue for this cat. Thank you for watching out for her. [email protected]
@Jim What is the current status of this cat? id you see the message that there is a West Seattle cat rescue with space? I would email you directly, but I don’t see your email address listed anywhere.
@MARK – The cat is still being cared for by a couple concerned neighbors.
She is being fed daily and is becoming familiar with some of us so that she is even more approachable now than she first was. She has never been aggressive or vicious – just scared and lonely, worried about her future.
I have not followed up with the West Seattle cat rescue people because we remain hopeful that her owner will show up. She was found HERE, not in West Seattle, and it makes sense that she was living near HERE, so if someone is going to look for her they would, we think, look here.
I do appreciate your compassionate concern and hope you understand my thinking on this.
Was wondering about that, where indeed would the owners look? If you haven’t noticed anyone wandering around in your back yard looking for their cat, maybe it’s because after a few back yard tours closer to home they were discouraged from doing that any more.
Not too likely this cat’s original owners are going to come for it in any case, but if there isn’t some way to publish its whereabouts where people looking for their pets might look, you may as well come to terms with your new adopted cat.
@DONN – Gosh, you’re right! Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom.
@Jim I really am not sure why you have taken up such an aggressively combative tone in these comments. I agree with Donn that it is unlikely after all this time that the owners are just going to find it just by looking around. It is possible that if the cat was at a rescue and on PetFinder the owners, or owners’ friends might see it that way just through increased exposure. If not, then at least the cat would have a good chance of finding a good permanent home to live in. With it living on the streets of Seattle it is in danger constantly.
If you don’t want to take it to the rescue, and it sounds like you don’t, then that is obviously your call. If you would like help, or would like me to take it to the rescue please just comment on this thread and I will be happy to help.
@MARK – Thank you for defending Donn from my aggressively combative tone.
Your vigilance keeps us all safe.
When I first posted this message my hope was that I would be able to reunite the cat with its owner.
I have received all kinds of helpful tips and insights, each ultimately useless.
I exchanged email with a lady at FORT LEWIS who was sure this was her cat. IF it was, it travelled about 70 miles in one night to get here.
People said I should do “X” or “Y”, just “in case” their particular fantasy scenario came to pass. Release her from my basement laboratory so she could go home; Print and circulate 3-D holographic flyers revealing every detail of the cat’s appearance and mental state; Rent the Goodyear blimp; Return her to her rightful place on the Throne of Russia; hire the Blue Angels, put on a Lake Union Fireworks spectacular; get bloodhounds to “reverse-sniff” the cat and thereby find her home.
I have participated in parsing the pro-SAS statements and subjecting them to intense lexical scrutiny.
I have had people mention that they recall seeing a black cat once, somewhere… maybe in a dream…
I have gently encouraged some to move their reading comprehension scores into the double-digits.
I have fed the assembled multitudes with a fish and a loaf of bread — no, wait, THAT was a TV show…
…and now I have been scolded for my “tone.”
IF you listen VERY carefully you still won’t hear it, because PRINT doesn’t have a “tone.”
We will continue to feed the lost cat and engage her socially. She is quite the poker player.
She is in less danger with us than with someone who might decide her socialization skills are not quite up to par, or some stranger who shows up wearing a cat-skin hat saying they want to ‘take care’ of her.
To all of you: Thanks very much, but we can now consider this case CLOSED.
It’s been fun.
I’ll be back later this summer with the true story of an AMAZING subterranean civilization I discovered beneath North Seattle Community College.
B C N U
http://www.coolestone.com/media/5659/Dog-Wants-a-Kitty—Hilarious/
PS –
PAWS CAT CITY on University Way said that
a. stray cats in Seattle go to SAS (THAT will not be happening)
b. PAWS CAT CITY has no room.
to Jim: I do not understand your insolence and undermining comments towards different people here. However they clearly send a message of your character.
Your rudeness speaks for itself. I worry about any living thing under your minion… your impatience and rush to verbally crucify make you a bad care provider for an animal which may upset a water bowl by accident therefore incurring wrath.. verbal or physical.
@ COCO – A new poster to this thread, I see.
Thanks for sharing your penetrating insights.
