Ricky Nelson cared enough about animals to participate in a charity ride to raise money for pets without homes.
But now his two cats are left without anyone to care for them after the 59-year-old Kennewick man was killed in a crash during Sunday’s “Ridin for Rover” event to benefit the Benton-Franklin Humane Society. Nelson’s friend, Frank Moran, was frustrated and concerned when he called shelters in the area and found no one would take Nelson’s cats because they’re all full. Even the Humane Society, the area’s only no-kill shelter, has a waiting list for people wanting to give up cats for adoption. “I want to do the right thing and I can’t. It really angers me,” Moran said. “It’s not like I have a cat in my backyard who’s making kittens. This isn’t just me trying to get rid of a couple of cats. This is a citizen trying to do the right thing and can’t.” But there is a happy ending for Nelson’s cats. Special arrangements have been made so the agency that Nelson was trying to help when he died will care for the orphaned cats until new homes can be found. “We feel horrible about what happened on Sunday and we want to do the right thing, obviously,” Dawson said.
Nelson, who lived in an assisted living facility, doesn’t have family in the Tri-Cities. The adult cats belonged to his wife, who died two years ago, Moran said.