The rescued cat is ‘fascinated’ by the toilet flushing.

The rescued cat is ‘fascinated’ by the toilet flushing.

By PATRICIA MEADE

VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER

YOUNGSTOWN — The seniors at Norton Manor knew the “tuxedo” cat that The Vindicator had featured as a fire survivor was the vagabond they called “MJ.”

The deliberately set fire on Stewart Avenue killed six members of the Crawford family — two women and four children — on Jan. 23. One burned cat found in the garage by firefighters had to be euthanized; another was caught in a trap supplied by Diane Less at Angels for Animals and put up for adoption when not claimed.

The 2-year-old black-and-white cat was called Smoky until adopted. He reeked of fire and smoke but was otherwise in good shape. He’s since been neutered.

“I saw him in the paper and said, ‘Hey, that’s MJ,’” Yvonne Pope said Wednesday, cuddling Norton Manor’s new mascot. “I called Diane, and she brought him here.”

Pope, 58, said MJ is short for Muffin Jr. She knows it’s a groaner of a name for a soon-to-be burly tom cat.

Residents at the seniors’ apartment complex said MJ started visiting when he was a kitten. The apartments that house 70 seniors on Springdale Avenue are just down the road from the fatal fire scene.

“Everybody knew him around here,” said Estella Artist, 72. “He’d fluff up on that windowsill outside to get warm by the heater.”

Pope said she’d often find MJ outside in the mornings when she’d pick up the newspapers. He always had that “Did you bring me anything?” look on his face, and she always fed him.

As Pope talked, MJ twisted in her lap to stare intently into a camera lens. It became a close-up showdown.

As Vindicator photographer Geoff Hauschild moved in closer, MJ moved in closer to the clicking camera. Neither blinked.

Joyce Lomax, Norton Manor manager, said MJ is the first animal to take up residence. Having him, she said, is working out very well.

“He lays by Yvonne’s door like a guard dog,” Lomax said. “I call him fat cat. He’s very very friendly.”

Gloria Brown, Pope’s 66-year-old neighbor down the hall, said MJ climbs into her bath tub when he visits. She wonders if he sought the refuge of a bath tub during the Crawford fire.

Pope said MJ likes to lay in her bath tub, too, and he’s fascinated by the toilet flushing. “I told him I’d teach him how to use it and save on litter.”

When MJ switched to Brown’s lap, she stroked his neck for a bit and then set him down in the seniors’ vestibule. He took off like a shot.

“Don’t make me chase you — you know I have bad knees,” Brown said as she went to retrieve MJ.

“Too much paparazzi,” Pope said of the cat’s run. “When you get to celebrity status, this is what you get.”

A third male cat from the Crawford home was found by a neighbor about a week ago and turned over to Less. The mostly white cat, with a little bit of black, was covered with soot from the fire. He can be adopted by calling Less at (330) 502-5352.

Less is also looking for a home for the black Labrador-mix that was captured on the South Side earlier this month while running with a miniature horse. The owner claimed the horse but no longer wanted the dog.

Less first called the dog Lucky then added “Nelson” to his name, in honor of one of his rescuers, Dave Nelson, a Mahoning County deputy dog warden.

Lucky Nelson visited Norton Manor on Wednesday — after MJ retired to his quarters. The spirited dog’s barks got this reaction from Brown: “Use your inside voice.”

meade@vindy.com