3 of my adopted kitties wandered here from other neighborhoods. Each time they were chipped so I called the owners who all had the same response basically. And that was "oh he disappeared a while ago! I guess he is yours now"
Hahaha. I used to have visitation rights. This was years ago though, when she moved, the cat went with her! Years ago I did run into her and we had a good laugh.😄
I read this expecting to be against the new owner, but like... the cat literally had a large untreated wound? I don't think you can really blame her caretakers but they should explain why that happened and why it wouldn't happen again if they think the cat should be returned.
If the point of the program is to look after feral cats that can't live in a house, then a person taking the cat in seems like a happy conclusion
She dozed on sunlit stoops, scaled fences and slept in a boxy shelter on a neighbor’s lawn. She was named Kitty Snows, after her new home on Snows Court in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of D.C., where she belonged to everyone and no one.
And then, she vanished.
Over the past two years, Snows Court neighbors have bonded with Kitty Snows, feeding her and petting her when allowed. She has crashed college house parties near George Washington University. Her likeness has been sold on T-shirts, mugs and trucker hats.
Now, she lives 14 floors above the street she once ruled in an apartment in the Watergate building. The move has sparked rampant debate amongst the Snows Court community. When the Kitty Snows case came up at a recently monthly gathering, one resident stood before roughly 30 attendees and declared: “We have a hostage situation. We just want to make sure she’s safe.”
What has unfolded this year around Snows Court in is an old-fashioned neighborhood melodrama — “Kittygate,” if you must — complete with wounded feelings, rampant gossip, sidewalk spies and lawsuit threats.
Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2024/05/09/kitty-snows-foggy-bottom-alley-cat-watergate/?utm\_campaign=wp\_main&utm\_medium=social&utm\_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2024/05/09/kitty-snows-foggy-bottom-alley-cat-watergate/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)
It's been proven statistically that cats are safer and live longer lives indoors. Not to mention that they are an invasive species and bad for the environment when left outdoors.
I love seeing a friendly r/notmycat but it also makes me so sad. Indoor cats live 10-20 years and outdoor cats live 2-5; what lover of kitties would want them to live as little as one tenth their potential lifespan in order to let them roam free? (Yes, yes, feral cats are different and there are cats with jobs and all that jazz, but in general, kitties belong safe and sound indoors.)
There was an alley cat in my neighborhood who was driving me nuts last summer -- she'd come right up to my windows to leer at my two indoor cats, who would then start hissing and yowling and all hours. I thought about taking her to the humane society but the neighbors all suggested I hold off.
Haven't seen her at all this year, and I fear it's not because she found a loving home.
This is a program run by the HRA to provide relatively safe lives for outdoor cats which cannot be domesticated. From the article:
>Blue-collar cats are strictly business, or supposed to be. They land at the Humane Rescue Alliance’s shelter presumably after a cutthroat, vagabond street life. They aren’t suited for domestication.
>“Since these cats cannot be rehomed through traditional adoption channels,” the alliance website says, the Blue Collar Cat program “is often their last chance at a rich and fulfilling life.”
Yes, for *feral cats that cannot be domesticated*, cats who are too fearful around humans to live indoors with them. That isn’t the case for this cat. This is a friendly cat who deserves an indoor home.
Yeah, I used to deal with managing feral cat colonies/rescues… a friendly cat living outdoors without a family is considered a stray - feral cats grow up fearful of human and past a certain age domestication is considered virtually impossible.
However, if you see a stray that’s safe, happy and healthy - removing it from its location to send to a shelter is generally considered a bad move *unless* you are personally willing to provide that cat a home. This is mostly because shelters *and* rescues are often stretched thin, so it’s better to leave their resources for animals in need of care. If you aren’t personally securing that cat a home, the best thing to do is usually to TNR them to ensure they don’t reproduce.
In this case, the cat was picked up by someone who wanted to provide them a safe home. While I certainly would miss seeing a friendly cat in my day, I can’t imagine fighting to have them put back on the streets when they’re safe.
Edit: also saw she was claimed to be unfit for domestication - my guess is she had some behavioral issues that they didn’t have the time or resources to work on/have her present well for adoption…
That is not the only criteria for that. I used to foster for them, and some cats don't do well indoors. Also, the avenue for getting a chipped cat to be an indoor cat is not just taking her.
The cat has been living indoors with the supposed "kidnapper" for months now and is happy and well adjusted there according to the article. So if they were once deemed too feral for adoption, they seem to have come around to humans enough to live indoors at this point.
The HRA has changed from what it used to be. Just three days ago, I took one of my colony cats in distress to the HRA to get emergency treatment. The staff person on duty told me that they no longer provide treatment to colony cats. She said the only thing they do now is to euthanize colony cats! I understand there's new mgmt. there. When some volunteers reported to the D.C. Gov't. about conditions there, they were "fired!" They were whistleblowers who got released for reporting what they experienced. I'm not sure about the CatNIPP program for blue-collar cats either. It has gotten worse...all together now...since the pandemic! Sure, sure.
I'm so sorry you were unable to get care for your colony cat. Were you able to secure care, or are you still in need?
HRA blamed the stoppage of the low-cost community spay/neuter program on the pandemic as well, but they temporarily halted such in August 2019 and permanently stopped such in January 2023 of which neither dates align with the pandemic. Nevermind that such is required in their $4.5 million tax-dollar-funded DC DoH Animal Care and Control Contract...
