Shelter cat caught repeatedly liberating other cats in the shelter

Heidi Lux
11.12.19
Friends For Life Animal Rescue and Adoption Organization - Houston

Recidivism is a real problem for some shelter cats. Quilty, a seven-year-old domestic shorthair, was born in the Friends For Life Animal Rescue and Adoption Organization (FFL), a Houston-area animal shelter. Named after Claire Quilty in Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita," Quilty was recently returned to the shelter he was born in after his adopter moved and couldn't bring him along. He immediately started causing trouble.


Quilty knows how to open doors, and liberated the other captive cats in the shelter like some kind of feline Simon Bolivar. "Quilty loves to let cats out of the senior room. Repeatedly, several times a day," the shelter wrote on Facebook. "Quilty will not be contained. And he has no shame."

Quilty was caught and sentenced solitary confinement (i.e. left to sit behind a glass door) for the jail breaks, looking adorably sad yet showing no remorse.

RELATED: Whoever is naming the cats at this Austin shelter probably needs to be drug tested

The staff "Quilty-proofed" the room, putting child locks on the cat doors. "His roommates missed him while he was banished to the lobby. They enjoyed their nighttime escapades around the shelter. The staff, however, did not miss the morning cat wrangling, so we'll just have to agree to disagree there," the shelter continued on their post.

There's no controlling Quilty. The clever cat then sprung himself out of kitty jail. "Quilty's review with the parole board was denied, so he released himself of his own recognizance today," FFL wrote in a Facebook comment. "He felt that confinement had nothing more to offer him. He has been returned to solitary. The review board will take up his case again tomorrow. Y'all. This cat released himself from the integration kennel in the room."

RELATED: 4 brilliant ways cats are secretly helping their owners live healthier lives

Quilty is a repeat offender. At his old home, Quilty would frequently let the dogs out. Finally, the Baha Men have an answer to their age-old question.

More of Quilty's great escapes have been documented and posted on his official Instagram account.




Quilty went viral and the shelter capitalized on the cat's popularity, creating a #FreeQuilty hashtag and subsequent merch (which benefits the shelter). It's all part of a clever way for the shelter to bring awareness to its cause. "We don't want to 'Sarah McLachlan' anyone with our communications; bringing a new family member into your home should be a joyful experience," Jennifer Hopkins from FFL told the Houston Chronicle. "We want to create more of that in the world, and if it means calling a cat a 'spicy a-hole,' then we're your people."

Their strategy worked. Quilty received a floor of applications, because apparently a lot of people wanted to live with a hardened cat criminal.

Quilty may have found his forever home thanks to his antics. He is currently on a one-week "sleepover" trial with his new family, and is doing well. "He hasn't shown any slickness at all yet; he is the most loving and affectionate cat I have ever met!" his potential owners told the shelter.

However, the shelter reports that a few other cats have caught his "spicy." History may soon be repeating itself…

animal shelter cats viral
popular

The 12 most badass action films with powerful female leads


Hollywood is finally moving closer to equality. The past few years have seen a growing number of films starring, written by and directed by women. There's still a lot of progress yet to be made, of course. But there's one area where women have been kicking butt and taking names for decades: action films. Ironically, action films are stereotyped as the launching pad of the manliest of manly men: Schwarzenegger, The Rock, Clint Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone and so on. But some of the biggest action hits, both critically and commercially, are led by women.

If you're looking to expand your home video library for the holidays or just searching for a great holiday playlist while taking out some healthy aggression, here are 12 of our all-time favorite films featuring strong women front and center.

Keep Reading Show less
female action movies action movies best movies star wars mad max aliens james cameron wonder woman marvel dc comics
Culture

Beyoncé revealed about what she's learned from her miscarriages in a powerful new interview

One in five pregnancies end in miscarriage. It's a sad and heartbreaking experience, but there still is a lot to learn from going through something so tragic. Beyoncé recently shared what she learned from her miscarriages in an "ask me anything" published in the January 2020 issue of Elle Magazine.

A fan asked Beyoncé if she was disappointed she didn't win awards for Lemonade and Homecoming. Beyoncé said her miscarriages helped put it in perspective. "I began to search for deeper meaning when life began to teach me lessons I didn't know I needed. Success looks different to me now. I learned that all pain and loss is in fact a gift," she said in Elle Magazine.

Keep Reading Show less
parenting miscarriage beyonce
popular

Lizzo responded to the criticism over her thong dress with a message of self love

Even though 68% of women in America where size 14 or above, plus sized women tend to draw more heat for the outfits that they wear, especially if those outfits are even remotely racy. Earlier this week, Lizzo was spotted at a LA Lakers game wearing the dress heard round the internet. Dubbed the "thong dress," Lizzo's t-shirt dress was straightforward in the front, but the back featured cutouts featuring her thong and fishnet stockings.

During the game, Lizzo twerked when the Laker Girls danced to her song "Juice," giving the crowd a full view of her ensemble.

Keep Reading Show less
popular

For the first time in history, the winners of top four beauty pageants are black women

The Miss America pageant was started in 1921, but women of color were barred from participating until 1940. It took another 30 years for the first black woman to participate in the pageant in 1970. In 1983, Vanessa Williams became the first black woman to win Miss America. Now, the winners of all four major beauty pageants are all black women.

Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa was crowned Miss Universe, making this the first time in history that Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe are all black women. Tunzi is the first black woman to win Miss Universe since 2011, when Leila Lopes took home the crown.


Keep Reading Show less