Community Corner
Kitty In The City
It was a case of the homeless helping the homeless when a family living in their van saved a stray kitten from teens who were trying to harm him.
Big city streets are not the safest of playgrounds for homeless kittens.
The dangers are legion for a population of urban cats who have to contend with traffic, pollution, lack of food and humans who sometimes want to hurt them.
A family of three was living in their vehicle in a downtown Atlanta parking last year when they noticed a group of teenagers taunting a stray kitten and tossing him through the air. They’d seen the black and white kitten before, drinking from puddles and playing with trash that blew through the lot.
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They rescued the young cat from his tormentors, and moved him into their van with them, feeding him and keeping him out of harm’s way.
They made a place for his litter box behind the driver’s seat.
Find out what's happening in Decatur-Avondale Estateswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Moving from parking lot to parking lot to escape the notice of police who would enforce the “no camping” rule downtown, the homeless family and the homeless kitty forged a daily routine and kept each other company.
“You’d be surprised how many homeless people take care of homeless animals,” says Mickie Blair, a field coordinator at . When the family handed her the kitten, she immediately named him Van, after his living arrangement.
Van was moved from the mean streets into LifeLine’s Kitty Motel, a cage-free environment where the Avondale Estates rescue group houses cats awaiting adoption.
It soon became clear that this kitten had street smarts and mischievousness to spare.
“I call him my ‘juvenile delinquent’” sighs Blair. “He’s a hoot. He has rummaged through people’s purses. He once removed and opened a bottle of cough syrup.”
She laughs out loud as she continues. “He’s so bad. But he’s not mean. He’s sweet. He just loves to play and play and play some more.”
This personality-plus cat is just over a year old now and is ready for adoption.
Van is neutered, healthy, and has had all his shots.
Should you decide to adopt this rough and tumble urban kitty, get ready for daily adventures.
“You will never want for entertainment with Van around,” Blair says, “He’s an awesome cat.”
June is national “Adopt A Shelter Cat” month and to celebrate the rescued felines in their Kitty Motel, LifeLine is waiving adoption fees for all cats, including Van, until June 30th.
If you are interested in giving Van a home, contact mblair@atlantapets.org.
To see other cats from LifeLine’s Kitty Motel, check out their adoptable animals database at www.AtlantaPets.org.