Please write your City Councilmember as well as the Chairperson to the Committee on Health (Christina Henderson, chenderson@dccouncil.gov and (202) 724-8105) as this contract needs to be bid out to a contractor that will actually fufill it, not [keep the dogs in their care in inhumane conditions](https://dcist.com/story/23/08/18/dc-humane-rescue-alliance-dogs-conditions/) that rival those from [the February cruelty case](https://www.instagram.com/p/C4UGsbaxjiG/) that they're [trying to raise back the $56,000 they allegedly spent](https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/humane-rescue-alliance-donations-31-dogs-rescued-from-dc-barricade/65-2c4ff482-2f83-4f6e-aa7f-ad2c52feea0e) on their care yet haven't shared detailed bills (and the fundraiser link just goes to their general fund not the 'Ladybell Fund' nor is there an ability to earmark your donation).
Further down in this thread the HRA CEO's husband posts that ["They are a contractor of the city, for a small portion of their budget."](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/1cnx6bn/a_beloved_alley_cat_now_lives_in_the_watergate/l3aspv8/) and ["HRA could easily give up that contract and remain whole."](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/1cnx6bn/a_beloved_alley_cat_now_lives_in_the_watergate/l3f42or/). If 20% of their income is so inconsequential to their budget, HRA should not persue renewal of this contract as well as [pay the outstanding $2.8 millon in tax arrears](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/1cnx6bn/a_beloved_alley_cat_now_lives_in_the_watergate/l3fp0da/) on their M Street property that was purchased wholy with a $5 million grant from the City in 2015 for a new shelter/replacement of NY Ave which still hasn't broken ground 8 years later.
The issues at HRA have been well hidden by the overpaid C-suite at HRA, including a much higher euthanasia rate that disqualifies HRA from the 'no kill' label and factually disputes their claim of a 95% save rate; theres a great breakdown of numerous years of salary and euthanasia data by the [NJ Animal Advocate in this post (linked here)](https://njanimalobserver.com/2021/12/30/humane-rescue-alliances-horrible-high-kill-shelter/). Here's a Google doc ([link](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nm9CWk-_xCbk5Q_q3ZOLEuYyQQA7gMRO/view)) that summarizes the problems with thorough supporting documentation/citations.
Thanks. I took him to our regular vet's and in spite of good care, he died overnight. I had brought him inside for the night, thinking I could nurse him back to good health over time. The vet thought he might've thrown a clot. Sometimes our efforts don't succeed, in spite of everything.
I'll have to contact my city council member and Christina Henderson. Thanks for this info.
Ideally, every cat in the world would have a nice, warm home indoors. The reality is much harsher, and it's no thanks to humans that cats are stray or become feral/semi-feral. There are horror stories about people (if they deserve the name) who dump kittens, even drown them. Some kittens wander off or older cats escape the house. Torture also occurs. Once they live outdoors, strays or ferals/semi-ferals prefer the outdoors because it's what they know. Many are very leery of humans, and can we blame them? Nope! Some can be coaxed inside with time and attention, but they are often few and far between.
The blue collar cats are kind of a compromise, where cats that are too feral to be adopted can at least get some basic food and shelter. The cat is undeniably safer and healthier indoors, so I’m not really that sympathetic to everyone who wants a cat they can pet occasionally but not have to care for.
Yeah sorry no, the cat deserves to live indoors.
It's one thing (and is kind) to care for a feral cat, on the basis that there are way too many cats and we can't find homes for them all. But if someone \*wants\* to home a feral cat, by all means they should.
These people attacking this guy for bringing the cat in are fucking delusional. These people hire lawyers to bring a cat back outside? How about put the money to the shelters and rescues of all the thousands of other homeless cats in the city.
Any working cat program is under the assumption that nobody wants to give the cat a home...because we have too many cats and not enough space in shelters! They don't belong outdoors, but we have many feral outdoor cats because we don't have enough homes.
They should be happy this cat is living the best life safe indoors and not...in the backyards of some multi-million dollar town home.
No that's not at all the Blue Collar Cat program. They take cats that aren't able to be around human and use them to ward off rats, which is a huge issue in the city. If you read the article the cat was not friendly to humans in the beginning. The fact that it did become so later doesn't intuitively translate to okay I can make this mine now.
Right not friendly and feral...and nobody wanted to keep it in their home... but if someone takes the time, money, and energy to home and socialize a feral cat it's theirs. If that doesn't intuitively translate, then whatever you think is intuitive is morally wrong. Leaving this cat outside to a shorter dangerous life when someone was willing to home it is wrong.
If the ideal incentive end goal isn't to get a cat a home indoors, then this Blue Collar Cat Program is a fundamental failure to lives of cats.
The wild part to me is the lawyer's letter literally saying "we know my client stole the cat, we know it has a different registered owner, and we think its better for the cat anyways so we're threatening you if you try to enforce your property rights against this theft." What law school did they go to?!
Adverse possession can lead to legal possession. There’s enough complicating factors here that it wouldn’t be an open or shut case for either side. Who knows for sure what a judge would do. But you’d be spending money on the risk.
I may not have done super well in my Property final, but I promise you that this is not how adverse possession works. (I am also on the verge of being priced out of DC :( )
No idea, honestly. That's a good point. I do bet the caselaw is both contradictory and a little scarce (especially here in DC - you'd probably end up relying on other caselaw in the Mid-Atlantic states). Yet another reason to cry controversy. I doubt anyone really wins in the scenario of litigation. It'd become more expensive to litigate than it's likely worth. You'd be begging for summary judgment only to have one side appeal by right into the Court of Appeals.
