Some say it takes a village to raise a child. In this town, an entire village is raising a cat named Louie. Animalkind
CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- Realtor Lenora Marshall was showing a house that was for sale on her own Cape Coral, Florida, street about six years ago when something gray darted out of one of the empty rooms.
The potential buyers were surprised, and asked Marshall if that gray flash they glimpsed was a cat.
"That's just Louie," Marshall recalls telling them, adding that he probably sneaked in while she was disabling the home alarm. "He's the neighborhood cat."
Watch the video above to see Louie's neighborhood of humans go ga-ga over him.
For about a decade, the residents of this neighborhood have collectively cared for Louie, a cat that acts more like a dog in the way he follows the neighbors around, purring when they bend down to scratch his belly; or a king in the way he's offered food and soft pillows to sleep on.
All the neighbors leave food for Louie, and he gets through each day taking whatever else he needs as he goes along: He's got a feather pillow to sleep on in Marshall's garage when it's nice out, and a warm spot under the front bumper of a car at the Kudrna home when it's chilly. He gets his flea treatment every year from Bill Medler, and the last neighbor to leave during the Hurricane Irma evacuation, Trish Sullivan, made sure he had food, water and catnip hidden in the bushes so he would stay protected.
Everyone's pet
Marshall said every morning, Louie taps on her window and meets noses with her own cat at her front door, right before she feeds him. Then throughout the day, he travels around the block, greeted and adored by all the residents who see him.
“When we go away, we pay somebody to look after Louie,” Marshall said, adding that she instructs the caretaker to feed Louie Fancy Feast if it’s a holiday instead of normal, dry food.
He's made a name for himself outside the block as well: Marshall said her friends in Australia ask how he's doing, and UPS deliverers ask about him too.
Louie's appeal might lie in the fact that he's always around. Marshall, who has lived on the block for about 14 years, said she explained to some of her newer neighbors who had just moved in that they'd be getting a cat, "whether you like it or not."
"He popped up on our doorstep pretty much right away," said Darlene Medler, who moved in with her husband three years ago. She said Louie comes to greet them when they go for walks in the evening.
Bill Medler said Louie has built a sense of community on the block and given him and his neighbors a common purpose. Darlene Medler said Louie was the first thing they worried about when they evacuated to Illinois during Irma.
"I wasn't worried about anybody else, about their lives — I was worried about Louie!" Darlene Medler said. "He's just a wonderful, wonderful cat."
Louie's original owners live on the block, too. Lisa Cushion said she got Louie from a friend in North Fort Myers about 12 or 13 years ago, when he was just a kitten.
One of many pets in the house, Louie was kicked out after about two years because he kept pooping in the bedroom, she said, adding "he never came back."
Now he generally stays away from his old house, though Cushion said he'll still wait by the basketball hoop set up near the street in front of the house to go on walks.
"Before I knew it, I was buying cat food"
On a chilly morning, Louie followed Marshall and I around the block as she and her neighbors shared Louie stories.
Cheryl Kudrna said her husband walked outside past her car one morning before turning around to ask her if she recalled hitting anything.
"All you see is a tail hanging under the front bumper," Kudrna said. She and her husband hesitantly approached the tail unsure what it was or if it was alive.
Then it hit her.
"Louie! Louie!" she called. The sleeping cat didn't budget until her husband used the keys to sound the car's horn, and Louie went flying out. Kudrna said she was petrified of cats when she first moved in, but she's come around to Louie.
“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “I would gradually pet him and pet him, and before I knew it, I was buying cat food.”
Another neighbor, Phyllis Rieser, had a knee replacement about five years ago. She had to walk at least 30 minutes every day "to loosen it up," so she and her husband Arthur would walk around the neighborhood with Louie in tow.
"Wherever we went, he went," Phyllis Rieser said. "I've never had a cat like that."
The Riesers say they, like other cat owners on the block, won't let Louie inside for fear that he's carrying diseases that might get their own cats sick. But they say all the neighbors ask about Louie when they see each other, always worried about him. They're careful to use their brights when they drive down the street at night so they don't hit him.
Arthur Rieser said Louie's got to be an intelligent cat to have survived this long on his own. Cushion, Louie's old owner, said she saw a coyote in a nearby field a couple months ago, and she's convinced a coyote took one of her other cats. She said Louie is the only outdoor cat in the area.
