Charlie's family, far right, and members of his second families gathered in White's Road Park Tuesday afternoon to remember White's Road Park Charlie. Photo by James Short.
Hearts in Lansdale and across the 1,800-strong Facebook group beat a little sadder today, as a beloved pet and unofficial mascot of the Borough who brought together so many lives in the North Penn area lived his ninth life to the end.
Charlie the Cat, a dapper orange tabby, who alongside his nearly identical brother, Sonny, were the highlight and spectacle of White’s Road Park and the surrounding neighborhoods, was euthanized on Monday due to severe injuries suffered during his adventures, the kind of mishap that no amount of bravado or feline grace could prevent.
Kristen Ortiz/Facebook 
X-ray from Colmar Veterinary Hospital“I just have to say it. I had to put Charlie down. My family is beyond heartbroken. We did the x-rays and his spine was broken, completely transected, nerves severed as well. If he wasn’t humanely euthanized, he would not have bowel and bladder control again, begin dragging his legs, and be in pain,” wrote Charlie’s owner Kristen Ortiz, of Upper Gwynedd, on Facebook, whose post has since received more than 400 comments, 57 shares and more than 600 reactions. “If they attempted some kind of surgical intervention they said the outcome would likely be very poor, and with this condition he would need to be catheterized throughout the day, given enemas as he had no bowel/bladder control at all.”
“If he survived surgery, Charlie could never go outside again,” she wrote, “which would break Charlie’s heart.”
Chalk drawings memorializing Charlie at White's Road Park.“This cat lived his short life to the fullest, that gives me comfort. He jammed enough adventures into his three years that most cats never experience in a long lifetime. I knew the risks of letting him roam, and I made peace with that decision as we always said he was ‘living his best life,’ but he never should have gone out this way,” Ortiz wrote.
Ortiz said there is no evidence that Charlie was injured by a person. However, she said Colmar Veterinary doctors implied the bruising at the base of his tail and the extent of the fracture could have been caused by a human.
A representative at Colmar Vet said the office does not comment on any cases to the media and claimed privacy concerns.
“We are not going to get into it,” the representative said.
Ortiz wrote in her post announcing Charlie’s death that the injuries suggest he was not hit by a car, but may have been slammed to the ground or hit with something. She said she has witnessed teenagers in the past handle Charlie in a rough manner and even throw rocks at him.
“All signs point that way, but could it have been some other freak thing? Yes. All these Facebook posts wanting justice for Charlie, if someone knows something I’d hope they come forward, but in the end, we’ll probably never know,” Ortiz told North Penn Now.
The Facebook group “White’s Road Park Charlie and Sonny” has 1,800 members at present, and Ortiz said the page will most likely end up as a memorial page.
She has decided to keep Charlie’s brother Sonny indoors, permanently.
“I will miss giving Charlie posts, and all of you, some of which are his biggest fans. Charlie’s memories will forever live on at Whites Road Park. I am going to try to keep Sonny in from now on, as I truly suspect there is a rotten person in the park that doesn’t like cats,” Ortiz wrote in the group.
“Sonny was always easier to keep in than Charlie … Charlie has touched so many lives, he was funny, bold, fearless, loving, TRUSTING; he brought so many people together in his odd ways that would have otherwise maybe never met,” wrote Ortiz. “I’ve been told he was even therapeutic, to maybe those who lost a pet, those that are lonely, he liked to sit on the lap of a lot of elderly people who may have had that be the highlight of their day.”
"I never wanted to hang up his collar at such a young age," wrote Kristen Ortiz on Facebook. "Thank you Patrick Bennett for getting me pictures today. This is a keepsake box with Charlie’s paw print."Last year, an Ortiz neighbor and Charlie’s "second cat mom," Linette Kalbach, of Whites Road, was successful in landing Charlie on Google Maps as a landmark.
Ortiz said she is sad for all the children you call Whites Road Park “The Cat Park.”
“This is going to be very very hard to get over. I’m sorry to Charlie that I couldn’t even pay to fix him, because even if I did, he would never actually be back to normal Charlie,” Ortiz wrote.
“At the end of the day it’s ‘just a cat’ I guess, but this cat was larger than life, with a one of a kind personality. Thank you all for looking out for Charlie all this time,” she wrote.
Kalbach, whose husband, Wayne, and daughters Keira and Piper, all considered Charlie a part of their family, said their family is taking it pretty hard.
“Charlie was the most amazing animal, and you couldn’t help but love him,” Kalbach said. “He was so gentle with everyone – not just cat lovers or people who gave him treats or pets – but even little kids and small animals, like mice and voles.”