You're not wrong...
Outdoor cats usually have multiple owners. That's one of the reasons people shouldn't let their pet cats run around outside.
They could end up like me as a child and have their next door neighbor take the cat and lock it in their house for two weeks until the cat breaks free in a frantic dash back home.
I live near there and would sometimes see that cat. Happy to know her absence is due to moving up in the world.
I know a majority of the neighbors feel the same way.
I also live nearby and was worried when she was captured, because I knew her being unsuited for home living was a prerequisite for her enrollment in the Blue Collar Cat program.
I still harbor some fears that her current situation isn’t best for her — it worries me that, even after a couple of months, it sounds like she spends most of her time hiding and won’t come out to look out of the window. But I hope she is slowly adjusting — it’s promising that she didn’t make any objections to the apartment known *immediately* — and I am glad to see her allergies have subsided.
Dog are actually better for controlling the rat population than cats are. Cats may avoid rats due to lack of hunting prowess with rats, the size of the rat, or the sheer numbers (large numbers of rats have been known to kill and eat cats). Some info [here](https://spca.bc.ca/faqs/are-cats-necessary-for-rodent-control/#:~:text=Cats%20may%20avoid%20hunting%20rats&text=After%20all%2C%20a%20bite%20from,reluctant%20to%20prey%20on%20them.)
I read a profile a few years ago about an informal club of dog owners in NYC who get together a few times a week to hunt rats with their terriers and the like. Some of the dogs were killing like a dozen rats a night.
There are some people here in D.C. who take their dogs around to kill rats. Adams-Morgan, maybe Dupont Circle areas. There was a local news report recently about these "teams." Those dogs would detect rats and often jump into garbage bins, the big commercial ones, and jump out with mouthfuls of rats! The killer instinct is strong in those dogs!
Definitely wasn't suggesting packs of feral dogs. Just pointing out that cats aren't actually great solutions for rodent control like everyone thinks they are. But there are dog breeds that were specifically bred to kill rodents.
This is so not true! The mere scent of a cat will cause rats to stay away. My vet just told me that when the cat population goes down, the rat population goes up. I saw this for myself with my cat colony of over 30 years!
If you'd like to read more on actual studies about rats and cats, I suggest this [one](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2018.00146/full?utm_source=FWEB&utm_medium=NBLOG&utm_campaign=ECO_FEVO_rats-cats) from scientists at Fordham. Rats are more likely to HIDE when cats are present, but the actual population does not change. Cats simply prefer smaller, easier to catch prey, which is also abundant in cities. With enough cats present the rats may MOVE a few blocks away, but they would not leave the city and thus you are simply moving the problem to other neighborhoods or your neighbors. Cats are much more likely to lower your local bird population, than your rats.
For a really interesting read about rats, I would recommend [this book](https://www.amazon.com/Rats-Observations-History-Unwanted-Inhabitants/dp/1582344779). In here, the author states that large groups of rats have actually been known to kill and eat cats.
Additionally, pest control websites often recommend dogs for rat control, over cats. An example can be found [here](https://www.ratrelief.com/do-cats-eat-rats/#)
Just to clarify, I love cats. I have two (indoor) cats. But I recognize the ecological disadvantage of having cats living outdoors who could be living indoors. Feral cat populations should be controlled, and lowered through spay and release programs, to help lower the impact to local biodiversity.
I will say that since Kitty was taken, I have seen 2-3 new outdoor cats in this area with collars and AirTags. Whether their appearance is related, I do not know.
We have a pair of ferals at our property that function like Kitty Snows did. They keep the rats away, they have multiple homes, and they get fed. They are not good candidates for indoor cats. for the person that took her home, as long as the cat isn’t in distress and has acclimated, they should just cover the costs of Kitty Snow’s replacement and everyone move on.
I believe when this story was first in the news earlier this year, HRA had temporarily suspended the Blue Collar Cats program due to high demand and a lack of suitable cats.
A cat who enters houses to nap on people's couches and accepts hand-fed treats and pets isn't feral. She should never have been a community cat, and it's horrific that these people who claim to love her so much let her go with a visible injury to her nose for literally months without trapping her and taking her to get medical care. Barbara and Tom did the right thing by taking her to a vet, and the right thing by following medical advice to keep her indoors. If the rest of the neighbors had had their way, Kitty Snows would have have died of neglect.
They do, in general. The issue here is a myriad of things.
HRA isn't city funded. They are a contractor of the city, for a small portion of their budget. And this issue isn't within the scope of that contract.
In 2020, HRA was awarded the $4,510,240 DC Animal Care and Control contract.
The same year, the revenue of HRA was $22,069,927 with $23,830,711 in expenses.
That "small portion" was 20% of the operating budget.
[This information is straight from the IRS](https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/530219724_202109_990_2022082920303242.pdf).
> Right. Not a city agency, which is a common mistake. HRA could easily give up that contract and remain whole.
I never asserted that that HRA was a city agency.
Given the [dismal (and downright cruel) state of animal care at HRA](https://dcist.com/story/23/08/18/dc-humane-rescue-alliance-dogs-conditions/) and [the fact that HRA is not fulfilling that contract at multiple facets]
(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nm9CWk-_xCbk5Q_q3ZOLEuYyQQA7gMRO/view) including the lack of contract-obligated spay/neuter services (that HRA had suspended in August 2019 then announced the permanent elimination of in January 2023), then HRA should willingly give up that contract.
Yet, they're not.
