A kitten adopted 12 years ago is back because his owner died. Meet our Pet of the Week

Twelve years ago, a bright-eyed kitten was adopted from Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control. He lived a dozen wonderful years with a kind owner until the person sadly passed away. Now, that same kitten is looking for a second home to spend his senior years and is back at animal control in the meantime.

Welcome to The Palm Beach Post's Pet of the Week, a series where we feature animals up for adoption in Palm Beach County in hopes of finding them a home.

This week's pet is Mugatu. A 13-year-old grey and white tiger-striped cat, Mugatu bears a slight resemblance to the villain in the 2001 film "Zoolander," who goes by the same name. Both this Mugatu and Will Farrell's portrayal of the faux-fashion model in the film sport beautiful white hair and are equally chic.

Mugatu has been in the shelter since March 8.

Mugatu, a 13-year-old neutered male cat, is this week's adoptable Pet of the Week!
Mugatu, a 13-year-old neutered male cat, is this week's adoptable Pet of the Week!

Here's what to know about our pet of the week, including what Animal Care and Control staffers say about Mugatu's personality:

Cat available for adoption: Mugatu

Mugatu, a 13-year-old neutered male cat, is this week's adoptable Pet of the Week!
Mugatu, a 13-year-old neutered male cat, is this week's adoptable Pet of the Week!
  • Age: 13 years old

  • Weight: 12 lbs.

  • Sex: Male, neutered

  • Animal ID: A1537963

About him: Mugatu loves curling up in the cat houses in the free roam room. He's is a little shy, but animal control staff hope he finds a home that will help him come out of his shell with lots of love and patience.

For more information, you can check out Mugatu's online profile on the animal care and control website.

How to adopt a cat or dog in Palm Beach County

You can start the adoption process in person or online.

To begin in person, visit Animal Care and Control during normal business hours at 7100 Belvedere Road near West Palm Beach to fill out an application and meet the pets there.

To begin the process online:

  1. Use the pet's animal ID number (like the one listed above) to search them on Animal Control's online database.

  2. Click on the "Ready to Adopt? Click Here" link to the right of the pet's photo.

  3. Fill out the two-page downloadable adoption application​ and email it to Animal Control at PSD-ACCSupport@pbcgov.org.

  4. Once Animal Control has reviewed your application, a team member will contact you to confirm that you have been approved to adopt. Submittal of an online application does not guarantee the pet's availability.

Adoption fees: This month, standard adoption fees are waived at Animal Care and Control. Adoption fees are usually $60 for adult dogs, $75 for puppies and $50 for cats and kittens. Palm Beach County residents who are 55 years and older are offered a discounted adoption fee.

Note: All animals adopted from Animal Control will be spayed if female or neutered if male. They will be up-to-date on vaccinations, protected against fleas and ticks and microchipped.

About fostering: If you are not ready for a long-term commitment, you may want to consider offering foster care to a pet. This is a great way to get the feel for becoming a pet parent, and it allows you and your new prospective pet to get to know each other. You can find more information about fostering on Animal Control's website.

Have you adopted one of our pets of the week?

So far, four of our pets of the week have been adopted!

We'd like to track our impact throughout the year, and potentially feature adoptive families in a "where are they now?"-style story. If you've adopted a pet featured in this series, tell us about it here: https://forms.gle/nN9w7cmCQRJmVcus6

We won't use any of your information without contacting you first.

Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. She has a dog, Cooper, who is 8 years old, and a kitten, Benny, who is 11 months old. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work: Subscribe today!

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Post cat for adoption: Pet of the Week is Mugatu