Malnourished cat found at Pittsburgh airport begins new life with officer

A new chapter for Spirit began last week at Pittsburgh International Airport.

Spirit the stray cat, not the airline.

An Allegheny County Police officer stepped up to provide a home and a name for the female cat, the department reported on its Facebook page.

The cat was “extremely malnourished” and in need of veterinary care when an airport employee spotted her Dec. 1 in the airport’s long-term parking area and alerted county police, the department said.

County officers were able to catch the feline, and patrol Officer Edward Watts volunteered to take her in and obtain treatment for her.

Spirit, who is about 1, has multiple underlying health issues but is expected to make a full recovery while adjusting to her new home with Watts and his family.

“After two incidents recently involving dogs being abandoned at the airport, we wanted to share some positivity,” police said.

On Nov. 16, county police charged a West Virginia man with abandoning a chihuahua mix that was found tied to a pole in the airport’s short-term parking garage.

An Armstrong County woman is accused of leaving a French bulldog unattended near the short-term parking lot before boarding a flight Aug. 4 to a resort in Mexico. County police found the dog sitting in a stroller along with a bag of dog food but no water. That case is awaiting resolution in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.

In each of the canine cases, Ohio Township-based Animal Friends provided help for the dogs.