Lost and Found: The cat lady

By David Guberman

Some people consider themselves animal lovers, while others not so much. Very few feed and care for animals that aren’t even their own.

Lisa Hucko, a 47-year-old Syracuse native, has always seen cats as more than just animals. They are friends and companions. This is why people close to her call her “the cat lady”.

“I’m a protector as far as the cats go,” Hucko says. This might be why several stray cats around the neighborhood flock to her backyard, because she is the only one willing to feed them.

The cats feel comfortable around her, and must sense that she is there to help and make their lives better, if only remotely, according to Hucko. When a cat is in need, she does not hesitate to and help.

All of her house cats were strays at one point, and this did not stop her from bringing them in and making them a part of the family.

“I just don’t want to see anybody starve… they’re my outdoor kitties I guess,” Hucko says.