Community Corner

Whiskas and Kitty (Plus Pablo Find a Home)

Kitty and Whiskas both managed to charm their way out of city shelters after catching the dreaded upper respiratory tract infection that often leads to death.

At many animal shelters, the Grimm Reaper is an upper respiratory infection.

It’s not that the illness kills them. It’s that once they become sick they’re ineligible for adoption, and they’re not allowed to stay at the shelter the week-to-10-days it takes to get better.

“Technically they’re not supposed to keep them long enough to recover,” said Sean Casey, founder of Sean Casey Animal Shelter.

Find out what's happening in Prospect Heights-Crown Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But 3-year-old Kitty and 4-year-old Whiskas both managed to escape death because sympathetic shelter workers called Casey and asked if they could take them in.

Whiskas, an enormous Anatolian Shepherd, was found as a stray on Pacific Street near Utica Avenue in early January. She was brought to Animal Care and Control in Brooklyn but caught the upper respiratory infection soon after arriving.

Find out what's happening in Prospect Heights-Crown Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Almost everyone does,” Casey noted of the rampant infection. “We call it ‘the right of passage.'”

 She’s been at Sean Casey Animal Rescue about six weeks and there, she’s well loved, Casey said.

“She’s just incredibly affectionate. She’s gentle around children. She doesn’t jump up and knock a kid down like some dogs do,” he said.

As for Kitty, workers at the Harlem Animal Care and Control shelter managed to keep her there for 30 days – weeks past the date she should have been killed, Casey said.

“Somebody must have really liked her,” he said.

But when she caught the dreaded infection, she needed to go. So Casey’s shelter picked upper up and she’s been there for about six weeks.

Why so long?

Kitty is shy. She hides at the back of her cage when people come in.  But once she gets to know you, she’s a real charmer, Casey said.

She purrs, she rubs on you – but it does take awhile,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pablo, the cat found frostbitten and emaciated in the snow a month ago, has been adopted, thanks, drum roll, to this column. (Our first definite success story!)

A woman saw Pablo on our website, and was touched, Casey said. She came into the shelter last Saturday with her teenaged daughter and spent some time with him and that sealed the deal, Casey said.

“She fell in love with him,” he said.

Both Kitty and Whiskas are spayed, dewormed, treated to prevent fleas & ticks and are up to date with vaccinations. The adoption fee, $100 for cats and $200 for dogs, includes a veterinary exam, one free month of pet health insurance and a microchip. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Prospect Heights-Crown Heights