When the Cleveland Animal Protective League posted a single photo of an odd-looking adoptable cat named, of all things, "Duckphone," the organization didn’t have incredibly high hopes. The animal, found as a stray in North Olmsted, was FIV-positive, with a swollen face and a chipped ear — and the Facebook photo didn’t seem to do him any favors.
“I looked at that picture when it first went out and I was like, ‘I don't know if that's the one that's gonna do it for people,’” says Ayse Dunlap, the Cleveland APL’s vice president of operations, “and boy, was I wrong."
Quickly, thousands of social media users commented, shared and liked the image. A day later, people showed up to adopt Duckphone, and in the span of one day, the 2-year-old cat found his new home, with April Walsh, a Brook Park teenager.
In Walsh’s home, Duckphone has been adjusting to his new life with a few other resident animals: two other cats, a dog and a hedgehog.
But first, Walsh saw the photo of Duckphone and was drawn to his unique appearance. “I loved his name,” she says.
(Dunlap says she isn't sure how Duckphone got his name; “Our team has to name literally thousands of animals every year,” she says, with a laugh. “They get really creative. The team is a fun group of people, and they’re trying to not have as many ‘Midnights’ or ‘Lucky’s’ and create some uniqueness to the names of the animals as they’re coming in.”
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April and her mom, Brandi Walsh, arrived at the APL on March 15, one day after Duckphone’s post went viral. “When I got there, there were, I think, four other people coming in to see him at that time,” April says. “I got scared.”
“I think it was probably stressful for her because she was so afraid that he wouldn’t be there, because of all the interest in him,” Brandi says. “Honestly, I was just surprised that he was still available. I know that when she was looking at him, they had to pull the card because other people were coming in to see him.”
April started an Instagram page, @duckphone.the.cat, for her new feline friend, where she’s been posting scenes of Duckphone around the house. The page already has more than 2,700 followers.
“He has a lot of fans,” April says. “The fans call themselves 'Ducklings.'”
April and Brandi are now considering creating Duckphone merchandise in the future, using earnings to raise money for the APL.
The cat got so popular that he even drew the attention of local pet photographer Greg Murray, who invited the Walshes and Duckphone into his studio for a session.
Beyond his Instagram page, Duckphone has also earned a bit of fame through the “Duckphone’s FIV Cat of the Week” social media feature on the APL’s Facebook page — his local popularity helping to bring awareness to adoptables with medical issues like FIV, feline immunodeficiency virus. (FIV is the reason for Duckphone's puffy cheeks.)
Dunlap explains that FIV was once thought to shorten a cat’s life span, and the way it spread (primarily through bite wounds) wasn't entirely understood. That led to a lower overall rate of adoption.
“As we’ve worked with more FIV cats, we’ve found that [a lowered lifespan] is not nearly as true as we thought,” she says. “A cat with FIV can live with other cats that don't have FIV, and not transmit it, and they can live long, happy, healthy lives.”
The Walshes hope that Duckphone’s story can lead to more FIV-positive cat adoptions from the APL.
“Don’t be afraid of the cats that are FIV-positive,” Brandi says. “They deserve love and a happy life, just like all the other cats. As long as they get along with everyone, that’s fine. I think people need to be aware that it’s not a big deal and to give the cats a chance.”
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