Cat found by Albany Rowing Center needs forever home

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Members of the Albany Rowing Center are looking to find a forever home for a furry friend they made last season. The one-year-old cat was found near the rowing equipment, quickly becoming part of the team.

“We found him in the back of the boathouse I think it was like early one morning," said Lucy Quoma, a member of the Albany Rowing Center's Varsity Youth team. "Under this shed."

Albany rowers said they were not expecting to see a cat underneath the shed when getting ready for practice one morning. The cat is one-year-old Dorito -- a name that was given to him by the team.

"They named him Dorito because the first thing they fed him was a Dorito and he didn’t like it but they still named him Dorito," said Quoma.

Team members said Dorito came around the rowing center often. Whether he was rummaging through backpacks looking for food, or simply looking for company; the team got to know him pretty well.

“I think it was something to look forward to at the end of the day and it brought more people to practice I think just so they can see the cat,” said Ella Cuoco, a member of the Albany Rowing Center's Varsity Youth team.

“He added a certain community aspect to the team because we would all collectively go, at the end of practice or a hard workout, we would all go back and hope he would come out and say hi to us," said Zach Gornstein, a member of the Albany Rowing Center's Varsity Youth team.

However, the team knew Dorito could not stay under the shed forever. One of the rowing team members, Catherine Dickert decided to take him in.

"You know, at the end of the day, animals need more than just food and water, they need to be taken care of properly so that's our goal," said Dickert.

Now, Dorito needs a forever home -- somewhere off the streets and out from underneath the shed, but hopefully still near the water, where he's become just like another member of the team.

“We’re all hoping that someone will be able to get the same enjoyment and have the same appreciation for him as we were because we were really happy to have him," said Gornstein.

"We call came to know him and loved him," said Quoma.

Anyone interested in adopting Dorito can contact Orange Street Cats for more information. Dickert said he already has one application in -- so be sure to hurry!