Your omniscience is stunning to behold.
UPDATE- Li’l Missy (now June) was delivered to us by Jim on Wednesday. She had an exam, blood test, and vaccines. Her teeth were in bad shape so June had a dental and cleaning on Thursday. June is estimated to be about 7 years old. She is recovering in foster care–eating well, catching up on R&R, and getting some affection. June will head to Next to Nature in West Seattle in about a week to look for a new home. A HUGE THANK YOU to Jim, his wife, and neighbors who cared for June while she was on her own.
I am the owner of the black cat. Her name is Okie and I have been searching for her and have put up lost pictured posters of her. Would like to get in touch with Jim who last had her to see where she is at now. Please help us locate her, she is sorely missed. My number is 206-829-9060 and live on Densmore Ave N between 38th and 39th streets.
If anyone knows who mehud7 is, please contact me at the preceding listed phone number. Thank you.
Andrew – check out comment 17 above. I believe that is who has the cat now.
I volunteer with a small West Seattle based cat rescue and work in Wallingford. We currently have room if you are still looking for rescue for this cat. Thank you for watching out for her. [email protected]
@Andrew & Lauren:
This is not your cat.
THIS CAT showed up around the end of March, a couple of days before this thread was started here and a similar advertisement was placed on Craig’s List.
THIS CAT was visiting us for more than two weeks before your cat went missing.
Don’t feel silly – you are the third person who thought this was the cat they were looking for. One person was at Fort Lewis, another person came to see her and realized it was a case of mistaken identity.
Jim, my cat has been an indoor/outdoor cat for many years and is familiar to all of the neighbors that have walked down Densmore and passed my house. The vet who lives next door to me had just notice that she had a bad tooth and needed an extraction. Thank you for that. Still that does not give you the right to keep a cat that belongs to my 8 year old grand daughter. I have pictures of the cat and there is no doubt that it is my cat. She continued to return home until she followed me to Stoneway along 39th street which I hadn’t noticed until she didn’t come home that night. I posted notices with her picture and have had calls that have led me to you on this blog. Please be a good nieghbor and return my grand daught’s cat, Okie. She has been a family member and we all miss her, including our dog. Her home is here just around the corner from you. Many of your neighbors will identify her for you when you return her to her proper owner. The vet will be more than glad to vouch for her.
Lauren, Thank you for your help in locating my cat. I have been contacted by the person who has the cat and am working on getting Okie back. I appreciate anyone who cared for her. They will be able to visit her in front of my house or in the neighborhood when she is returned. After all, she is a free soul but has always returned home. I guess we all have gotten temporarily lost at one time or another. I have a collar and chip waiting for her.
Thank you mehud for doing the right thing in returning our cat. You made no judgments as to what you may have though about Okie’s behavior or condition. Let me elaborate on what caused Okie to visit around the corner on Greenlawn Ave N.
1. She was kept at home throughout the winter until March when the weather started to improve and she wanted out. She is an indoor/outdoor cat and I would not lock her in the house to her misery. She is also in the habit of following us when we walk the neighborhood.
2. There are 5 other cats on Densmore that are always out in the neighborhood hunting for rodents that come up from the garbage dump on 34th St. These cats and Okie keep the rodent population in check.
3. Okie slept and ate all of the prior winter (2011) and gained way too much weight while indoors. I placed her on a reduce diet to keep her weight down and healthier than the prior winter. Her appetite led her to visit anyone who was willing to fed her more. The rodent population on our block is probably low with all the indoor/outdoor cats that we have. Lesson for Jim, don’t feed animals that you know nothing about. You are only inviting them to return for more.
4. Okie has a beautiful coat and looks like a 6 year old cat when she is actually over 11 years old. Mehud said she thought she was 6 because of the condition of her teeth. One cracked tooth doesn’t represent neglect. I have seen many children under ten with cracked teeth; doesn’t mean they are neglected.
5. Our house is on the west side of the block and many of the cats prowl the backyards between Densmore and Greenlawn. I am not surprised she found her way to a food source around the corner in Jim’s yard.
