Beloved ginger cat Morty of the Bucks County SPCA died peacefully on Tuesday, Oct. 31, at the shelter with his devoted caretakers by his side.
Morty was more than 20 years old, having enjoyed a long life at BCSPCA’s Lahaska shelter since his arrival there in 2005. He and many other cats were rescued from a large hoarding case.
While the goal of the BCSPCA is always to help animals recover and find new homes, Morty was an exception in that he recovered and stayed put. Initially, he was reclusive and choose to avoid people at all costs, keeping to the nonpublic areas of the shelter. No one is quite sure what changed, but one day Morty decided to strut into the office and engage with the shelter’s visitors.
“From then on, the odds were good that you could find our four-footed greeter lounging on the front counter supervising pet adoptions and dog license purchases. He frequently napped in the retail bins marked ‘donation of choice’ in the front lobby or could be found warming the lap of a staff member or assisting with administrative tasks like shuffling papers and keyboarding,” the BCSPCA said via email.
Morty featured in innumerable photo ops for the shelter, provided quality assurance testing for scores of donated towels and pet beds, and even became the voice of BCSPCA’s E-Tails newsletter for a season. Chief among Morty’s many roles was that of simply being a cat – walking to his own beat, being content in his own fur, and providing a quiet source of comfort and entertainment to a parade of humans.
“Our animal companions enrich our lives beyond measure. While our hearts are heavy at having said goodbye to our old friend, he gave us many good memories and we carry on our lifesaving work in his honor,” the BCSPCA said.
The community is invited to share their photos of memories of Morty, tagging the BCSPCA at @buckscountyspca or sending them to info@buckscountyspca.org. Pictures and notes will be displayed in BCSPCA’s Lahaska Shelter lobby. Donations made in Morty’s memory will be used for BCSPCA’s Animal Relief Fund which provides medical care for animals rescued from cruelty or neglect, and those needing specialized medical care.
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