Stolen Kitten is Recovered and Returned to Shelter

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By Karen Harrison Binette

LS_082913_Turbo The Cat Back
Crystal Arnott with Turbo following the kitten’s safe return to the shelter.
Photo, Bob Whitaker/Lowell Sun

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Lowell Humane Society shelter manager Crystal Arnott answered her phone Wednesday night to find police on the other end of the line, sharing news she never expected to hear: Turbo, a kitten stolen on July 23 had been found.

Turbo came to the Lowell, MA shelter in May as part of a program that brings in strays and provides spay/neuter surgery for them, to help address homelessness and overpopulation.

The shelter was busy on July 23, with the staff kept busy accepting donations and helping families interested in adopting pets, when someone opened Turbo’s cage and slipped out with her. A family that hesitated to make an adoption upon learning of the $125 adoption fee were thought to have made the theft, but the shelter did not have security cameras in place to verify any suspicions.

Shelter staff were especially concerned for Turbo because the friendly little kitten had just undergone her spay procedure and surgery to correct a gastrointestinal problem and was recuperating at the shelter, though she had earlier been socialized in foster care.

Speaking of the theft, LHS executive director Jill O’Connell was quoted in a Lowell Sun story on July 25 saying: “It actually happens a lot in shelters, but not in my five years here. It’s really devastating to us.”

When a week passed with no leads on the stolen kitten, the Humane Society hopes that she would ever be recovered diminished, despite the kitten’s having a very distinct appearance. Turbo is tailless and was born that way, through either a genetic fluke or her breed mix background.

More than a month had passed when Crystal Arnott got the happy news this week that Turbo had been recovered and appeared to be in good shape.

Lowell police responding to a domestic disturbance call on Wednesday were tipped off by someone in the home that the stolen kitten was there, and recognized Turbo from her ‘missing’ flyer. The police officers called upon Animal Control, and an animal officer came to the scene with a microchip scanner that verified the kitten’s identity. Turbo’s microchip had been implanted by the Lowell humane Society, and was still registered to the organization because she had not been adopted.

Turbo was reportedly a bit nervous when she first returned to the shelter, but quickly reacquainted herself and settled down. Staff say she appears to have been fairly well cared for during her absence.  She will be made available for adoption soon.

The shelter plans to install security cameras and is accepting donations from the public to help cover the cost.

You can visit and follow Lowell Humane Society at Facebook.

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