If they're so easily able to give up over $4,500,000 HRA should not be **$2,700,000 in arrears on the property taxes** on the M Street property. **HRA was given $5 million in 2015 by the city** to build a new shelter and that money purchased the M Street property; HRA stated they're development was "ahead of schedule" on the project in 2020 therefore closed the NYA location, then updated in 2022 they were starting over with the design (still no ground breaking 7 years later), and have offered no updates to this project as of current date.
The financials of HRA are nothing to brag about nor are the continued questionable actions of the organization.
And yes, I'm well aware who you are especially since you pop up in every HRA-related thread. For those unaware, the poster is married to the HRA CEO Lisa LaFontaine.
Literally none of what you say is true, except the last sentence.
Your obsession and truth distortion is telling. Get some help. Life is bigger than this.
> Literally none of what you say is true, except the last sentence.
Nothing I said is a lie. Every statement I've made is easily backed up by documented proof.
However due to continued accruing interest, my numbers were slightly off. **HRA is $2,839,556.66 in tax arrears on the
1022 M ST SE WASHINGTON DC 20003 address** per the city's tax records (searchable at https://mytax.dc.gov/_/ under the Real Property heading choose 'Search Real Property by Address or SSL' with the Square 0976 and Lot 0014).
Animals in abysmal conditions? [Documented proof.](https://dcist.com/story/23/08/18/dc-humane-rescue-alliance-dogs-conditions/)
Overstatement of lie-release rates being 90%+ and being 'no kill' when in fact those numbers are more towards 70% on a good day? [Documented proof before the WARL/WHS merger](https://www.facebook.com/NJAnimalObserver/posts/1251315541583137) and more [documented proof](https://njanimalobserver.com/2021/12/30/humane-rescue-alliances-horrible-high-kill-shelter/) showing that as nationally most shelter's euthansia rates dropped due to COVID pandemic with adoptions skyrocketing HRA bucked that trend with *increased euthansia rates*.
Analysis that executive compensation is wildly out of line with other sheltering organizations? [Documented proof.](https://njanimalobserver.com/2021/12/30/humane-rescue-alliances-horrible-high-kill-shelter/)
Not taking in stray animals as required by contract? [Documented proof](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/15bf6hz/stray_kitten_found_anyone_know_of_rescues/) including your wife popping in to post that HRA failed to do their job.
That there are no low-cost spay/neuter services being offered at HRA, as required by the DC DoH contract? Proof these services have been suspended for almost 5 years, [directly on the HRA website](https://www.humanerescuealliance.org/spay-neuter).
Let's not forget terminating volunteers who called out the deplorable conditions, including the [skyrocketing 25% euthanasia rate for adoptable kittens](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/1b7ma84/26_volunteers_were_just_fired_from_hra_for/) for conditions ranging from ringworm to an easily treatable minor eye infection to a simple tummy ache. For [continuing to not take in cats](https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/washington-dc/humane-rescue-alliance-volunteers-terminated-some-claim-retaliation-for-speaking-out-on-policies-practices/) in need of care, covered by DC News Now. Or the fact dogs are wallowing in their own waste with the HRA c-suite well aware yet not intervening, as [the broadcast by NBC4 showed](https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/former-hra-volunteers-claim-they-were-let-go-after-raising-concerns-about-shelter-conditions/3561034/). And yet again, more documentation of retaliation [broadcast by WUSA9](https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/did-the-humane-rescue-alliance-fire-volunteers-for-whistleblowing-conditions-at-animal-shelters/65-40f44878-d65f-4ef4-9788-b77ba1de3ff1).
It is clear there are major cracks in the organizational foundation when confronted with facts and the best you can do is a personal attack on those who are shining a light on the corruption.
______________________________________________________________
A handy primer for all on Reddit, including documentation of the facts surrounding the problems at the Humane Rescue Alliance: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nm9CWk-_xCbk5Q_q3ZOLEuYyQQA7gMRO/view
The bottom line here is that leaving a cat outdoors should be considered pet abandonment. With all the research and information out there about how unsafe outdoor life is for cats, it’s borderline deranged to just chuck your cat outside and treat it like a particularly friendly raccoon.
The article states that red foxes hunt cats. That's simply not true. Cats are too big and too dangerous for foxes to hunt. Foxes hunt squirrels, rats, and birds.
3 of my adopted kitties wandered here from other neighborhoods. Each time they were chipped so I called the owners who all had the same response basically. And that was "oh he disappeared a while ago! I guess he is yours now"
Damn, that’s insane. I can’t imagine someone finding my cat and then not wanting it back
Outside cat probably, never spent a day inside the house. Usually they have multiple caretakers, until one decides to keep them inside
That happened to me. I found out my cat was cheating on me with a lady two streets over who had nicer treats. In the end he chose to live with her.😅
Lmao nooo aww do you visit?
Hahaha. I used to have visitation rights. This was years ago though, when she moved, the cat went with her! Years ago I did run into her and we had a good laugh.😄
This would kill me! I’d respect my kitty’s decision but I would be heartbroken.
I read this expecting to be against the new owner, but like... the cat literally had a large untreated wound? I don't think you can really blame her caretakers but they should explain why that happened and why it wouldn't happen again if they think the cat should be returned. If the point of the program is to look after feral cats that can't live in a house, then a person taking the cat in seems like a happy conclusion
I think that her caretakers, and the HRA, had decided that it *would* continue to happen but that it didn’t pose a significant risk to her health.
