oddly enough

oddly enough

Prodigal kitty returns home five years after Katrina

BILOXI, Miss.

Five years after wandering away in Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, a gray and white cat named Scrub has been reunited with his Mississippi family.

The Humane Society of South Mississippi said Scrub was identified by an implanted microchip. The 7-year-old cat was brought to the shelter by a Gulfport woman who’d fed him as a stray the past couple of months but worried about his safety during a cold snap.

Scrub’s owner, Jennifer Noble, told The Sun Herald newspaper that she was skeptical at first when she received a call from the shelter. But by the end of the first night back, Scrub had snuggled in bed with one of her boys.

The woman who’d been feeding him lives about 15 miles away. Noble said Scrub is in excellent condition.

Salvation Army kettles strike gold in Indiana

SOUTH BEND, Ind.

The Salvation Army red kettles are coming up golden in Indiana.

The charity says anonymous donors have left gold coins in kettles in Mishawaka and Kokomo this Christmas season.

The South Bend Tribune reported that someone dropped a 1-ounce U.S. gold coin worth $1,400 in a kettle outside a Sam’s Club in Mishawaka. The coin was wrapped in a $100 bill and a small note thanking the organization for “doing God’s work.”

The Kokomo Tribune reported that another donor dropped a South African Krugerrand worth more than $1,400 in a kettle at Markland Mall in Kokomo.

The Salvation Army also has received four gold coins in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs.

Despite the gold-coin donations, officials in South Bend and Kokomo said donations are running behind expectations.

Police investigate vandalism of plastic snails of Miami Beach

MIAMI BEACH, Fla.

Who would want to harm the plastic, pink snails of Miami Beach?

Police are investigating the vandalism of several of the 45 giant art pieces displayed around South Beach as part of an international art fair. So far, at least eight have been targeted, including one that was thrown into Biscayne Bay. Several others were tagged with graffiti.

Galleria Ca’ d’Oro and the Cracking Art Group brought the snails to town ahead of last week’s Art Basel Miami Beach fair, and they’ll stay on display until Jan. 3.

They’re made of recycled plastic and meant to make people think about the environment.

Gallery co-owner Glorida Porcella says the snails previously have been on exhibit in Rome and Paris. She says there has never been a situation like the one in Miami Beach.

Associated Press