Described as a "neighborhood cat," Nubbins has lived in Sonoma County off Railroad Avenue for years — until she was apparently taken by a couple staying at a nearby Airbnb.
Longtime neighborhood resident Troy Farrell had adopted Nubbins — his "support cat [...] that was my friend" — several years ago. When looking into purchasing a house, Farrell noted that they were sold when Nubbins came scratching at the door during a showing, asking for attention. The following years showed the bond between Farrell and Nubbins deepen.
But that relationship was severed after a couple staying at an Airbnb two doors down from Farrell's residence allegedly took the outdoor cat back home with them... more than 500 miles away back to SoCal.
According to ABC7, Farrell has been fighting for the past three months to get his cat back home. Farrell had first noticed Nubbins was missing when he got back from a trip earlier last year. Canvassing the community, neighbors told him that guests staying at nearby Airbnb asked about Nubbins while seeing her out in the area. The unnamed couple renting the Airbnb "[loved] the cat" — so much so that they, somehow, thought it was alright to take her with them when they checked out.
Farrell said he got a call this past November from a vet in Long Beach confirming they had his cat but couldn't send her to him; when the SoCal vet had scanned Nubbins for a microchip, it produced Farrell’s home address and phone number.
The vet's office, which is a member of Veterinary Centers of America, said it has "legal obligations to the client who initially brought in the cat, the person with whom a Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship was established — a relationship that is governed in California by the state Veterinary Medical Board." This appears to be why the cat was then given back to the former Airbnb guests, as opposed to Farrell.
The neighborhood has also rallied to get Nubbins back by filing a report with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. The SoCal vet office also noted in a shared statement with the news outlet that it’s "fully cooperating with the Sonoma County Sheriff's investigation."
Alas, it’s still TBD on whether or not Nubbins is reunited with the Railroad Avenue-located community she was taken from — but here's hoping the cat will again be scratching at Farrell's back door sooner, rather than later. Becuase... like... maybe you shouldn't hold someone's adopted, microchipped pet hostage? Just a wild, crazy, empathic thought.
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Photo: Getty Images/Maryviolet