One found cat turns into two lost

Two local cats are missing in what appears to be a case of meow-staken identity, residents of Newport Island and the surrounding neighborhood said Friday.

Gail O’Hea said she started sleuthing when Toulouse, a long-haired black and white cat, didn’t come home Monday night from his usual prowlings near her home on Marcus Avenue.

Not long after, neighbor Lisa Lily, whose gray and white kitty Jerry has been missing for a few months, got a call saying that Jerry had been found.

“One little girl — I only have one flier still on my garage door — so she got my number and she called and said, ‘Lisa, I found your cat, call me back,’” Lily said.

The elementary school-aged girl, whose mother preferred that she not be identified, then left the feline in question in a garage.

However, as go the best-laid plans of mice and kids, the cat escaped and hasn’t been seen since.

And unfortunately, Lily said, “I think that cat maybe could’ve been Gail’s.”

O’Hea said her family has blitzed the neighborhood with posters.

“We’ve had a couple people say they saw him very nearby,” she said. “But no such luck.”

O’Hea said her daughter, Jasmine, is recovering from surgery while at home from college, and misses Toulouse, who’s been in her life since she was in kindergarten.

“He’s so funny he will actually slap at, like, a standard-sized poodle,” she said. “He lives in the garage and he sleeps at night with the rabbit. He doesn’t get into a lot of fights, but he likes to act like he’s tough.”

She asks anyone with information about Toulouse or Jerry call (949) 500-2288.

“He’s just a fun, awesome pet,” O’Hea said. “He’s part of our lives.”