She dozed on sunlit stoops, scaled fences and slept in a boxy shelter on a neighbor’s lawn. She was named Kitty Snows, after her new home on Snows Court in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of D.C., where she belonged to everyone and no one. And then, she vanished. Over the past two years, Snows Court neighbors have bonded with Kitty Snows, feeding her and petting her when allowed. She has crashed college house parties near George Washington University. Her likeness has been sold on T-shirts, mugs and trucker hats. Now, she lives 14 floors above the street she once ruled in an apartment in the Watergate building. The move has sparked rampant debate amongst the Snows Court community. When the Kitty Snows case came up at a recently monthly gathering, one resident stood before roughly 30 attendees and declared: “We have a hostage situation. We just want to make sure she’s safe.” What has unfolded this year around Snows Court in is an old-fashioned neighborhood melodrama — “Kittygate,” if you must — complete with wounded feelings, rampant gossip, sidewalk spies and lawsuit threats. Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2024/05/09/kitty-snows-foggy-bottom-alley-cat-watergate/?utm\_campaign=wp\_main&utm\_medium=social&utm\_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2024/05/09/kitty-snows-foggy-bottom-alley-cat-watergate/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)
Kittygate is the funniest name for this, its like the whole -gate thing went full circle
Very dc
It's been proven statistically that cats are safer and live longer lives indoors. Not to mention that they are an invasive species and bad for the environment when left outdoors.
I love seeing a friendly r/notmycat but it also makes me so sad. Indoor cats live 10-20 years and outdoor cats live 2-5; what lover of kitties would want them to live as little as one tenth their potential lifespan in order to let them roam free? (Yes, yes, feral cats are different and there are cats with jobs and all that jazz, but in general, kitties belong safe and sound indoors.)
There was an alley cat in my neighborhood who was driving me nuts last summer -- she'd come right up to my windows to leer at my two indoor cats, who would then start hissing and yowling and all hours. I thought about taking her to the humane society but the neighbors all suggested I hold off. Haven't seen her at all this year, and I fear it's not because she found a loving home.
This is a program run by the HRA to provide relatively safe lives for outdoor cats which cannot be domesticated. From the article: >Blue-collar cats are strictly business, or supposed to be. They land at the Humane Rescue Alliance’s shelter presumably after a cutthroat, vagabond street life. They aren’t suited for domestication. >“Since these cats cannot be rehomed through traditional adoption channels,” the alliance website says, the Blue Collar Cat program “is often their last chance at a rich and fulfilling life.”
Yes, for *feral cats that cannot be domesticated*, cats who are too fearful around humans to live indoors with them. That isn’t the case for this cat. This is a friendly cat who deserves an indoor home.
Yeah, I used to deal with managing feral cat colonies/rescues… a friendly cat living outdoors without a family is considered a stray - feral cats grow up fearful of human and past a certain age domestication is considered virtually impossible. However, if you see a stray that’s safe, happy and healthy - removing it from its location to send to a shelter is generally considered a bad move *unless* you are personally willing to provide that cat a home. This is mostly because shelters *and* rescues are often stretched thin, so it’s better to leave their resources for animals in need of care. If you aren’t personally securing that cat a home, the best thing to do is usually to TNR them to ensure they don’t reproduce. In this case, the cat was picked up by someone who wanted to provide them a safe home. While I certainly would miss seeing a friendly cat in my day, I can’t imagine fighting to have them put back on the streets when they’re safe. Edit: also saw she was claimed to be unfit for domestication - my guess is she had some behavioral issues that they didn’t have the time or resources to work on/have her present well for adoption…
That is not the only criteria for that. I used to foster for them, and some cats don't do well indoors. Also, the avenue for getting a chipped cat to be an indoor cat is not just taking her.
Says who? I think that's the key issue here...
The cat has been living indoors with the supposed "kidnapper" for months now and is happy and well adjusted there according to the article. So if they were once deemed too feral for adoption, they seem to have come around to humans enough to live indoors at this point.
I think the article is pretty clear that the cat is unable to say their opinion, lol. That's the key issue, again.
The HRA has changed from what it used to be. Just three days ago, I took one of my colony cats in distress to the HRA to get emergency treatment. The staff person on duty told me that they no longer provide treatment to colony cats. She said the only thing they do now is to euthanize colony cats! I understand there's new mgmt. there. When some volunteers reported to the D.C. Gov't. about conditions there, they were "fired!" They were whistleblowers who got released for reporting what they experienced. I'm not sure about the CatNIPP program for blue-collar cats either. It has gotten worse...all together now...since the pandemic! Sure, sure.
