A beautiful calico kitty, known to all as Swat Cat, has a new home thanks to her friends at the Boston Police Department.
Back in 2013, this sweet stray decided to adopt the entire SWAT unit of the BPD. She refuses to be an indoor kitty, but she happily shows up for meals and belly rubs whenever they are available.
Like the cute kitty rescued off the subway tracks by NYPD, Swat Cat is a major superstar in the eyes of the SWAT unit. She has earned herself the loyalty of a devoted bunch of career law enforcement officers; this cute kitty cat can turn a whole team of tough cops to mush!
Swat Cat loves her crew at the BPD, and they love her right back, so they were worried about her health in the chilly winter. Last year, around this time, she took off for three weeks, and they worried she was gone for good.
Fortunately, the SWAT unit came up with a clever solution to give Swat Cat a place to crash, without curbing her independent streak.
The Boston Police Department made a big splash in early February 2017 with a brand new real estate development — for a very special feline tenant.
The BPD SWAT team built a handmade kitty condo for their beloved mascot, a stray calico cat.
The BPD posted photos to Facebook, where they were immediately met with a virtual roar of approval. More than 2,600 people 'liked' the post, while hundreds more shared and commented!
BPD expanded further on the new construction in their caption to the Facebook post. The department writes:
Yesterday, on Friday February 10, 2017, officers assigned to Mobile Operations set up a new kitty condo for their team mascot, affectionately referred to as SWAT Cat.
The officers in the unit have been caring for the adorable stray Calico since she began prowling around the BPD Special Weapons and Tactics base back in 2013.
They were also quick to add:
Officer Jamie Pietroski, a 15-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, stayed late after work for several nights painstakingly preparing Swat Cat’s new home.
The condo features a spacious studio interior layout, a large deck for outdoor dining and glass sliding doors offering panoramic city views.
Swat Cat moved right in and looks very happy with her new custom kitty accommodations.
Swat Cat is a beloved member of the city's elite SWAT force. She first started hanging around with the officers at their Roxbury base back in 2013.
They started feeding her and taking care of her. While Swat Cat doesn't go on missions herself, she is still a very important source of moral support, and the whole team adores her.
According to BPD News,"This stray Calico kitty joined the BPD in 2013 when she began prowling around the Boston Police Special Weapons and Tactics base, rolling over for belly rubs from the officers, and showing up for chow time with the unit."
Though Swat Cat loves the officers right back, she's still very much an independent lady. She could never be coaxed into coming inside long-term, and would not have settled in well as a pet.
The BPD decided to find a solution that works for everyone, so they built her a very luxurious kitty condo in the garage of the SWAT base.
As noted above, force veteran Jamie Pietroski was a driving force behind getting the shelter built.
The officers all worked together to get the new deluxe kitty condo situated outside of the station.
This way, everyone is happy. Swat Cat can come and go as she pleases, and the BPD will know that she always has someplace safe and dry to sleep at night.
Swat Cat can be a bit of a wanderer, so the team likes the peace of mind that comes with knowing that their team mascot is safe out of Boston's cold and snow.
They do have a good reason to worry about Swat Cat. She previously made headlines in January 2016, when she disappeared for three weeks.
Her friends on the SWAT team got to work and set up a major search party, even advertising her disappearance in multiple newspapers.
Eventually, she came home, a few pounds lighter and a bit sickly, but still the same old Swat Cat.
Swat Cat's friends on the force were thrilled to see her again. It's not too surprising that they decided to make sure she always had a safe place to keep warm and cozy, so that she never disappears like that again.
So far, Swat Cat seems thrilled with her new digs and decided to move right in as soon as everything was all set up.
She's no indoor cat, but she definitely wants to stay close to her best buddies on the force.
If you are overjoyed to see this team of hardened police officers move heaven and earth for one little calico kitty, make sure to SHARE and spread the word about the BPD's kind gesture for a true-blue member of their SWAT team.