6. Jim, thank you for your donation on her behalf. I have reimbursed mehud for the full amount you donated. Alas, I must say you appear to have more concern for a cat than the people you communicate with. You have a nasty, sarcastic and rude approach to your neighbors. This and your judgmental comments (when you know none of the facts) makes for a rather unpleasant manner. You must not have many friends with how you talked to people. Okie will continue to explore the neighborhood and hunt. Please do not feed her and she will not return to visit you. PS She is tagged and chipped.
Andrew, I’m glad Okie has been returned home. What an awful experience, I can’t imagine what I would do in the same circumstance.
Having had neighbors take my cat in and feed him when I was at work I can relate to what Andrew is saying. Although my cat had access to my basement, food and water he did enjoy being let into their home during the day. I just did not know it for a long time and I noted a change in his eating habits but didn’t understand why. In fact, my cat had became sick. I found out about the neighbors taking him in at that time. He was 16 years old and I don’t know what they fed him. It is just very awkward to start feeding cats just because you think it is a nice thing to do and they must be neglected by their owners if they accept the food. I imagine it is difficult to know when a cat needs your help or when they merely accept it because they are friendly. Makes me understand people who prefer that their animals to be less social around strangers.
The solution is simple. The only way you can really be responsible for your cat, is to keep it at home.
Well Donn, that is why I no longer have a cat. Most cats would like to be able to go outside. It just seems sad to force them to be indoors.
I’m going to disagree, Carola. I believe that if we truly care about our animal companions, we do our utmost to keep them safe.
Since we’re talking about cats, I believe that means keeping them indoors, and protected from cars or getting lost. And I also believe that cats can thrive indoors if they are well cared for. Compared with getting hit by a car, catching some nasty disease, or starving to death, that seems like a very fine and healthy life.
On the letting cats outdoors discussion – I recognize that cats started as outdoor beasts and can like to roam. I also recognize they have the potential to help keep rodents in check. That being said, aside from the fact that outdoor cats are an incredible danger to songbirds, they are also an incredible danger to humans. (Bear with me while I explain.)
I am pregnant and like to garden. I have been happily gardening this winter, throughout my pregnancy (weeding and various other winter tasks). About a month ago, well into my pregnancy and after I have spent much time in the soil, I was lucky enough to witness firsthand a wandering cat urinate and defecate in my yard. Pregnant women cannot be exposed to cat feces or they put their fetus at incredible risk via toxoplasmosis:
“Most infected infants do not have symptoms at birth but can develop serious symptoms later in life, such as blindness or mental disability. Occasionally infected newborns have serious eye or brain damage at birth.” from the CDC website.
Where does toxoplasmosis come from? again from the CDC:
“Cats play an important role in the spread of toxoplasmosis. They become infected by eating infected rodents, birds, or other small animals. The parasite is then passed in the cat’s feces.”
It is all well and good to respect your cat’s desire to wander, but not when it puts another life at risk. Because I cannot keep cats out of my garden, I will have to give up gardening until after I deliver or put my child at risk. I am just thankful I realized cats were defecating in my yard so I can limit my exposure. I’m sure countless others are unaware of this danger.
I hope cat owners will consider this impact on your neighbors before permitting their cats to roam.
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/
Well said.
Is there, by the way, a problem with rodents from the transfer station? Rats? Mice?
First, I would like to say that this blog topic has been an informative topic with valid points being raised both pro and con for indoor/outdoor cats.
– Lauren and Carola, thank you for expressing your compassion for my temporary loss and recovery of Okie. I did have a couple of sleepless nights worrying about her and found myself out at 4 am searching for her when it was quiet, in hopes of getting her attention. PS I would never go through someones yard for fear I might get shot or arrested.
– Neighbor2You and Donn, Okie is a smart cat and has managed to keep herself out of harms way for 11 years. She was an outdoor cat when I adopted her. Allowing her to go out is a risk but all of life is a risk and I could not lock her up in the house 24/7. She has been hanging around our door seeking to get back out. I am keeping her in until she recovers from all she has gone through, but she is having a miserable time of it. I will eventually have to let her have some freedom. Unlike dogs that are walked on a leash, cats are too independent for that. I didn’t lock my children up and they learned to navigate the dangers in life. Yes, there is a problem with rodents in the neighborhood and my cat-less neighbors have had the exterminators in a number of times.
