August 18, 2009
ASPCA Happy Tails: Family Reunion
What started as a leisurely, sunny Sunday for Dan Catalano and Sarah Warren of Riverdale, NY, soon turned dark when their elderly cat, Boutros Boutros Kitty—aka “Bootsy”—went missing.
Back in 1994, Dan first discovered the 17-year-old Burmese perched on top of a metal partition near his apartment in New York City’s East Village. She was a young peach at the time, pregnant and alone, but Dan was confident someone would claim the lovely purebred. He put up signs and waited for the call, but no one ever came for her. A cat’s lifetime later, Bootsy is now firmly a part of Dan’s life.
“She really likes to sun herself outside,” says Dan. But he and Sarah were still shocked when the aging kitty, who suffers from arthritis, limited mobility and digestive problems, recently left her sun perch and hopped their back patio’s bamboo fence. Distraught, the couple scoured the neighborhood and shook the cat’s favorite treats to no avail. They eventually put up “lost cat” signs and resigned themselves to an unhappy waiting game.
Meanwhile, a Good Samaritan was already taking care of the naughty escapee. Dan explains: “A neighbor saw Bootsy crossing the street, thought she was a malnourished kitten and scooped her up.” The Good Samaritan brought the cat to the ASPCA in Manhattan, where her daughter is a volunteer and where she knew she’d be in good hands.
But word of mouth started to work in Dan and Sarah’s favor. A friend who manages a feral cat colony in the neighborhood saw their signs and heard about the Good Samaritan who had rescued such a cat. Tuesday night, the Good Samaritan called and told Dan that Bootsy was safely ensconced at the ASPCA.
First thing the next morning, a full three days after Bootsy was lost, Sarah went to the ASPCA to pick up the beloved elder, who’s now slightly miffed because her little neighborhood jaunt means the end of her patio privileges. “We’re just so happy to have her back,” says Dan with a sigh of relief. We do love happy endings!
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