Translated by Jesús Ronquillo / Circuito Frontera
In the midst of a day marked by violence and chaos on January 1, 2023 in Ciudad Juarez inside CERESO 3, where an armed group broke into the prison and ended in the death of 10 guards and 7 inmates, an unusual detail also captured the attention of the community: the discovery of an Egyptian cat tattooed with “Made in Mexico.”
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The feline became nationally and internationally known, after he was found inside the prison, as well as belonging to members of the criminal group “Los Mexicles”, which is why he was called by the community as “El Mishicles”.
It has been a year since the fateful event in the Ciudad Juarez prison and 10 months since “El Mishicles” was adopted, since then he lives with a family in the city of Austin, Texas in the United States and his name is now “Keelo”.
His current owners not only gave him a new name, but also a home, where he receives love and affection, as well as a companion of the same breed.
Although both are sterilized, “Keelo” has a very different life than the one he had in Ciudad Juárez.
“The kitten was given another chance. The cat looks in perfect condition, it was properly sterilized, these people have another cat just like it, but female. She got her papers there and is now a U.S. citizen. She is in the city of Austin, Texas”, stated César Díaz Gutiérrez, Director of Ecology of the Municipality.
STORY OF “EL MISHICLES” (THE MISHICLES)
After the riot at CERESO 3 and after several weeks of operations, on February 8, state authorities reported the discovery of an Egyptian cat, which would be the fourth animal in custody and found inside the prison.
Three dogs, one of them large and two other small breeds, in addition to the feline, were found at the site.
In a press release, personnel from the State Public Security Secretariat (SSPE) announced that they had secured the feline, which was tattooed with symbols used by members of the criminal group “Los Mexicles”.
The cat is of the breed known as Egyptian, brown in color and was found wandering among the modules inside the prison.
At the time of the seizure, police officers noticed that the animal’s fur was tattooed with several drawings, including one with the legend “Hecho en México” (Made in Mexico), which alludes to one of the criminal groups operating in the state of Chihuahua.
At that time, César René Díaz Gutiérrez, head of the Municipal Ecology Department, informed that the feline and the three dogs were kept at the Municipal Pet Rescue and Adoption Center (RAMM).
He said that he was in good health condition and without marks of violence, except for an infection in his eyes and another one in his ears, as well as two tattoos on his body, an action considered animal abuse.
NEW LIFE FOR “EL MISHICLES”
On February 21, municipal authorities opened a call for the Egyptian cat, nicknamed by the community as “El Mishicles”, to be put up for adoption.
The call was open until February 28 and on March 1 it was announced that the cat was adopted by a family from Texas, whose identity was kept confidential for security reasons.
The selection of the adopter was decided this day by the members of the Ecology Commission, while the feline was in the care of the Rescate y Adopción de Mascotas del Municipio (RAMM).
A total of ten adoption applications were received, seven of them from the United States by residents of Texas, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey; as well as two by residents of Ciudad Juarez and the state of Oaxaca.
However, the committee unanimously determined that the cat should be delivered outside the country.
The criteria that were analyzed in each of the applications was that the person had the economic solvency to provide integral care to the feline and to guarantee a worthy space for the good development of the animal.
It was indicated that the selected person, accredited with all the requirements and the necessary space for this cat to develop, since he even has another cat of the same breed.
