Do You Need a Bounty Hunter for Your Cat?

Jordana Serebrenik may be New York City's only professional cat catcher.

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You’ve surely heard of Dog the Bounty Hunter, but have you heard of Jordana Serebrenik? While she isn’t the star of a reality show (yet), much like Dog, she makes a living nabbing those who would rather not be caught, facing would-be prisoners who fight tooth and nail to be free. But unlike Dog, Serebrenik may be New York City’s only professional cat catcher.

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Serebrenik began her career as a feline wrangler when she left her job as a lawyer in pursuit of something different, according to the New York Times. Upon returning from an extended vacation to Africa, Serebrenik began volunteering at a New York City-based cat rescue organization called City Critters. She soon found she had a flair for cat wrangling and saw a niche in the market that needed filling. So in 2010, she launched her service, Catch Your Cat, Etc.

The company’s services are simple. For a fee of around $80, Serebrenik will coax your cat into a pet carrier so the owner can tote the pet to a vet appointment or a trip to the groomer. While this sounds like a service only for those living a lifestyle of the rich and famous, Serebrenik’s core business is pet owners who just can’t bear to wrestle their beloved cat into a bag. It may be something only an animal lover can fully appreciate, but fighting with your pet, even for their own good, can be heartbreaking and just too much to handle for many owners. That’s where Serebrenik steps in. Her emotional detachment from the pet allows her to scoop up the cat and get it where it needs to go with a minimum of hassle, yowling, or scratching. Catches take anywhere from 2 to 45 minutes, but Serebrenik always wins. Even Dog the Bounty Hunter doesn’t have that kind of track record.

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