Lifestyle

City Hall Cat Gets New Lease on Life

By Karen Nichols

, July 16, 2009

City Kitty, an arthritic cowcat who lives a the Naples, Florida, City Hall, has a new lease on life thanks to a concerned and caring citizen.

Last month, LaVeeda Krumm took the feral cat to Harborside Animal Clinic, after she noticed a problem with the cats overgrown nails. At the clinic, tests revealed that City Kitty had advanced arthritis and hyperthyroidism, a common affliction in older cats.

The vets at the clinic ministered to City Kitty, but the price tag was a steep $439.

Dr. Ruth Eisel, a vet at the clinic, said that when City Kitty was brought in, the clinic was told people would be pitching in to help cover the costs. Unfortunately, the funding didn’t materialize and the three doctors in the practice had to pay the expenses themselves.

“When it came to chip in, there was no one there except for LeVeeda Krumm, said Eisel. The doctors said to ourselves, (the cat) was promised help, so we put our own money toward the cat.

Two weeks after the visit to the vet, Councilwoman Penny Taylor sent a memo to her colleagues asking city employees to pitch in to help offset the medical expenses.

“We love her,” Taylor wrote. “We need help with this bill and a collection station has been established at the volunteer desk in the downstairs lobby of City Hall.” Unfortunately, donations have been very slow in coming in.

Taylor said she was relieved to learn that Krumm took City Kitty to the doctor.

Ive been worried about her, Taylor said. Shes very wily.

City Kitty is just one of several cats that lives near City Hall, said Naples Mayor Bill Barnett. Barnett estimates shes been around City Hall for about 15 years.

Ill tell you it adds a personal touch, Barnett said about having a city pet. This is not a bleak gray drab atmosphere around here. Were filled with good old normal people. Its a warm fuzzy.

An overactive thyroid means City Kitty needs to take medication twice a day, which is hard to do with an feral cat. But Krumm said shes doing her best to make sure City Kitty gets it at least once a day.

Being the City Kitty has its perks: In 2006 city employees built her a cat house to keep her out of the elements during bad weather.