Doppler, the weather cat for Syracuse, NY, station WSTM is ending his television career this week.
The orange tabby was adopted from the SPCA and is actually the third weather cat to work at the Syracuse NBC affiliate. The first was a stray that got hit by a car and died and the second didn’t like the noise on the outdoor weatherdeck and went to live in a nursing home in Watertown, NY.
“Like all of us, Doppler would prefer to retire while still in relatively decent health,” said WSTM chief meteorologist Wayne Mahar. “Few people realize that Doppler is 16 years old, that’s 84 human years, an age when most of us would have already retired.”
Here’s a video of Doppler in action. And by “action” we mean managing to look mildly annoyed while sleepily wearing a costume. Pretty standard stuff, really
Doppler was named by viewers in an on-air contest that drew over 11,000 entries. “It has been a great run for Doppler,” said Mahar. “But its not over yet! Doppler can now relax, forget about the backyard noises, car tires squealing, doors slamming, planes overhead and enjoy the life of a Weathercat in retirement.”
The station plans to celebrate Doppler’s career starting Thursday at 4:00 a.m. on “Today in Central New York” and on the 5:00 p.m. news. WSTM said Doppler will retire to the “loving home of an experienced animal welfare advocate in Central New York.”
[FTVLive]