COLORADO – A Himalayan cat, whose name is “Officer Buttersworth” took social media by storm this past
Saturday.
Fort Collins Police Services debuted the furry feline, declared to be the first “claw” enforcement patrol cat in the country. The video showed the cat walking in the halls of the police headquarters, assisting officers in the arrest of a cat burglar and checking out a SWAT vehicle.
(Photo: Fort Collins Police Services)
“Cats have been used in law enforcement since the Ancient Egyptians, actually,” officer Dustin Wier stated in the video. “They fell out of favor with American law enforcement in the early 1900s after they became too stubborn and officers, quite honestly, got tired of the litter boxes in the briefing areas.”
Of course, the gag was actually April Fools’ joke, but the video showing Buttersworth on the job was shared widely on social media and caused more than few of people to do a double take.
“I was so excited about this to be true but enjoyed the joke,” one woman commented on Facebook.
In fact, the cat’s real name is Sawyer, and he was called into service to help along with the joke. Sawyer was given “star treatment” on filming day, especially because the filming coincided with his very first birthday.
He’s actually owned by a civilian employee of FCPS.
The video has since been viewed more than 7,000 times on YouTube and nearly half a million times on Facebook.
It has also inspired some hilarious responses, including one from the Boulder County Sheriff in which they joked about promoting a baby owl to sergeant, and an over-the-top number of cute cat puns.
It's great that you added a feline unit! Our baby owl has done so well he's already been promoted to sergeant. pic.twitter.com/raSXWUaVS0
— BoulderCountySheriff (@BldrCOSheriff) April 1, 2017
If you wish, follow the FCPS Facebook post to read more reactions and puns. Commenters weighed in from places near and far, including Ohio, Indiana, Arizona and even Scotland.
And, in case you happened to miss it or just have to watch it again, the “purrfect” video is on YouTube: Fort Collins Police Debut New Feline Unit.
