Cat’s nine lives meet end after police encounter

Published 12:11 pm Wednesday, February 10, 2010

EVERETT – A cat who wandered into the Everett Police Department’s South Precinct parking lot later was killed at the city’s animal shelter, upsetting the animal’s owners.

Police have been having problems with neighborhood cats, many feral, urinating on patrol motorcycles, Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said.

Police asked animal control officers to help trap the cats, he said.

One of the cats, Atalanta, was brought to the Everett Animal Shelter on Jan. 28, city spokeswoman Kate Reardon said.

The shelter wasn’t able to find the cat’s owner. The animal wasn’t tagged or micro-chipped, she said.

All strays are held for at least three days, as required by state law.

After the waiting period, a veterinarian determined the cat was too ill and too old to be adopted and it was humanely killed.

“I know we should have had Atalanta tagged right when we noticed her ID was missing – we feel horrible about that,” the cat’s owner, Amy Skaar, said. “We just want others to know what is going on at the police station so they can get their cats tagged (or) chipped and not have the same experience we’ve had.”

A shelter employee called Skaar after determining another of her cats was being held at the shelter. That’s when she learned of Atalanta’s fate.