His caretakers--Angie Tomaka, a State Farm Insurance worker, and her client, Diana Jimenez--feed him, keep his water bowl filled, make sure he has his shots. He comes when they call him and stands outside Tomaka's office door until she lets him in. He sits on her desk or in his basket underneath while she works.

But Sunnyvale's animal control department says Casey needs a proper home

They say Casey may be happy, but he's not safe.

"Not only is the parking lot [the cat's] home, but it's also [his] play area," says Lt. Marty Dale, spokesman for the city.

El Camino Real is a high-traffic road, and cars are in and out of the parking lot all day long. Casey is at daily risk of being struck by one of those cars.

Tomaka is desperate to keep Casey there.

"Let's leave him in the environment that he's used to, that's my thought," she says.

For two years she has cared for Casey, who was named by her 6-year-old son.

But a few weeks ago Michelle Morgan, senior animal control officer for the city, arrived to investigate a call about a limping cat. Tomaka says Casey did have a limp, but it only lasted a couple of days, and he is fine, but Morgan told Tomaka to either find a home for the cat or she would be back to pick him up and take him to a shelter.

Tomaka worries that if Casey is taken to a shelter he will not be adopted because he is feral, and if he is not adopted, he will be put to sleep.

"He's just part of who we are. I don't want them to take him," she says.

If Casey is picked up, he will be taken to Humane Society Silicon Valley, which does not hold pets for unlimited periods, nor does it have a specific time in which a pet is housed before it is euthanized.

Beth Ward, vice president of animal and customer care, says the humane society does everything possible to get pets adopted, but not all are good candidates. If a cat has a serious medical disease such as feline leukemia or displays behavioral problems, it could be put to sleep. Sometimes pets become nervous in cages and don't appear friendly or cuddly and are passed up by people looking to adopt.

Santa Clara County has a severe problem with cat overpopulation because not enough are spayed or neutered.

Spaying and neutering all pets, not just feral cats, is the backbone message of the humane society, and the fact that Casey has been neutered gives him a chance of a longer, healthier life, but adult cats are more difficult to adopt out than kittens, Ward says.

Casey's best chance of adoption is now, before litters of kittens arrive in the spring.

Morgan did not give Tomaka a date by which to find a home for Casey, but with spring almost here, time is running out.

Tomaka says she can't take Casey home because she lives in a manufactured home and is only allowed one cat. She already has one.

Plus, her boyfriend doesn't think it's a good idea; the cat at home is "a princess" and probably wouldn't accept Casey.

Jimenez says she can't take Casey either. She already has three rescued cats and believes it would be unfair to them, and nearly impossible to introduce Casey to her cat crew.

Employees from neighboring businesses don't want to see Casey go, either.

"I'm not a cat lover. I don't even have an animal. I know it sounds silly. It
doesn't hurt anybody, it just sits and looks at you," says Michelle Ramsdell, office manager of H&R Block. "The cat needs to stay."

Anyone interested in adopting Casey should contact Angie Tomaka at 408.522.1900 on weekdays or Diana Jimenez at 650.400.0017 on weekends.