Within the last two months, a string of unaccompanied feline passengers have been found frequenting the ferries traveling the Clinton-Mukilteo route.
According to Washington State Ferries, two kittens were discovered on the car deck of the Suquamish, on Sept. 7 and Sept. 9. Owners could not be located for either of the two cats.
The first cat was adopted by employee John Armstrong and named Captain. The crew made a temporary home for the white-socked kitty in an office space on the vessel while searching for an owner, who never turned up.
The second kitten was fostered by a passenger aboard the boat who spotted the feline in the first place.
“They misheard and thought someone told them it was a ‘furry’ boat,” one commenter quipped on the Washington State Ferries’ social media post about the cats.
How they got aboard in the first place, however, will likely remain a mystery.
“We don’t have an explanation for why there have been several cats found at this location,” said Brian Vail, communications consultant for the ferry system.
Earlier this year, on July 26, ferry workers scooped up yet another young cat that had fallen from the wing wall of the Clinton terminal dock into the cold water. The wing wall is a tall structure that helps align ferry boats.
The kitten was nursed back to health and adopted by a pair of ferry workers, who named him Buoy.