PAWS FOR GOOD NEWS POUNDS LIGHTER, ERNIE BUSH IS BACK.

Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer

CENTURY CITY - After wandering lost for nearly a month, the nation's ``first cat'' was found - where else? - wandering the Avenue of the Stars early Tuesday morning.

Ernie had shed two pounds, was suffering from a fever, and had fleas. But President Bush's six-toed cat was in good shape otherwise when a sharp-eyed condominium security guard spotted the orange and white tabby on the famed boulevard.

``I'm dying to know what he was up to the last three weeks,'' said Brad Freeman, the Los Angeles-based investment banker and Bush fund-raiser who took in the cat after he was deemed unsuitable for the White House. ``I was worried. There are coyotes in my neighborhood.

``I hope the president will find it in his heart to forgive me.''

The White House also heaved a sigh of relief.

``Talk about free spirits,'' said Noelia Rodriguez, press secretary for first lady Laura Bush. ``He was walking around in his own concrete heaven. We're glad he's back and safe.''

The Ernie saga began nearly a month ago after he disappeared from Freeman's Brentwood home.

For days, Freeman checked local animal shelters for the elusive feline only to come up empty-handed. Becoming increasingly desperate, he finally went public last week, posting fliers and notifying the media of the lost cat.

On Saturday, he posted a $1,000 reward for Ernie's safe return.

At one point, Freeman's housekeeper, Perry Angliss, got into the act. She pressed her husband and son into service, conducting daily sweeps throughout the neighborhood, searching for Ernie.

Her son would ride his bicycle around the neighborhood during the day. Her husband would patrol in his car at night.

``(Ernie) likes to go out,'' Angliss said. ``We let him out, sometimes. He would always come back. But this last time, he didn't come back. I'm very happy we found him. He's doing fine.''

Joseph Matthews, a security guard who works for the Century Hill Association, a condominium complex, found the peripatetic pet about 2 a.m. Matthews alerted a television news station, which in turn reached Freeman.

Matthews brought the cat, fleas, fever, and all, to Freeman's home.

A veterinarian also examined Ernie on Tuesday afternoon. But Ernie, being the celebrity he is, couldn't stay at the hospital for very long.

``I tried to talk the owner into letting Ernie stay overnight, but unfortunately he has interviews and he couldn't stay,'' said veterinarian Ann Callahan of the Wilshire Animal Hospital. ``I think it's amazing how good he looks, considering what he's been through.''

Ernie's had a tough life so far.

Two years ago, the Bush family found him cold and wet, clinging to a tree at the Texas governor's mansion. They took him in and named him Ernie, after author Ernest Hemingway who also owned a six-toed cat.

During his years with the first family, Ernie became known for clawing property at the mansion - and is said to have taken a swipe at the president himself, officials said.

Fearing Ernie would wreak havoc on White House furnishings, the Bush family asked Freeman to adopt Ernie.

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Photo:

(color) Ernie, the six-toed cat taken in by the Bush family, sits in the lap of Perry Angliss after being found.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer