Julie needs a(nother) new home

May 3, 2007 by
Filed under: Area 51 

Julie guarding the Doritos

I don’t expect many of you to recall who Julie is, so I will tell you. She is an extremely good natured (and husky) cat I rescued from a neighbor’s apartment after being abandoned for three weeks. You can read about how fucking awful her living conditions were here.

Well, her temporary home (a local bodega) ended up being just that: temporary. Although the owners of this store (and their landlord) love her dearly, the decision to let her go was not theirs to make: someone saw fit to call the Department of Consumer Affairs and complain about her. The result was a whopping $300 fine from the Department of Health and a warning that the store will be shuttered if Julie remains there. It just goes to show you that no good deed goes unpunished. By New York Shitty officials.

I find it strangely ironic that after being embarrassed by the now-infamous West Village Rat Cavalcade, the DOH has seen fit to save face by going after the very creature that keeps such vermin at bay. Come to think of it, Julie doesn’t just keep them at bay: she enthusiastically disembowels them in the most gruesome fashion imaginable. To the amazement and revulsion of her keepers, though one of them was genuinely touched when she left one of her kills at his feet as tribute.

The fact of the matter is this:

  1. Julie needs a good home and
  2. she needs it ASAP

Here are the facts (as best as I can tell them):

  1. Julie is a spayed grey tabby female.
  2. She is probably around 9 years old.
  3. She is not declawed, but appears to use her claws sparingly.
  4. I have no idea what her FIV or Feline Leukemia status is, but she appears to be pretty robust. And by “robust” I mean active (for an older cat) and built like a brick shithouse.
  5. Despite her stature, she has a very sweet melodic voice. Not unlike Mama Cass.
  6. The household she came from was AWFUL. Although my neighbor was always nice to me, when I took Julie out of there it was clear that this woman had some serious problems. Substance abuse problems. Whatever money she had was not spent on food for her foster child. Or cleaning products and cat litter for that matter. But being the trouper she is, Julie continued to use the cat box as thoroughly disgusting as it was.
  7. Unlike a number of cats who have been in such a living situation, Julie is incredibly mellow and gentle. She would probably do well in a household with a small child. Constant manhandling and lovins’ makes her happy. I know this because I do both of the previous to her every time I visit her.
  8. I have no idea how she would take to being around other cats or dogs.
  9. While affectionate, Julie is A-OK with being alone on occasion. I suspect her upbringing has something to do with this.
  10. My husband and I are in no position to take her in. We already have 5 cats.

Perhaps one of you out there knows someone who recently lost a cat. Or someone who wants a cat who will be low maintanence and has a proven track record of being OK with children. Or simply someone who likes having a big lovey chunk-a-lump to protect the apartment (and sing for her supper). If you do know of such a person, please email me at missheather (at) newyorkshitty (dot) com.

In closing, I will leave you with two more pix of Miss Julie…

Julie Likes Backrubs

Julie was starting to drool when I took this one.

Julie showing the goodies

She is not above acts of exhibitionism on occasion either.

Miss Heather

UPDATE: I have to run to work this morning (5/4), but I am continuing to get offers to take Miss Julie. (Thanks everyone!) If you are interested in Julie, please tell me a little about yourself as it will help me make a decision. I want her next home to be her last. Thanks!

Comments

9 Comments on Julie needs a(nother) new home

  1. dupreciate on Thu, 3rd May 2007 4:21 pm
  2. ughhhhhhh. If we could have cats I’d come pick her up.

  3. missheather on Thu, 3rd May 2007 6:14 pm
  4. Yup. In the meantime (as I write this at 9:12 p.m.) the landlord at 1021 Manhattan Avenue is busy doing construction. After hours. Without a variance to do so. And 110 Green awakens me every morning, usually around 7:20 a.m. If anyone needs a reprimand, it’s the DOB. Not some hapless animal whose only crime was living at the wrong place. At the wrong time.

  5. jukeboxgraduate on Thu, 3rd May 2007 8:20 pm
  6. My boyfriend has yelled at me to stop reading, my cat has gotten up and walked away in disgust, and my landlady reminds me I’m allowed to have one, exacdtly one, cat.

    “The cat’s on Gothamist, someone will give it a home.”

    Have you called BARC?

  7. missheather on Thu, 3rd May 2007 8:25 pm
  8. Yes, I have contacted someone from BARC.

  9. jenchung on Fri, 4th May 2007 5:42 am
  10. I really hope someone is able to take in Julie. She’s super cute. I would jump at the chance, but our almost-19-year-old cat tends towards becoming the “beta kitty” whenever there’s another cat around. I’m looking for some more info from the DOH about allowing cats in stores – I understand issues with allergies, but in terms of catching vermin, aren’t cats a better alternative over chemicals?

  11. janine on Fri, 4th May 2007 6:40 am
  12. Awww, I can’t stand to see a kitty in need of a home. I’d adpot her if I could but my household already has maxiumum cattage. I’ll post a link to this on menandcats.com, I even have a special section of “cats who need men (or women) to adopt them.”

  13. kll205 on Fri, 4th May 2007 6:43 am
  14. BARC requires a donation to take in a cat, I’m not sure how much but I heard it described as “substantial”. If you can afford that, great, but another option is KittyKind in the Petco at Union Square. I volunteer with them once a week, and we take every cat. We’d be happy to have her!

  15. dupreciate on Sat, 5th May 2007 6:29 am
  16. How’s Julie. If she’s still looking for a home I may consider making a cat plea to my landlord. We speak different languages so I’m not sure how that would go down, but I might as well try.

  17. lisacat on Sun, 6th May 2007 4:30 pm
  18. Paws crossed that the adoption is a success! She’s a beauty!

    BTW kll205, BARC does not “require” a “substantial” donation. Whether or not they take in an animal is determined by many, many factors. Yes, they ask for a donation and if it’s substantial they may be in a better situation to help, if the animal needs extra veterinary care or medication for example. I have volunteered for BARC for years, sometimes 7 days a week, and have seen them take in hundreds of animals… at no charge.

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