On a daily basis, Ohio State University police, security and dispatchers help the campus community, but last week, they were called to help an abandoned four-legged friend. On Monday evening, a woman called dispatchers concerned about a crying kitten she said needed help by the 12th Avenue Garage. Alex Bolt was the dispatch supervisor on duty.
“We had an officer in here and she ran out,” said Bolt. “She happens to be a real big cat person.”
When the OSUPD officer arrived, she found the 13-week-old kitten just outside of the garage. The cat had fleas and mud all over its body and appeared to be visibly shaken.
“She was crying, asking for help and just sitting back down not knowing what to do,” Bolt said.
MedVet supplied a cat carrier for the kitten and another officer took the animal to Blankenship Hall, where Bolt tended to the feline.
Police also bought cat food and toys for the kitten. Dispatchers affectionately named her “Squonks,” after a mythical creature in American folklore.
Later that night, Bolt, a cat lover, took Squonks to his apartment, where he gave her a much-needed bath.
“I was up until 4 or 5 in the morning just using Dawn bath soap and grooming it on the back porch area,” Bolt said.
In his spare time, Bolt also takes care of feral cats and currently has a couple living with him. He eventually took Squonks to the veterinarian for a check-up.
“She was anemic and everything like that,” Bolt said. “Missing patches of fur and stuff from all of the fleas and dirt, but they said she looked great and very healthy,”
Squonks has found a forever home with Bolt’s parents, who quickly grew found of her. Bolt’s father, a retired Ohio State professor emeritus, specialized in black and white photography of cats. Squonks is getting the affection she needs and has plenty of toys, food, and even another feline friend in the house to play with.