<< Previous   of   Next >> Suzanne Schmid / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Brothers Ron (left) and Ken Carlson of Arlington play Thursday with Mittens, their newly adopted kitten. The cat, formerly known as Sunny, was rescued from a duffel bag off Highway 99 last week.

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Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com

Kitten has happy home

By Scott Pesznecker, Herald Writer

ARLINGTON — More than two dozen people asked about adopting a 6-month-old kitten that nearly died after he was left next to a trash bin in a duffel bag.

The short-haired black-and-white kitten was adopted by two brothers from Arlington this week after recovering from heat stroke at the Progressive Animal Welfare Society in Lynnwood. In addition to a new home, he also received a new name: Mittens. The shelter staff had called him Sunny.

"It was a very hard decision. There were lots of good applications and lots of good homes for Sunny," society spokeswoman Mary Schilder said. "The full situation turned out really well. We're glad Sunny made a good recovery and found a good home."

The kitten's new owners, Ron and Ken Carlson of Arlington, said they were inspired to adopt Mittens after seeing a story about him in The Herald.

"We couldn't believe somebody would do something like that to a cat," said Ron Carlson, 56.

The Carlsons, who used to live in California, have had cats for most of their lives. Their new pet is already used to his surroundings and appears to be getting along with the Carlsons' two Persian cats, Lizy and Pibb.

"He's very affectionate; he's pretty laid-back," Ron Carlson said. "He purrs away pretty good."

Snohomish County Animal Control is investigating the incident. Anyone who has information about what happened to Mittens can call the animal control services hotline at 425-388-3440, ext. 9.

Officers are investigating at least one lead, Snohomish County License and Animal Control Services Manager Vicki Lubrin said. A caller reported seeing the cat at an apartment complex before it was found Sept. 12.

"This is a reminder for people in the community that there is animal cruelty out there," Schilder said.