Before dawn this morning, as a City Kitties volunteer left her house, she heard a cat howling in distress. On a neighbor’s porch, she spotted a tailless tortoiseshell cat. “Annie?” It couldn’t be.
The second she heard her name, Annie came running and practically jumped into the volunteer’s arms. She knew this was her chance, and once safely inside, she knew just what to do: purr like crazy.
One month and one day after the Windermere fire, just when hope seemed to be running out, Annie made a miraculous appearance one block from the burned out building she used to call home. Not only that, she showed up right outside of City Kitties “headquarters.” We don’t believe in fate — just really smart cats who know exactly where to find help.
Antigone, aka Annie, is now safe at The Cat Doctor, where her dad was able to visit her right away.
Based on the faint smell of smoke still lingering in her fur, her behavior outside, and what we know about the other cats rescued from the Windermere, it is very likely that Annie stayed in the building with M2, Missy, and others for days or weeks, until food began to run out. After all, it was her home, and she was a pampered indoor pet — leaving her apartment and the building as a whole was an act of desperation.
But like M2 and Missy, Annie proves that it is not only possible that other cats survived the fire and its aftermath, it is very likely that they remain in the building or the city blocks immediately surrounding it.
Three cats have been reunited with their owners in the past week and a half. If three cats survived from the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Windermere, healthy and happy weeks after the blaze, why not more?
The PSPCA is working to gain access to the building. We have no other details at this time, but we do know that there is still a lot of hope for the missing cats and their people, and we won’t stop searching anytime soon.