Kalbach said she is allergic to cats, but once she got to know Charlie, he was worth the allergy medication.
“Of course, we worried about him being outside, especially when he would cross busy streets, so I helped keep an eye on his (Apple Tag) tracker and when he started wandering too far, or hadn’t gone to one of his homes for a while, we’d help chase him down,” she said. “We were so blessed to be adopted by him and are just devastated that he’s gone so soon.”
Kalbach created a GoFundMe to help build a memorial of some kind, or help toward veterinary bills and cremation. Within 18 hours, the GoFundMe has raised $3,465 toward the $5,000 goal.
“One that will hopefully provide a measure of peace and joy that he brought to so many lives,” she said. “The outpouring of love and support from the community for Charlie is astounding! We are looking into a plaque or some kind of memorial for him.”
Charlie's young fans made this little memorial to him on Monday night.“This just totally broke my heart. I’m in tears,” wrote Tiffany Davidovich on a Facebook post. “I’m so, so very sorry. I don’t even have the right words to say. He will be missed by thousands.”
Carol Rad said her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren are broken-hearted.
“They worked diligently to share their cat with the kind and wonderful people of Lansdale,” she wrote.
“Rest easy sweet Charlie You were so loved and will be missed beyond measure,” wrote Suzanne Kaye.
Jenna Snow wrote that the public will have no way of knowing, and probably never will know, what happened to Charlie.
“I wish we would not dwell on suspicions and let his spirit be at rest. Our community had a shared experience in loving him, and I would be sad to see that transition into a witch hunt,” wrote Snow. “I recognize everyone's concern that there is someone out there who hurt him but the reality is that many outdoor cats succumb to their misadventures, and it remains a mystery. As a community we need to be at peace with that.”
Timothy Kratz wrote he is not a cat person, but he was a Charlie and Sonny cat person.
“Seeing Charlie with the kids was something special,” he wrote. “So sorry for your loss Charlie was one in a million. Whites Road Park will not be the same”
Diane Zenker never got a chance to meet Charlie.
“When a friend told me about his adventures, I faithfully followed his posts every single day,” Zenker wrote. “He was my Facebook highlight and I, too, am heartbroken. My prayers are with you.”
Katie Murdoch/Facebook 
A group of children on Perkiomen and Pennsylvania avenues, located a block from Whites Road Park, painted some rocks and pebbles in memory of Charlie.
“Some kids wanted to place them in areas of the park where they have memories of Charlie. Some kids wanted to keep them all together somewhere. We’re still trying to figure out what feels best for everyone. I’m open to suggestions,” wrote parent Katie Murdoch.
On Tuesday, Ortiz wrote an update on Facebook, thanking the public for their support, encouragement, sadness, and kind words regarding the loss of Whites Road Park Charlie.
“Never did I think I could shed so many tears over my sweet ginger cat. I am a very empathetic person, so many people are reaching out both publicly and privately expressing the impact Charlie had on their lives and some of their children. This is both comforting and breaking my heart with each comment I read. How can one cat have an impact on so many people?” she wrote.
Ortiz agreed that Charlie was one in a million – and should have had a million lives.
“He should have lived to a ripe old age. God bless all of you. What an amazing support you all are. We will make this monument for Charlie happen. He deserves it. Thank you everyone. The outpouring is gut wrenching, but appreciated beyond words.”
Charlie had become more than just a local celebrity in three years; he was a beloved symbol of warmth and joy for thousands. His daily escapades, chronicled on his Facebook group, had turned him into a household name and even earned him a spot as a contender for America's Favorite Cat.
Lansdale now faces a quieter world, having lost not just a pet, but a cherished friend who had knitted himself into the very fabric of their community.
Check out below some children's tales, written by this writer, on Charlie and his adventures that can be found in the White's Road Park Charlie & Sonny memorial group:
The first three chapters – “Hello Charlie,” “Charlie the Wandering Cat & The Red Comfy Chair” and “Charlie the Wandering Cat Meets Blackjack” – can be found in the comments here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1266555307340358/posts/1288178665178022/
Chapter 4: Charlie and the Cats Behind the Window: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1266555307340358/posts/1291080541554501/
Chapter 5: Whites Road Park Charlie and the Secret Cat Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1266555307340358/posts/1294165314579357/
Chapter 6: Charlie and the St. Stan’s Carnival Capers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1266555307340358/posts/1299880150674540/
Chapter 7: Charlie & Trixie: A Lansdale Love Story: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1266555307340358/posts/1304577046871517/
Chapter 8: The Night the Cats Took Lansdale: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1266555307340358/posts/1304925416836680/
Chapter 9: Sonny Side Up: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1266555307340358/posts/1310034822992406/