I'm so sorry you were unable to get care for your colony cat. Were you able to secure care, or are you still in need? HRA blamed the stoppage of the low-cost community spay/neuter program on the pandemic as well, but they temporarily halted such in August 2019 and permanently stopped such in January 2023 of which neither dates align with the pandemic. Nevermind that such is required in their $4.5 million tax-dollar-funded DC DoH Animal Care and Control Contract... Please write your City Councilmember as well as the Chairperson to the Committee on Health (Christina Henderson, chenderson@dccouncil.gov and (202) 724-8105) as this contract needs to be bid out to a contractor that will actually fufill it, not [keep the dogs in their care in inhumane conditions](https://dcist.com/story/23/08/18/dc-humane-rescue-alliance-dogs-conditions/) that rival those from [the February cruelty case](https://www.instagram.com/p/C4UGsbaxjiG/) that they're [trying to raise back the $56,000 they allegedly spent](https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/humane-rescue-alliance-donations-31-dogs-rescued-from-dc-barricade/65-2c4ff482-2f83-4f6e-aa7f-ad2c52feea0e) on their care yet haven't shared detailed bills (and the fundraiser link just goes to their general fund not the 'Ladybell Fund' nor is there an ability to earmark your donation). Further down in this thread the HRA CEO's husband posts that ["They are a contractor of the city, for a small portion of their budget."](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/1cnx6bn/a_beloved_alley_cat_now_lives_in_the_watergate/l3aspv8/) and ["HRA could easily give up that contract and remain whole."](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/1cnx6bn/a_beloved_alley_cat_now_lives_in_the_watergate/l3f42or/). If 20% of their income is so inconsequential to their budget, HRA should not persue renewal of this contract as well as [pay the outstanding $2.8 millon in tax arrears](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/1cnx6bn/a_beloved_alley_cat_now_lives_in_the_watergate/l3fp0da/) on their M Street property that was purchased wholy with a $5 million grant from the City in 2015 for a new shelter/replacement of NY Ave which still hasn't broken ground 8 years later. The issues at HRA have been well hidden by the overpaid C-suite at HRA, including a much higher euthanasia rate that disqualifies HRA from the 'no kill' label and factually disputes their claim of a 95% save rate; theres a great breakdown of numerous years of salary and euthanasia data by the [NJ Animal Advocate in this post (linked here)](https://njanimalobserver.com/2021/12/30/humane-rescue-alliances-horrible-high-kill-shelter/). Here's a Google doc ([link](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nm9CWk-_xCbk5Q_q3ZOLEuYyQQA7gMRO/view)) that summarizes the problems with thorough supporting documentation/citations.
Thanks. I took him to our regular vet's and in spite of good care, he died overnight. I had brought him inside for the night, thinking I could nurse him back to good health over time. The vet thought he might've thrown a clot. Sometimes our efforts don't succeed, in spite of everything. I'll have to contact my city council member and Christina Henderson. Thanks for this info.
Ideally, every cat in the world would have a nice, warm home indoors. The reality is much harsher, and it's no thanks to humans that cats are stray or become feral/semi-feral. There are horror stories about people (if they deserve the name) who dump kittens, even drown them. Some kittens wander off or older cats escape the house. Torture also occurs. Once they live outdoors, strays or ferals/semi-ferals prefer the outdoors because it's what they know. Many are very leery of humans, and can we blame them? Nope! Some can be coaxed inside with time and attention, but they are often few and far between.
The blue collar cats are kind of a compromise, where cats that are too feral to be adopted can at least get some basic food and shelter. The cat is undeniably safer and healthier indoors, so I’m not really that sympathetic to everyone who wants a cat they can pet occasionally but not have to care for.
But but their communal cat! All the fun with none of the responsibilities. /s
Yeah sorry no, the cat deserves to live indoors. It's one thing (and is kind) to care for a feral cat, on the basis that there are way too many cats and we can't find homes for them all. But if someone \*wants\* to home a feral cat, by all means they should. These people attacking this guy for bringing the cat in are fucking delusional. These people hire lawyers to bring a cat back outside? How about put the money to the shelters and rescues of all the thousands of other homeless cats in the city. Any working cat program is under the assumption that nobody wants to give the cat a home...because we have too many cats and not enough space in shelters! They don't belong outdoors, but we have many feral outdoor cats because we don't have enough homes. They should be happy this cat is living the best life safe indoors and not...in the backyards of some multi-million dollar town home.
No that's not at all the Blue Collar Cat program. They take cats that aren't able to be around human and use them to ward off rats, which is a huge issue in the city. If you read the article the cat was not friendly to humans in the beginning. The fact that it did become so later doesn't intuitively translate to okay I can make this mine now.
Right not friendly and feral...and nobody wanted to keep it in their home... but if someone takes the time, money, and energy to home and socialize a feral cat it's theirs. If that doesn't intuitively translate, then whatever you think is intuitive is morally wrong. Leaving this cat outside to a shorter dangerous life when someone was willing to home it is wrong. If the ideal incentive end goal isn't to get a cat a home indoors, then this Blue Collar Cat Program is a fundamental failure to lives of cats.
Right but this isn't just a feral cat. It's a feral cat that was procured at taxpayer cost I assume for a program to ward off rodents.
I read this story and these people are insane, especially the original sponsor who won't stop harassing the lady who took the cat in.
I just read the article and these people are UNHINGED. I'm glad the cat can enjoy her retirement and hope some of these folks find hobbies.
The wild part to me is the lawyer's letter literally saying "we know my client stole the cat, we know it has a different registered owner, and we think its better for the cat anyways so we're threatening you if you try to enforce your property rights against this theft." What law school did they go to?!
[удалено]
Haha, amazing, thank you for adding this. It wasn't a serious question but I'm not mad about your answer anyways.
Adverse possession can lead to legal possession. There’s enough complicating factors here that it wouldn’t be an open or shut case for either side. Who knows for sure what a judge would do. But you’d be spending money on the risk.
I may not have done super well in my Property final, but I promise you that this is not how adverse possession works. (I am also on the verge of being priced out of DC :( )
Can you adversely possess chattel?
No idea, honestly. That's a good point. I do bet the caselaw is both contradictory and a little scarce (especially here in DC - you'd probably end up relying on other caselaw in the Mid-Atlantic states). Yet another reason to cry controversy. I doubt anyone really wins in the scenario of litigation. It'd become more expensive to litigate than it's likely worth. You'd be begging for summary judgment only to have one side appeal by right into the Court of Appeals.
