I see Buddy in the Advertiser parking lot every night when I go home. He's usually there, standing at a distance, watching people exit the building and get into their cars.

He's been a permanent fixture for over three years. One day, he just showed up and never left. The fluffy gray-and-white striped tabby has his heart set upon staying put.

There have been many cats in our parking lot over the years: some kittens, some a little older. Most of them have been caught and given away to good homes. Buddy also deserves to go to a home where he can get routine vet checks and regular meals. Ann Watanabe, Advertiser employee and cat lover, has spent endless nights in her car while the cat traps were out, hoping to hear the trap snap shut.

After many failed attempts to lure Buddy into a trap, the Hawaiian Humane Society was consulted. They advised us to keep the trap in a secluded place where's there no human traffic or noise, and to put ti leaves on the bottom of the trap and dark towels on the top to disguise it as a cave. Sushi and stinky Figaro cat food are usually irresistible to cats. but they didn't work as bait, and neither did my ace in the hole: Kentucky Fried Chicken wings!

Jennifer Kishimori of Cat Friends, the ultimate expert in cat trapping, loaned us a scoop net at the end of a long pole. That didn't work either.

Still not giving up, Watanabe asked a fisherman to bring in a throw net. Perhaps by throwing it over a wide area, Buddy would get caught. No luck! Buddy is just way too smart.

After what seems like a hundred attempts to get him, rescue efforts for Buddy have been put on hold for now.

Anyone got another smart idea?

Animal lover Leslie Kawamoto has been with the Advertiser for 19 years, or 133 in dog years. Check out her blog at http://islandtails.honadvblogs.com.