Ferndale Cat Owner Says Craigslist Poster Won't Return Pet

A Ferndale resident is left baffled and distressed as she tries to bring her lost cat "Foxy" home but isn't getting a response from someone on Craigslist who appears to have found her.

Marilu Andracke contacted Patch in early November when her small Maine Coon cat first went missing - we posted this lost pet notice.

Nothing turned up until a few days ago, when people started emailing her about a post on Craigslist seeking an adoptive family for a cat found in Ferndale who "exactly matched" her cat, she said.

She quickly emailed the person who posted the ad and explained the situation, but she says she never heard back. The next day, the same ad was posted again but it called the cat a different name.

"I emailed again, and again, and again to no avail," Andracke said. "Instead, my inbox became flooded with messages from other people, who happened to recognize her in this person's adoption ad by the pictures I'd posted previously on [Craigslist]."

She said she has "no doubt" that it's Foxy in the photos on the Craigslist ad. She also posted her own ad in response, asking people to not adopt the cat and urging the author of the post to contact her.

Now five days later, Andracke has taken the situation to Ferndale Police. She said officers told her there isn't much they can do, but one detective did send the poster an email to see if it would help.

"I don't know what to do," she said. "I just want to bring her home. Literally there is just nothing I can do."

Andracke says she can't begin to guess the poster's reason for not responding. The adoption ad doesn't state whether an adoption fee is being sought.

"I'm baffled," she said. "At this point it just feels like someone has my cat and they won't give it back to me."

Patch sent an email asking about the situation to the Craigslist email account for the ad but did not immediately receive a response back.

Though her nights are sleepless, Andracke takes some comfort in knowing "Foxy" is alive and seems to have access to food, water and shelter.

"If she's OK and there's nothing I can do then at least I know she's safe and alive," she said.

If you have information to share, contact Andracke at japanesetoast@gmail.com.