St. Louis Cardinals facing custody battle over 'Rally Cat'
Rally Cat sent a member of the Cardinals ground crew to the hospital after he maybe, to be fair, improperly picked it up, but that doesn't mean the club isn't invested in getting him back.
The Cardinals told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the cat belonged to them and would live happily ever after as a member of the Cardinals family.
"The St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach organization has assured us they will be returning our cat to us after a mandatory 10-day quarantine period," said Ron Watermon, the team's vice president of communications, who added later that Rally Cat would be "cared for by our team, making the Cardinals Clubhouse his home."
According to the St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach, the team may have some competition. From the center's Facebook page:
First, we have officially named him Rally Cat - not only did he play a key role in "icing" an opposing pitcher in Busch Stadium during the August 10th Cardinals game against the Kansas City Royals, helping Yadier Molina hit a Grand Slam Home Run to "Rally" the team and eventually win the game, but he rallied and literally clawed back when he was removed from the field, showing great spunk, as a role model for all stray cats that are out there struggling for a better life in St. Louis. And his last name is "Cat", because, well, you know!
Next, his health is doing just fine, but he is has not gained as much weight as we had hoped at this point (he's been through a lot!), so he will be quarantined until further notice until he gains sufficient weight, and has the chance to be neutered, which is our standard policy. It is our hope he will be ready for his first public appearance, hopefully at the Rally Cat Appreciation Night at Busch Stadium on September 10th.
We're also delighted to announce that Rally has been named to the St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach Board! He is a role model for all stray cats in the region, and can help be a champion to help develop a first class facility that St Louis desperately needs to help address the issue of stray cats, not only around Busch Stadium (as was the case with Rally), but the entire region. He will attend all Board Meetings going forward.
We've had thousands of inquiries from throughout the region, including many great organizations like the St Louis Cardinals, in addition to many cat loving individuals about adopting Rally. While only one can adopt Rally, rest assured we have a process in place, and will make sure he ends up in a great home in St. Louis for the rest of his life, and continues in a "paws-on" role with the St Louis Feral Cat Outreach Organization, and most importantly, will be allowed to lead a happy and healthy life. We'd ask that you respect our Organization by not inquiring to our very small, understaffed volunteers with inquiries about his adoption - we'll keep you posted with new information via this Facebook Page.
Thank you for your support.
Please stop calling this poor outreach center about Rally Cat.