Community Corner

Life in the Lulu Lane: BeltLine Piper comes out to play with Lulu

EAV's journalist pooch scores an interview with the BeltLine's elusive feline.

by Lulu

ON THE BELTLINE EASTSIDE TRAIL —
 Boy, did I miss you guys! With all the interesting things happening in our beloved East Atlanta Patch, I felt the urge to write again. By now, you probably have heard about a super cool cat generating plenty of buzz for our ‘hood. (No, I’m not referring to Kona Kitty from Bound to be Read Bookstore, although she is pretty fabulous.)

BeltLine Piper resides inside a drainage pipe along the Poncey-Highland section of Atlanta’s new walking trail. If you are lucky, Atlanta’s newest mascot may just pop out of her pipe and say hello. Since taking up residence in such a high-profile area, Piper’s fan base has grown internationally. Now, this frisky kitty has a steady supply of food as well as sweet messages delivered to her tiny mailbox.

Like any modern cat, Piper also has a following on Facebook, as well as on Twitter as @BeltLinePiper.

Thankfully, Piper’s team of handlers granted my request for an interview.

Lulu: How does it feel to be Atlanta's most famous cat?
Piper: Fame isn't important to me -- I'm just a cat, standing in front of a trail full of people, asking them to feed her. The news stories around the world have been fun, but my real pleasure is the people who stop by and leave food and notes.

Lulu: How did you end up along the BeltLine — and in that particular pipe?
Piper: My litter mates (Ringer and Vincent) and I were born near the Ford Factory Lofts, but I was looking for something a little different. I'd been watching the construction of the Eastside Trail and when the pipe was finished it looked like a great spot.

Lulu: What makes the BeltLine so special?
Piper: For me, it's the hundreds of generous people installing a mailbox for me, leaving me food and notes, and hanging around petting me. I love watching humans walk by, or ride by on their bikes or boards. Also, walking the Belt Line is like a trip into the future — I get to watch the Atlanta of 2025 being built right now. It's awesome.

Lulu: What are some of your favorite spots along the BeltLine?
Piper: I love wandering through the vegetable garden at Two Urban Licks, and the overlook of the Masquerade music park. I had a great, if somewhat wet, time during the Shaky Knees Festival in May.

Lulu: What's it like having the most desirable address in the city?
Piper: It's great. Someone's always stopping by to hang out and pet me, especially kids. The last nine months have been terrific.

Lulu: Now that you do have such a desirable address, does the city hound you about paying taxes? (I have no clue what taxes are, but my editor made me ask you that.)
Piper: I got my tax bill the other day from Fulton County. Wow. I'm thinking of appealing.

Lulu: Your homestead has a desert southwest feel to it. What was your theme in how you designed it?
Piper: Desert? I was going for that 'Hobbit house in the Shire' feel. I'm going to ask for a refund from my decorator.

Lulu: Do you ever get lonely? If so, what do you do?
Piper: Not possible. My litter mates Ringer and Vincent come by regularly, and there's always a human stopping by.

Lulu: I love peanut butter flavor Big Daddy Biscuits. What's your favorite treat?
Piper: WET FOOD! Preferably something fishy.

Lulu: Without thumbs, how do you get those cans of cat food open?
Piper: There's an old saying: "Dogs have owners, cats have staff." I have a large staff of generous humans who keep my bowls of food and water full.

Lulu: That sounds lovely. Thankfully, Mom keeps my bowls full, too. She’s also an expert at snuggling. Do you hope to someday have a forever family to call your own? Trust me, snuggle time is awesome.
Piper: Well, this is a pretty good situation, but if the right family came along, I'd consider it.

Lulu: Do you think that the BeltLine will be your home forever?
Piper: You know, I love it here, but there's a lot of construction noise next door, and someone has let the grass on the other side of the trail grow up. If someone made me the right offer, anything's possible.

Lulu: The gossip on Twitter is that you have a new boo and that the two of you have been spotted by the papparazzi. Can you fill us in?
Piper: You misspelled 'Piperazzi.' Someone must have seen my litter mate, Ringer, and gotten the wrong impression. 

Lulu: Some people get upset because they visit often but never see you. Do you maintain a schedule or do you simply avoid some visitors?
Piper: They must not understand that we cats sleep 20 hours per day.  Now that it's warmer, I'm probably inside the pipe, where it's cooler.

Lulu: I don’t blame you, Piper. Nobody has time for all that panting in this Atlanta heat.  Twenty hours of sleep a day?! You are my new hero! At nine years old, I’ve begun to embrace nap time much more than I used to. Forgive me for prying but how old are you?
Piper: In human years, I'm about 4. 

Lulu: Have you been spayed?
Piper: Yes. The notch on my ear indicates that. In fact, all three of us have been snipped.

Lulu: A lot of pet lovers fear for your safety, especially now that you are famous. Is it dangerous living as a feral cat in this city?
Piper: I haven't experienced any problems. Poncey-Highland is a pretty safe neighborhood.

Lulu: Who are your inspirations? Felix, Garfield? Lassie?
Piper: I'm more inspired by animals like the Bronx Zoo Cobra. His Twitter account when he escaped was hilarious.

Lulu: Your mailbox is always full. What are people saying? What's been the most touching?
Piper: Wow, that's a tough choice. I've gotten so many beautiful notes from children and adults alike (they're posted at my Facebook page). If I had to choose one, there's one from a child at the Turning Sun School that I use as my Twitter cover photo. It's a watercolor of me at my pipe, and it says 'I love Piper.'  But I love all the notes, and all the people who left them in my mailbox.

Lulu: Anything else that you want East Atlanta Patch readers to know?
Piper: Come visit. Bring food. And always, always, stay frisky my friends.

Follow Piper’s exploits on Facebook at Belt Line Piper and Twitter @BeltLinePiper. 

— For more pet info from Lulu and her mom, visit SoulPup.com.


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