TROY, MI (RNN) – The Troy Police Department has gotten furrier.
Pawfficer Donut was sworn in by two judges on Friday as part of the Troy Police Feline Unit.
Apart from potentially keeping the rodent population down, Donut will serve as a community relations cat and to promote the adoption of shelter animals.
Troy Police is selling feline unit T-shirts, the proceeds of which help the Michigan Humane Society.
Donut replaces Pawfficer Badges, who was diagnosed with feline leukemia, an infectious disease, before her adoption was completed, the Michigan Humane Society said.
Because of the nature of the disease, Badges "requires a very specific home with no other cats and may require significant medical care," the humane society said.
Feline leukemia, a virus passed among cats through bodily fluids, is the second leading cause of death in cats, according to WebMD, with 85 percent of cats with persistent infections dying within three years of diagnosis.
There is hope for Badges, though. Some cats are able to kick the virus on their own in a few months.
The police department said Badges will always be considered the department’s first "pawfficer."
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