How fitting that our Pets of Miami Lakes subject is wearing a pirate costume for this issue of The Miami Laker, published during the Halloween season.
Say Aaargh! to Sergeant Striper! He’s a 7-year-old tabby cat with enormous green eyes.
Joe Naranjo was a Miami-Dade Police Officer and heard a kitten’s terrified screams coming from behind the Hammocks District building.
“He was being chased,” said Naranjo, since retired. “We found him hiding in the BBQ grill. I managed to get him and that was it.”
Naranjo asked his wife Patricia if the kitten could join the family, “and he came home.”
Home includes the couple’s adult son and his cat Smoky, who gets along with Sergeant Striper.
“He is a cuddler, on his terms,” Naranjo said about his rescue. “He owns our king-size bed and the recliner. This is his house. We just live in it.”
And for any cat owners who wonder how Sergeant Striper tolerates his costumes, Naranjo said all it takes is treats dispensed by Patricia.
If you would like to introduce your pet to the readers of The Miami Laker, please email LindaT@MiamiLaker.com.