Theater cat seeking a home

Amy R. Spurgeon

NEWPORT BEACH -- Every animal should be so lucky. And every owner should

be so kind.

Since animal lover Ruth Frankel died two weeks ago at the age of 87, her

closest friends have been scrambling to find a new home for her cat,

Phanny.

In 1998, locals discovered the gray-and-white-striped cat living inside

the peninsula’s abandoned Balboa Theater. She was infested with fleas and

in need of a good hot bath, so they attempted to remove the feline from

the theater. However, she wasn’t going anywhere without her kittens.

In an attempt bring the animals back to civilization, concerned

individuals set up food-laced cages around the theater. It took four days

to lure them in. The mother cat was named Phanny, after the musical,

“Phantom of the Opera.”

“I felt so bad,” said Dayna Pettit, who was involved with the caging.

“She lost her babies and ended up in a cage.”

Locals suggested Pettit take the cat to Frankel, a founding member of the

Animal Assistance League of Orange County and widely known in animal

circles.

Frankel helped find homes for the kittens, but decided to keep Phanny.

She faced more than one obstacle, considering her landlord did not allow

cats and that Phanny was not tame.

During her time with Frankel, Phanny lived in a closet and only emerged

from it at night. But, as time passed, trust replaced fear and the two

became friends. Frankel, in her last days, asked that Pettit find a good

home for Phanny.

“Now is a good time to place Phanny because she is lonely,” said another

of Frankel’s friends, Gail Dennison. “We don’t want to traumatize her. We

want her to go into a good situation.”Suzanne Pijloo of Garden Grove

offered to adopt Phanny. However, she needs someone to adopt one of her

available domesticated kittens to make room for Phanny.

For more information, call the Animal Assistance League of Orange County

at (714) 978-7387.