Several people have inquired about the Mugsy case so here is an update.
The family has NOT given up. While they have scaled back their efforts, anytime a sighting has come in of a cat in the general area, they’ve responded up there and either set a humane trap or camera. For the longest time they moved feeding stations (with cameras) or set traps. They’ve passed out flyers in different areas in the event that Mugsy has traveled and they’ve continued with the giant, neon REWARD LOST CAT posters, even replacing them after snow plows had knocked them over.
Heart Tree Near Swamp Mugsy
I was reminded of the heart tree, a sign of love and hope, located on the edge of the swamp where MPP first captured Mugsy on camera. Based on what I’ve seen from Mugsy’s family, that love and hope will never fade.
Some have asked if I think Mugsy is dead (because of the snow) and here’s my thoughts on that. While Mugsy was a primarily indoor-only cat, she was allowed outside occasionally at her (snowy) home in Idaho. She was also an “accomplished mouser.” If Mugsy was not taken by a predator then yes, I think Mugsy could still be alive. After all, if cats could not survive in snowy regions then there would be no feral cats in areas like Alaska, Minnesota, or Maine. Look at Toronto, Canada – a very snowy and cold city. Toronto is estimated to have a feral cat population of 100,000 to 250,000 feral cats. So I really don’t see the snow as being something that would kill Mugsy. And finally, if Mugsy is out there we know she has a major food source – there are plenty of plump mice waddling around and birds who likely can’t fly anymore because they all feasted on countless bags and cans of cat food left out for Mugsy! So I personally believe that it is entirely possible that Mugsy is still alive and out there.
The hardest part is not knowing.
While we need to prepare for the fact that Mugsy might never be found, I’m glad that so many people have put their heart into her recovery. Rest assured that the family does have plans to continue with their efforts. They probably won’t be up there setting cameras during a blizzard, but the family is still responding to leads and to reminding people who live near Snoqualmie Pass to be on the look out for the stubborn Tortie. I’ve been a pet detective long enough to know this one true fact: MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!
I wanted to post this article from the San Francisco Chronicle: it gave me hope when we were looking for our lost cat. I wanted to share not because of the microchip, but how long the kitty lived in the woods – 3.5 years!
Pet ID chip helps cat find its way home
March 03, 2010|By Eileen Mitchell
San Francisco resident Susan Kerr Krooss has always joked that Dicey is a “squat” – half squirrel and half cat. With the fluffiest of tails in a medley of orange, brown and gray hues, Dicey has been a loving and unique member of the Krooss family since the day she was brought home from Pets in Need, a Redwood City shelter. Perhaps the squirrel part is what the 11-pound cat needed to survive her unexpected 3 1/2-year walkabout in San Francisco.
It all began in 2003, when our family adopted Ripley, a border collie mix from Pets Unlimited in San Francisco. Little did we know that Dicey, then 2, would be so upset by Ripley’s arrival that she would disappear for years.
It’s not that Dicey had a problem with animals; she was fine with our other cats and dogs. But despite our best efforts to ease their introduction, Dicey fell apart with the entrance of Ripley. He had his own hard-luck story – the abandoned dog had been found wandering on a golf course in Sacramento, sick with pneumonia and cancer. Ripley was overjoyed to find love with his new family. Dicey, however, wanted nothing to do with him and immediately bolted.
Our two daughters were heartbroken. We posted signs, combed the neighborhood and called the microchip registry to make sure she was on file. The days of her disappearance turned into weeks, months, then years.
Sometime, I’m not sure when, I gave up hope that Dicey was alive. We live next to the Presidio, San Francisco’s large wooded national park filled with wildlife, so Dicey’s chances of survival seemed slim to none. Meanwhile, we adopted two feral black kitties born in our backyard. Still, my younger daughter kept Dicey’s framed picture on her bedside table. It broke my heart every night when I tucked Vanessa in.
Then one evening, a few weeks before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A middle-aged woman stood there in the dark peering at us quizzically. “Have you lost a cat?” she asked. No, I replied, knowing that our three cats, now all kept permanently indoors, were safe and sound. “An orange-ish cat?” she persisted. “I found her in the Presidio.” Our family gave each other startled looks and said in unison, “Dicey?” Indeed, it was.
Turns out, Dicey’s guardian angel is a woman named Tina who feeds lost and hungry animals. One night, while putting out food less than a mile from our house, Tina spotted the famished and parasite-ridden Dicey shyly eyeing her.
After a few feeding sessions, Dicey trusted the kind stranger enough to be picked up. Tina took Dicey to a vet, where they scanned the identity chip and found our address. If you’ve ever wondered if microchips work, let Dicey set you straight.
Once tucked inside, safe and sound, Dicey didn’t even give her former nemesis a second glance. Ripley is nothing compared with what she was up against in the great outdoors. Quickly re-establishing herself as queen of the house, Dicey is the first of our four kitties in line at the food bowl and has already put on 3 pounds.
This time, Dicey is home to stay.
A great site for people who have lost or found a beloved pet is OliverAlert.com. They use Facebook to send out OliverAlerts for animals around the world. http://www.OliverAlert.com offers best practices and is a guide to the most popular lost and found resource websites.
You can also use aKeKee.com. aKeKee is a pet search engine that offers animal lovers a single interface to access hundreds of thousands of postings compiled from the leading pet websites. http://www.aKeKee.com
I hope this helps!
I have lived at Snoqualmie Pass for a long time. I am near where Mugsy was lost. Don’t give up hope. All of the neighbors here know about her and are still watching. We do have a feral cat population here that survives very well. The father of my moms cat, Smokey Moonshadow, was a feral cat. I started feeding him and was able to catch him after 3 years. He was living wild in the woods here for at least 3 years before I moved to this house. He had a range of over a square mile and was a healthy and strong tom even with no human support. This morning my dad saw the cat that lives under St Bernard Chapel at the Summit and I will be showing him Mugsy’s picture when he gets here. We talked to the searchers at the beginning of the winter and they know we are still looking. I believe it is only a matter of time.
Showed the pic to my dad and he said the church cat is not Mugsy. It is not a tortie. At least we know now. The searchers last fall knew about that cat and were hoping it was her. We will keep looking.