Governors Island Cat Needs Name After a Mysterious Journey

April 22, 2011 — -- Ginger from "Gilligan's Island." The Unsinkable Molly Brown -- think "Titanic." Salty. And even Snookie.

Those are some of the names being considered for the stray calico cat that has made her home on Governors Island in New York Harbor.

According to Leslie Koch, president of the Trust for Governors Island, the cat was found Sunday night by security guards making the rounds on the island's north shore.

"We don't know where she came from. Her fur was a little matted. There was salt in her fur," Koch said. "There was a piece of seaweed around her foot."

Soaking rains in New Jersey last weekend may have forced the feline to swim across the mile-wide harbor from New Jersey, or she may have come from Brooklyn, said island spokeswoman Elizabeth Rapuano. She said the new visitor was a great addition to the 172-acre island, though.

"We are enjoying having her," Rapuano said. "She adjusted here very quickly."

Cat Names: From Gov'Nor to Gertrude

The island's blog solicited names for the orange, white and black castaway and so far has about 1,000 suggestions -- including Odysseus, Gov'Nor and Gertrude (for the first woman to swim the English Channel).

Rapuano and Koch said they'd received calls from a number of people saying they'd lost a cat. The island is getting advice from animal groups on how best to proceed.

The two said they would pick a few popular name suggestions and then put them up for a public vote. It is the first time there's been a cat on the island because it is pet-free. The cat arrived a bit early for tourist season -- the island doesn't open to the public until Memorial Day weekend.

They said they planned to have the cat seen by a vet next week, though she seemed healthy.

"She's not in any pain," Koch said. "She likes to be petted. She visits the offices. Has a very sweet personality. She's a total joy to be around."

And what about the whole cat-swimming mystery? Arnold Plotnick, a veterinarian and owner of Manhattan Cat Specialists, a cats-only veterinary hospital in New York City, said that although felines in general don't like water, they do know how to swim.

"Exactly how far a cat can swim is hard to say," Plotnick said, "I suppose if your life depended on it. ... Cats are pretty athletic. It's not totally incredulous."

He said if the current was in the cat's favor and she got a good tail wind, anything was possible. "Cats can survive amazing things," Plotnick said.