Marshall says she's noticed signs of Louie's aging. He's not as spry when he jumps around as he used to be, she said. Phyllis Rieser worried that "one of these days, we don't know where he's going to be."
But for now, he remains king of his Florida town, and in the words of Bill Medler, "a thread that winds through the whole neighborhood."
We’re wild about animals, how about you? Join us to get the best of Animalkind in your inbox.
This café has gone to the dogs! Animalkind
Fiona became the world's hippo when she was born six weeks premature at the Cincinnati Zoo. Today she's over 600 lbs., thriving and entertaining her many fans. Animalkind
Atlas, a service dog with a stuffed Pluto toy at home, experienced a little magic during one of his weekly trips to Disney World. The golden retriever and his owner Julian Gavino met a giant-sized version of his favorite character at Magic Kingdom. Wochit
Preston, a therapy dog, provides comfort as victims confront admitted sexual abuser Larry Nassar during his sentencing hearing in Ingham County Circuit Court. Wochit
Sammy the pig is more than a cute face. He's helping a little girl hundreds of miles away.
Ashley stopped when she saw an injured bird on the road, and comforted it while she took it to a rescue group for help. Wochit
Rusty has arthritis and can often be found passed out by 6 p.m., but his tail is always wagging. No wonder he’s so popular at his new retirement home. Animalkind
This cute little tabby can't seem to stop sucking her paw. Her owner says the 5-month-old kitten sucks her thumb to relax just like a human baby! Animalkind
These beautiful snow geese were caught flocking off the water in New Mexico by a photographer visiting a wildlife refuge. Wochit
After fleeing a fatal truck crash, Blue Bell the Great Dane wandered for a month while several people looked for her. Wochit
A deer was trapped in an icy river until a father and son came along with a plan to help. Animalkind
You either can’t look away, or can’t watch at all. Animalkind
Something strange floating in the lagoon turned out to be an animal that needed help. Animalkind
BBC Reporter Alex Dunlop's shoot with lemurs at Banham Zoo in Norfolk, England, didn't exactly go as planned, but it made for a hilarious outtake reel. ANIMALKIND
His owners can’t stop laughing, and frankly, neither can we. Wochit
Deputies see a lot of interesting things while out patrolling the streets. But a skateboarding dog definitely may be one of the strangest. USA TODAY
Electric octopus controls its color to camouflage itself from predators. Animalkind
The joy of a new furry member of the family was a little overwhelming for these kiddos. Animalkind
This dog is guaranteed to make you smile today. Animalkind
It is no secret that Secret the 3-year-old Australian Shepherd isn't your typical dog. She is not only adorable but can also go sledding all by herself. Wochit
These people worked together to save a gang of elk that had fallen into freezing water. USA TODAY
Protected sea turtles across the South Texas coast are being paralyzed by the sudden cold weather. Texas Parks & Wildlife officials have rescued hundreds of turtles. Animalkind
These two horses couldn't wait to get outside and play in the snow, until the cold reality set in. Animalkind
Adult dogs are getting their own football game in the Dog Bowl, a new addition to the Puppy Bowl series on Animal Planet. Animalkind
Christian is called the "birdman," and it's easy to see why. He cares for orphaned geese from birth, then takes people on a microlight plane to fly with them. Animalkind
Take a look inside New York City's first dog café
Fiona the hippo's first year in the spotlight
Pluto and service dog become best friends at Disney
Therapy Dog Providing Comfort at Larry Nassar's Sentencing
Smiling pig changes little girl's life
Starving snowy owl fighting for life on side of freeway
Rescue dog Rusty finds home in retirement community
Adorable kitten sucks paw like a baby
Thousands of geese put on beautiful show
Great Dane injured in crash spent a month wandering alone
Father and son find deer trapped in frozen river
Cow has trouble during labor, farmers jump in to help
Sea turtle rescued from floating trash
Reporter's lemur shoot went horribly, hilariously wrong
Dog thinks snow is treats falling from the sky
Dog caught doing tricks on skateboard
Watch this octopus change colors right before your eyes
Kids reactions are priceless when meeting their new pets
This dog seeing snow is the epitome of joy
Genius dog takes herself sledding in snow
Gang of freezing elk rescued from icy reservoir
Hypothermic sea turtles rescued during cold snap
Horses immediately regret stepping out into snow
Older dogs get playing time before Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl
This man knows what it's like to fly with birds