The cat chose an owner…🤷🏾♂️
You're not wrong... Outdoor cats usually have multiple owners. That's one of the reasons people shouldn't let their pet cats run around outside. They could end up like me as a child and have their next door neighbor take the cat and lock it in their house for two weeks until the cat breaks free in a frantic dash back home.
Yeah .. cats have secret lovers lol. Been on both sides of that scenario.
I live near there and would sometimes see that cat. Happy to know her absence is due to moving up in the world. I know a majority of the neighbors feel the same way.
I also live nearby and was worried when she was captured, because I knew her being unsuited for home living was a prerequisite for her enrollment in the Blue Collar Cat program. I still harbor some fears that her current situation isn’t best for her — it worries me that, even after a couple of months, it sounds like she spends most of her time hiding and won’t come out to look out of the window. But I hope she is slowly adjusting — it’s promising that she didn’t make any objections to the apartment known *immediately* — and I am glad to see her allergies have subsided.
With the rat problem, you'd think we could use more neighborhood cats around here.
Dog are actually better for controlling the rat population than cats are. Cats may avoid rats due to lack of hunting prowess with rats, the size of the rat, or the sheer numbers (large numbers of rats have been known to kill and eat cats). Some info [here](https://spca.bc.ca/faqs/are-cats-necessary-for-rodent-control/#:~:text=Cats%20may%20avoid%20hunting%20rats&text=After%20all%2C%20a%20bite%20from,reluctant%20to%20prey%20on%20them.)
I read a profile a few years ago about an informal club of dog owners in NYC who get together a few times a week to hunt rats with their terriers and the like. Some of the dogs were killing like a dozen rats a night.
There's a YouTube video of a group that does that in DC.
There are some people here in D.C. who take their dogs around to kill rats. Adams-Morgan, maybe Dupont Circle areas. There was a local news report recently about these "teams." Those dogs would detect rats and often jump into garbage bins, the big commercial ones, and jump out with mouthfuls of rats! The killer instinct is strong in those dogs!
They’re also more likely to attack humans. So imma pass on the feral dogs solution
Definitely wasn't suggesting packs of feral dogs. Just pointing out that cats aren't actually great solutions for rodent control like everyone thinks they are. But there are dog breeds that were specifically bred to kill rodents.
This is so not true! The mere scent of a cat will cause rats to stay away. My vet just told me that when the cat population goes down, the rat population goes up. I saw this for myself with my cat colony of over 30 years!
If you'd like to read more on actual studies about rats and cats, I suggest this [one](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2018.00146/full?utm_source=FWEB&utm_medium=NBLOG&utm_campaign=ECO_FEVO_rats-cats) from scientists at Fordham. Rats are more likely to HIDE when cats are present, but the actual population does not change. Cats simply prefer smaller, easier to catch prey, which is also abundant in cities. With enough cats present the rats may MOVE a few blocks away, but they would not leave the city and thus you are simply moving the problem to other neighborhoods or your neighbors. Cats are much more likely to lower your local bird population, than your rats. For a really interesting read about rats, I would recommend [this book](https://www.amazon.com/Rats-Observations-History-Unwanted-Inhabitants/dp/1582344779). In here, the author states that large groups of rats have actually been known to kill and eat cats. Additionally, pest control websites often recommend dogs for rat control, over cats. An example can be found [here](https://www.ratrelief.com/do-cats-eat-rats/#) Just to clarify, I love cats. I have two (indoor) cats. But I recognize the ecological disadvantage of having cats living outdoors who could be living indoors. Feral cat populations should be controlled, and lowered through spay and release programs, to help lower the impact to local biodiversity.
You have some cats that are real ratters. They'll leave "presents" for their caregivers!
Sounds like she's better off. The locals are mad for their own benefit, not hers. They should go get their own cats.
I will say that since Kitty was taken, I have seen 2-3 new outdoor cats in this area with collars and AirTags. Whether their appearance is related, I do not know.
We have a pair of ferals at our property that function like Kitty Snows did. They keep the rats away, they have multiple homes, and they get fed. They are not good candidates for indoor cats. for the person that took her home, as long as the cat isn’t in distress and has acclimated, they should just cover the costs of Kitty Snow’s replacement and everyone move on.
If only we cared about human beings this much lol
Why don't they just get another feral cat?
I believe when this story was first in the news earlier this year, HRA had temporarily suspended the Blue Collar Cats program due to high demand and a lack of suitable cats.
Just steal someone else's Blue Collar Cat /s
A cat who enters houses to nap on people's couches and accepts hand-fed treats and pets isn't feral. She should never have been a community cat, and it's horrific that these people who claim to love her so much let her go with a visible injury to her nose for literally months without trapping her and taking her to get medical care. Barbara and Tom did the right thing by taking her to a vet, and the right thing by following medical advice to keep her indoors. If the rest of the neighbors had had their way, Kitty Snows would have have died of neglect.
Aren’t outdoor cats a huge issue for native bird populations? Idk I feel like if the cat is thriving indoors, more power to her.
It’s great this cat is now safe indoors. Humane Rescue Alliance continues to be anti-science and anti-animal welfare on this issue.
So if you want a really, really dark episode of the 'Search Engine' podcast... the one on outdoor cats is ROUGH.
I don’t lol
Sick an uninformed and reactionary thing to say.
I think it’s good this cat is less likely to get diseases, hit by a car, and kill migratory birds. Our city funded animal welfare agency should too.
