This Cat Got Put in Solitary Confinement for Repeatedly Letting Other Cats Escape

It's not every day you come across an animal who's constantly fighting for the rights of his peers, but that's who Quilty the Cat is. He will go down in history for starting a coup at the Friends for Life Animal Rescue and Adoption Organization. Someday, a bust of Quilty made from the hairballs of the cats he worked to rescue will stand... probably right at the door to the "senior room" because that was Quilty's favorite spot. 

You see, Quilty recently went viral for repeatedly opening the door to the room in which he was being held and letting all the other cats escape. A hero among cats, Quilty quickly became a pain in the butt for the employees and volunteers at Friends of Life. But thanks to those humans who have had to deal with Quilty's antics, we now know about the legend that is Quilty.

In a now-viral Facebook post, Friends for Life Animal Rescue shared the rascally behavior of Quilty: "Quilty will not be contained. And he has no shame. Quilty loves to let cats out of the senior room. Repeatedly. Several times a day."

Employees were forced to "Quilty-proof" the cat room so he could no longer jump up and open the door, and while they did so, he was put in "solitary confinement" AKA he hung out in the lobby for a few minutes. Friends of Life wrote, "His roommates missed him while he was banished to the lobby. They enjoyed their nighttime escapades around the shelter. The staff, however, did not miss the morning cat wrangling, so we'll just have to agree to disagree there."

According to the Friends of Life staff, this skill is not just something Quilty learned at the shelter. He used to "let his dog sibling in the house at his old home" all the time. See, Quilty doesn't discriminate when it comes to species. If you're an animal, and you want to get from one place to another, Quilty will be there for you to open that door. 

Then came the plea. "If someone out there is looking for a clever cat that gets along with dogs but does not get along with closed doors, we have someone they really need to come and meet, "the Friends of Life staff wrote. Then, they got desperate. "Please. Come meet him. And take him home. Please..."

When their post garnered more than 21,000 reactions, 11,000 comments, and 17,000 shares, it became clear that Quilty was a celebrity. The entire internet fell in love with Quilty the Anarchist. He quickly became an Instagram sensation; the account, of course, is called @free_quilty. 

Soon, there were several other updates on Quilty's behavior on Facebook from Friends of Life. "Update: To reacclimate to the room (and all his roommates), Quilty had to go into the integration kennel in the room (we do this with all the cats when they join the room)... THE DISPLEASURE! He is being a spicy a-hole now because he is, once again, contained..." they wrote. And thus, a nickname was born. I'm sorry, but "spicy a-hole" is the perfect nickname for a cat. 

Look at his face! So ornery. Soon, there was another update: "Quilty's review with the parole board was denied, so he released himself of his own recognizance today. He felt that confinement had nothing more to offer him. He has been returned to solitary. The review board will take up his case again tomorrow. (Y'all. The cat released himself FROM THE INTEGRATION KENNEL IN THE ROOM...). This cat is a regular Houdini! He will not be made a prisoner!

In at least three more updates, Quilty got out, crashed staff meetings, snuck by several staff members, and had to be "perp-walked" back to his room. An absolute legend. Soon, there was #FreeQuilty merch available for purchase. Quilty is the hero we need right now. 

Eventually, it seemed like Quilty himself got ahold of the Friends of Life Facebook account. I don't know how, but he used his paws to type his very own update: "It's a new day. A new day to dream of freedom. A new day to yearn and striver for what is beyond (this door). I will never give up. I will never surrender. I will never fall into the seductive lull of mediocrity and compliance. Despite the Temptations and siren's song of giving up this battle, I will persevere. Hold fast, my army. You stand sentry over this revolution." 

But soon, Quilty had busted out... at least on parole for now. He's currently on a sleepover, which, according to the Friends of Life website, is a "one-week 'trial' period where a potential adopter takes an animal to their home to see how it's going to work out." 

And according to his adopter, Quilty's sleepover is going swimmingly. "He hasn't tried to hide at all and loves to be in the bed or on the couch snuggled up with one of us... He hasn't shown any slickness at all yet; he is the most loving and affectionate cat I have ever met!"

Maybe we've misunderstood Quilty all this time. Maybe he was never trying to escape from his room but to people for cuddles. I'm so happy that's what Quilty finally got.