It’s not over till the cat meows

Mathis Winkler

Elisa Mell had been gone just about an hour. But when she returned to

her Balboa Peninsula Point home Saturday afternoon, her Himalayan cat,

Roxy, was nowhere to be found.

“I started panicking,” Mell said Wednesday, adding that she’d checked

with neighbors, the police and animal shelters to no avail.

Roxy’s loss has already devastated Mell, but on top of that, she’s

also struggling to keep alive three 13-day-old, motherless kittens.

“I’m exhausted,” Mell said, adding that she, her 13-year-old son, Jared, and her boyfriend, Charlie Young, have been taking turns feeding

the tiny fur balls with miniature baby bottles every two hours.

Initially, Mell planned to give the newborn cats away when they were a

little older.

“I don’t know now,” she said. “They’re like my children.”

But she still hasn’t given up on finding Roxy.

“I want my cat back so bad,” she said. “I’ll do anything to get her

back.”

About 14 months old, Roxy is a purebred Himalayan with a light body

and dark face, paws and tail. Anyone who has seen the cat should call

Mell at (949) 675-2470.

* Mathis Winkler covers Newport Beach. He may be reached at (949)

754-4232 or by e-mail at mathis.winkler@latimes.com.