– Eunice, I understand your concern and suggest you skip the gardening until you give birth. I say this because even if the cats were kept indoors, you still have the rodents, birds, raccoons and possums going through our yards where they can pollute the yards. The rodents, crows, seagulls and other birds are still present and pooping or dying/decaying all around us. The grass and bushes also can have a fungus that can be harmful to anyone with a weakened immune system. All of life is a risk and I can appreciate your desire to protect your unborn child. Locking up the cats that help to eliminate some of the risk is counter productive and not the best solution. PS congratulations on your expected gift.
Eunice,
In the link you quote, there is mention of the importance of wearing gloves while gardening and washing your hands well with soap and water after. To get toxoplasmosis from a cat, you need to ingest fecal matter.
Rodents everywhere, really – it isn’t necessarily because of the transfer station. Around here, mostly rats and squirrels – I don’t recall ever seeing a mouse. Cats are big mouse catchers, but that just tips the balance in favor of the rats, which few of them will tackle. Cats are the primary host for toxoplasmosis, not rats or squirrels, or song birds.
You don’t have a right to send your cat out to forage in someone else’s yard, and in some jurisdictions it’s legal for a home owner to bait traps, catch trespassing cats and take them to the pound. Your neighbors won’t likely go this far, but their lack of assertiveness doesn’t mean your cat belongs there.
Donn, Seattle Animal Shelter says: “Within the city, there is no leash law for cats. Because of this and many other factors, you can expect to see cats roaming in your neighborhood. Additionally, there are many free-roaming cats that do not have a home. These are cats that were domestic pets or were born as a feral cat. They become part of the natural ecosystem often keeping our neighborhoods rodent-free.”. Really, Okie catches mice all the time and finds them tasty. True, cats won’t tackle rats, but they sure scare them out of the neighborhood. Toxoplasmosis doesn’t originate with cats, but rather from infected animals they may eat. Thank goodness, I haven’t read about any cases of it in this area. Same for hantavirus, which is spread by rats and mice. Don’t be such a meanie, Donn, or better yet, move to a cat free city where you don’t have to threaten the cats. 🙂
Recently one of our neighbors was outside walking with her leashed cat. I heartily applaud her for taking such responsibility. Outside and free roaming cats are devastating native bird and small mammal populations all over the United States, including here in Wallingford.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/29/cats-wild-birds-mammals-study/1873871/
No reasonable dog owner would allow their dog to run loose, stalk, attack and kill other animals, do their business in neighbors’ gardens and expose pregnant women and children to a serious disease. Cats provide people with wonderful companionship and are beautiful animals. There is no more harm in keeping a pet cat indoors than in keeping a pet dog or pet parrot indoors. In fact, there is far more harm in letting them outside to roam without restraint.
walkinroun, you offer a reasonable and logical argument I can respect and think about. I do have two points to make that are a little closer to the truth. Dogs are required by law to be on a leash and picked up after they poop on someone’s lawn. Neither of these always happens and I have had to pick up or avoid stepping into some logs after an irresponsible owner has left it where it was laid. Second, a blanket statement that implies all cats carry a disease is overstating the case. My cat is house trained, uses her litter box regularly and I would be the first to be exposed if she was diseased. None the less, I accept your point that it could maybe happen and that cats are exposed to more harm when they are let out. Thanks for your input. Now let’s get on those irresponsible dog owners. 🙂
That quote starts with “The Seattle Animal Shelter believes that a healthy cat is an indoor cat. Indoor cats enjoy longer, safer and healthier lives than those that are outside. If you love your cat, keep it indoors.”
I haven’t threatened anyone’s cat, but that doesn’t mean they belong in yard. It doesn’t mean they’re welcome to use my vegetable garden for a litter box, or kill the wrens, hummingbirds and other birds that live here. It’s beyond ridiculous for you to point a finger at dog owners and call them irresponsible.
@48 – You would be the first to be exposed to disease, except toxoplasmosis generally isn’t harmful to healthy adults and you likely wouldn’t realize you had it. It is generally only harmful to an unborn fetus.