A domestic medium hair cat who’s patrolled Denver’s Coors Field for over a decade is now looking for his new home.
The Animal Rescue of the Rockies caught cat lovers’ attention when it put up a listing for a feline named Smokey, also known as Midnight or, more famously, the Coors Field cat.
The listing explains why Smokey is ready to retire from the Colorado Rockies’ stomping ground, where a team of caretakers have been looking after him since he wandered onto the field years ago.
After seasons of sunning on the field and chasing mice, he’s hunting for a “permanent indoor home” for his “golden years.”
“Smokey is starting to slow down,” the post reads. “He’s not as active as he used to be, and he’s starting to have some health problems. His primary caretaker has taken him to her home for now to keep a better eye on his health, but Smokey is looking for a permanent indoor home now that he’s retiring from his unofficial post as head of pest control for Coors Field.”
New owners would have to commit to frequent veterinarian visits, but the pet adoption organization said Smokey “can still live a wonderful long and healthy life with good care” despite his health issues.
ARR suggests that as a shy, senior cat that has scant experience with other felines, Smokey should live solo at “a quiet home.” He is positive for feline immunodeficiency virus, which would put other pets at a minor risk of becoming infected.
Having grown used to the finer things in life, the rescue said, Smokey would “greatly benefit from a secure ‘catio’ where he can watch birds, feel the breeze, and reminisce about the good old days.”
“He would be a great companion for someone who loves cats and who has the patience to give him time to settle in to his new life,” the listing says.
In a subsequent update, the rescue said it’s been inundated with applications for the furry baseball fan. The group thanked potential pet parents for all their interest, and listed several other cats who are also looking for loving owners.
Smokey won’t be the first fine feline friend to find his forever home after time in the outfield.
A scruffy orange tabby named Beef was adopted by Chicago White Sox team photographer Darren Georgia after he was found haunting the South Side’s Guaranteed Rate Field this spring.
“Ballpark food brought him in, and now he’s a lifelong Sox fan,” Georgia joked to Block Club Chicago in March.
(H/T People)