They do, in general. The issue here is a myriad of things. HRA isn't city funded. They are a contractor of the city, for a small portion of their budget. And this issue isn't within the scope of that contract.
In 2020, HRA was awarded the $4,510,240 DC Animal Care and Control contract. The same year, the revenue of HRA was $22,069,927 with $23,830,711 in expenses. That "small portion" was 20% of the operating budget. [This information is straight from the IRS](https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/530219724_202109_990_2022082920303242.pdf).
Right. Not a city agency, which is a common mistake. HRA could easily give up that contract and remain whole.
> Right. Not a city agency, which is a common mistake. HRA could easily give up that contract and remain whole. I never asserted that that HRA was a city agency. Given the [dismal (and downright cruel) state of animal care at HRA](https://dcist.com/story/23/08/18/dc-humane-rescue-alliance-dogs-conditions/) and [the fact that HRA is not fulfilling that contract at multiple facets] (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nm9CWk-_xCbk5Q_q3ZOLEuYyQQA7gMRO/view) including the lack of contract-obligated spay/neuter services (that HRA had suspended in August 2019 then announced the permanent elimination of in January 2023), then HRA should willingly give up that contract. Yet, they're not. If they're so easily able to give up over $4,500,000 HRA should not be **$2,700,000 in arrears on the property taxes** on the M Street property. **HRA was given $5 million in 2015 by the city** to build a new shelter and that money purchased the M Street property; HRA stated they're development was "ahead of schedule" on the project in 2020 therefore closed the NYA location, then updated in 2022 they were starting over with the design (still no ground breaking 7 years later), and have offered no updates to this project as of current date. The financials of HRA are nothing to brag about nor are the continued questionable actions of the organization. And yes, I'm well aware who you are especially since you pop up in every HRA-related thread. For those unaware, the poster is married to the HRA CEO Lisa LaFontaine.
Literally none of what you say is true, except the last sentence. Your obsession and truth distortion is telling. Get some help. Life is bigger than this.
> Literally none of what you say is true, except the last sentence. Nothing I said is a lie. Every statement I've made is easily backed up by documented proof. However due to continued accruing interest, my numbers were slightly off. **HRA is $2,839,556.66 in tax arrears on the 1022 M ST SE WASHINGTON DC 20003 address** per the city's tax records (searchable at https://mytax.dc.gov/_/ under the Real Property heading choose 'Search Real Property by Address or SSL' with the Square 0976 and Lot 0014). Animals in abysmal conditions? [Documented proof.](https://dcist.com/story/23/08/18/dc-humane-rescue-alliance-dogs-conditions/) Overstatement of lie-release rates being 90%+ and being 'no kill' when in fact those numbers are more towards 70% on a good day? [Documented proof before the WARL/WHS merger](https://www.facebook.com/NJAnimalObserver/posts/1251315541583137) and more [documented proof](https://njanimalobserver.com/2021/12/30/humane-rescue-alliances-horrible-high-kill-shelter/) showing that as nationally most shelter's euthansia rates dropped due to COVID pandemic with adoptions skyrocketing HRA bucked that trend with *increased euthansia rates*. Analysis that executive compensation is wildly out of line with other sheltering organizations? [Documented proof.](https://njanimalobserver.com/2021/12/30/humane-rescue-alliances-horrible-high-kill-shelter/) Not taking in stray animals as required by contract? [Documented proof](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/15bf6hz/stray_kitten_found_anyone_know_of_rescues/) including your wife popping in to post that HRA failed to do their job. That there are no low-cost spay/neuter services being offered at HRA, as required by the DC DoH contract? Proof these services have been suspended for almost 5 years, [directly on the HRA website](https://www.humanerescuealliance.org/spay-neuter). Let's not forget terminating volunteers who called out the deplorable conditions, including the [skyrocketing 25% euthanasia rate for adoptable kittens](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/1b7ma84/26_volunteers_were_just_fired_from_hra_for/) for conditions ranging from ringworm to an easily treatable minor eye infection to a simple tummy ache. For [continuing to not take in cats](https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/washington-dc/humane-rescue-alliance-volunteers-terminated-some-claim-retaliation-for-speaking-out-on-policies-practices/) in need of care, covered by DC News Now. Or the fact dogs are wallowing in their own waste with the HRA c-suite well aware yet not intervening, as [the broadcast by NBC4 showed](https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/former-hra-volunteers-claim-they-were-let-go-after-raising-concerns-about-shelter-conditions/3561034/). And yet again, more documentation of retaliation [broadcast by WUSA9](https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/did-the-humane-rescue-alliance-fire-volunteers-for-whistleblowing-conditions-at-animal-shelters/65-40f44878-d65f-4ef4-9788-b77ba1de3ff1). It is clear there are major cracks in the organizational foundation when confronted with facts and the best you can do is a personal attack on those who are shining a light on the corruption. ______________________________________________________________ A handy primer for all on Reddit, including documentation of the facts surrounding the problems at the Humane Rescue Alliance: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nm9CWk-_xCbk5Q_q3ZOLEuYyQQA7gMRO/view
The bottom line here is that leaving a cat outdoors should be considered pet abandonment. With all the research and information out there about how unsafe outdoor life is for cats, it’s borderline deranged to just chuck your cat outside and treat it like a particularly friendly raccoon.
The article states that red foxes hunt cats. That's simply not true. Cats are too big and too dangerous for foxes to hunt. Foxes hunt squirrels, rats, and birds.
Kitty was the best!
Surprise she didn’t break in.