Maybe she thought the building needed a mouser. Perhaps she thought a theater company that was producing A Christmas Carol was a good place for a little feline named Fizziwig (sic). But, for whatever reason (and we really can’t think of a good one), someone abandoned their cat here at PCS last week.

When the cat (we’re pretty sure now it’s a she) was first noticed on Wednesday afternoon tucked in a corner of the conference room, folks thought she was the pet of a new staffer and had just been placed there briefly on the way to or from home or the vet. But the next morning, Facilities staff members Ryan McCarthy and Robyn Hodges discovered the poor little mite was still there – left without food, water, litter box, or even room to stand up – and liberated her.

Fizziwig’s collar tag gave her name and an email contact, but all messages to the e-address have gone unanswered. We haven’t yet been able to get her to pose for a photo, but this is a reasonable likeness:

For the time being Fizziwig is residing in the production manager’s office with Jessica Nikkel and Tom Haygood – where she’s getting as spoiled as she’ll allow us to make her, because the folks here at PCS love the kittehs as well as the doggehs.  But she’s clearly overwhelmed by the change in her circumstances and spends most of her time in a warm, dark corner beneath Tom’s desk.  The production office, however, is small and not appropriate as a permanent home, and the Armory is too full of nooks and crannies where a kitty could get into serious trouble for her to be allowed to roam in any of the other spaces.

Fizziwig’s future is uncertain, though we are looking to find her a loving home. What is certain is that simply dumping a cat or dog someplace where you think people might be responsible and kind is not the way to re-home a pet. We know circumstances can sometimes make it impossible to keep one’s animal companion and that finding a new home can take time and persistence (especially during kitten season), but there are much better alternatives to abandonment, such as the Oregon Humane Society, Cat Adoption Team, the Humane Society of Southwest Washington, or even Craig’s List or your veterinarian’s office.

Speaking for myself as a volunteer with the Oregon Humane Society, I can only urge everyone to please be responsible with the little furry lives that depend on you for care, protection, and love!