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Earlier in August a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals was briefly interrupted by a feisty kitten that ran onto the field.
After being gathered and taken off the field by an attendant, Yadier Molina stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam, launching the Cardinals into a lead that would hold until the end of the game.
And thus, the legend of “Rally Cat” was born.
After the game, there was a bit of confusion regarding the cat’s custody. According to a statement from the team, a woman claimed the cat was hers, moved to take the cat home, but then lost track of it in City Garden. Eventually, the cat was found by volunteers involved with nonprofit St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach, where it is still being cared for as of Thursday.
Now, according to a report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals hope to gain custody of the cat and make him a permanent part of the team. But the process might not be as simple as it seems.
St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach, who have now officially named him Rally Cat, say that they’ve received “thousands of inquiries from throughout the region,” and that the most important thing is that the cat find a good and loving home. Meanwhile, the Cardinals say that they have already claimed Rally, with vice president of communications Ron Watermon saying St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach have “assured us they will be returning our cat to us after a mandatory 10-day quarantine period.”
The use of “our” cat is a bit odd, as the Cardinals do not yet officially have custody and St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach would eventually be the ones to grant it. But that’s not stopping the Cardinals from making a few plans for their potential future mascot, with a “Welcome Home” ceremony scheduled for Rally next week. The team is also working on a “Rally Cat Appreciation Day” in September that would help raise money for the center. If all goes according to plan, Rally will be a part of the Cardinals organization for years to come.
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