Metropolitan
Police Department Officer Joe Dolan loves cats.
Five
years ago, Officer Dolan joined the Washington Humane Society (WHS) CatNiPP program
when he began caring for three community cats after left stranded and starving
by the big snow storm, known commonly as “Snow-mageddon.” After
naming his new friends Bomb, Squad, and Blackie, the three were sterilized
through our CatNiPP
program and
released back to their outdoor home, where Officer Dolan and the Blue Plains team
care for them daily. With a heated water bucket in the winter and regular 6:30
a.m. feedings, Bomb, Squad, and Blackie are well-tended to in their natural
home. As an extra bonus, the Capital Police unit nearby has noted the
disappearance of mice previously spotted in their food room.
“I’ve been a police officer for 23 years, and I’ve always had a special place for animals and kids,” said Officer Dolan. “They both need someone to look out for them when they’re in trouble.”
Officer Dolan also makes sure that Rocky, the neighborhood squirrel, has plenty of nuts and that the bird feeders are kept fully stocked. “It’s an animal kingdom down here,” he said.
When Lightning showed up among the three regulars in mid-January 2013,
Officer Dolan was very concerned, because he could tell that Lightning was not
like the other community cats. Lightning was skittish and stayed away from
Bomb, Squad, and Blackie. Officer Dolan notified WHS Community Cats Program
Manager Danielle Bays and was able to safely trap Lightning to bring him into
the National Capital Area Spay and Neuter Center (SNC).
When the WHS staff looked up Lightning’s rabies tags, they found out that this
cat had had quite the journey. The tags traced his origins to Baltimore, MD,
and a phone call revealed that Lightning had managed to sneak into a service
truck of the company he was cared for by. When the truck went on a call to Blue
Plains, Lightning hopped out and became very disoriented by his unfamiliar
surroundings. Lightning’s owners opted to put him up for adoption at the New
York Avenue Adoption Center, where his adopter Andrea Goode spotted him one
lucky day.
Andrea first noticed Lightning’s pitch black coat, reminding her of a beloved cat that she had 20 years ago. He stayed very calm and relaxed as she petted him, and moments later, Lightning found his forever home.
“He loves tummy rubs,” said Andrea. “He talked a lot, but being in a new area, he sometimes gets a little jumpy. He’s a beautiful black cat with an innocent face and huge big black eyes. That’s how I fell in love.”
Do you see cats and feed cats? Volunteer to help with the WHS CatNiPP Trap-Neuter-Return program! Learn more on our website.
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