Strays cats are different than the usual city pests. Roaches are scary and move quickly and generally are a sign of a dirty building. Mice leave little pieces of excrement behind and need to be caught (and killed). Cats, on the other hand, don’t come inside and for some people, myself included, are a fuzzy reminder of the cuteness that exists in the world.
On Gates Avenue on the southeast end of Clinton Hill, where I live, there are a few neighborhood strays. Some are notorious, like scary big gray, as I call him (or her). SBG has no ears and some of the gnarliest fur I’ve seen on an alley cat. SBG can be seen crossing Gates Ave. between Franklin and Classon all the time. He/she often hangs in front of buildings and in the big church parking lot on the middle of the block, if you want to come take a peek.
This pretty black and white cat, pictured, is also a regular. While scary big gray terrorizes the neighborhood, (he walks down the block like he/she owns it), this pretty spotted cat prefers to lounge.
Wandering around Clinton Hill, I found that people’s perceptions of the neighborhood cats were pretty similar. If the cat doesn’t bother me, why would I bother the cat?
(Of course, there was some dissension. One person called cats a “hazard” while another mentioned the importance of capturing and spaying feral cats so that they don’t reproduce, which in the wild, happens constantly.)
Sandra Pigott has lived on Ryerson St. for more than 15 years. Her block has three abandoned lots, which for cats is as appealing as a freshly opened can of Friskies. See the picture below of two of the adjacent lots. Ms. Pigott said a whole “family” of cats lives on the block.
“There’s a black and white, what do you call, a tuxedo cat, there’s big black, who is always on my deck, there’s a gray and white one and a little orange and white one,” she said, adding that three black kittens had also been around lately.
A group of cats that travels and lives together is called a colony. According to the New York City Feral Cat Initiative there are “tens of thousands” of cats living in the wilds of NYC.
Ms. Pigott said the neighbors tried to get rid of the cats a few years ago but then they realized that if the cats were gone, the rats came.
“We have our own free exterminators,” she said.
Some residents, including Jason Corace, hardly ever see cats.
“I’ve lived here for seven years and I can’t remember seeing a stray,” he said.
The majority of cats seen live in close proximity with abandoned lots, which means there are more cats on the outskirts of the neighborhood than on the interior, more “desirable” blocks.
In one lot on Franklin Avenue, near Lexington Ave., pictured, there is a lot that serves as a home for a popular neighborhood cat, Brooklyn.
One resident of more than 10 years who lives on the block, Melvin Sinclair, said Brooklyn was a friendly tiger cat that “everyone” knew.
Unfortunately for me, Brooklyn was nowhere to be found. But evidence of his existence was. (See the picture below.)
On the corner of Grand Ave. and Gates Ave., I was speaking with another resident, Charles Anokam, who has lived in Clinton Hill for six years. Just as he was telling me that the only time he sees cats is at night, a black cat with white legs bolted across the street. Like any good New Yorker, the cat was fast and wove in and out of the oncoming traffic like a pro.
Mr. Anokam laughed and said that stray cats were just a part of life.
If you have any good cat stories leave them in the comments!
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14 Comments
We’ve got a bunch of feral cats on Lefferts Place…most of them seem to congregate around the empty lot between St. James and Grand or in and around the empty brownstone on the same block. I see them sleeping on the stoop in the sunshine. There are always cans of food out for them, so somebody keeps them fed. I’m an animal lover with two cats of my own, so I always enjoy seeing the neighborhood cats and like the person in your post said, free rodent control!
There’s a big, fat orange cat with a stub tail who is the sweetest little thing. She’ll follow me down the block, meowing the whole way with her little stubby tail wagging. She’s so friendly, that I wonder if someone on the block owns her and lets her go outside. I haven’t seen her in a few months, so I hope she’s been keeping warm during the winter.
I know a few years ago, there was a trap/spay/release program on the block and I was just wondering earlier today if it was still being done…it’s the smartest way to keep the feral population under control while still remaining humane to the animals.
How about the one where the Project Runway girl threw the cat at her boyfriend? Now that’s a cat story.
“There’s a big, fat orange cat with a stub tail who is the sweetest little thing. She’ll follow me down the block, meowing the whole way with her little stubby tail wagging. She’s so friendly, that I wonder if someone on the block owns her and lets her go outside. I haven’t seen her in a few months, so I hope she’s been keeping warm during the winter.”
I’ve seen this cat once or twice, too! She’s adorable, but I’ve always assumed she has an owner, because her coat is really clean & shiny.
We have a rotating cast down here on Clinton & Myrtle, too. The last year’s set were both adopted, one to someone in the complex and another to a couple who lived here but they waited to take the cat with them when they moved. Now we have some new ones and there are a few people who work together to feed them and give them a little shelter in the bad weather. I heard that one woman was doing a catch, spay and release thing but I don’t know that for sure. I kind of like having them around. My last few cats have been rescued off the street so I have a soft spot.
Yesterday, one of the many black cats near Lefferts & St James was killed by a car. Since 311 said it would take the city 2 business days to pick it up, I disposed of the cat myself.
I’m not really much of a cat person, but I sort of “knew” this cat. We rescued a relative of his/hers (didn’t check) a few years ago when he was just a kitten and got him into a home with a loving family.
Some strays are too feral to be rescued, but if you have the means, find a way to get these cats captured, spayed and released. They’re a part of the community and they help keep us pest free.
Oh, and I think the orange cat somehow belongs to Mrs. Frazier. That cat seems to have taken an attachment to her corner.
No cat stories but I did see a raccoon early one morning loping down the sidewalk on Fulton by Irving Place.
My boyfriend saw a big raccoon running down Irving Place a few weeks ago too. He (the raccoon) squirmed under the fence into the vacant lot on Irving right by Putnam.
A related story that would be good is that of the Pratt cats.
not that it matters but you’re talking about bed stuy. by now means- unless you’re trying ti sell real estate is franklin clinton hill. either way i hope the kitties are ok.perhaps they were left by the people forced out of the neighborhood?
the big fat orange cat without a tail is Pumpkin, she’s one of the many Pratt Cats. They live on campus and in the boiler room and they walk around the neighborhood often.
The fact is that this is a human caused problem and it’s sad just like the overabundance of cats and dogs in this country which cause 10 million of them to be killed each year in shelters while people still breed more (ignorance). As an animal lover I call out to others to step up and take action and adopt your next pet from a shelter and volunteer at one whenever you can.
There is nothing sweet or charming about stray cats. This is not 1906. These cats have short lives and are constantly in danger of being killed by hunger, disease, the cold and cars. Not to mention people, who do terrible things to them.
I’m on Clinton and Myrtle too, there are a ton of strays between Myrtle and Park. Once my cat got out of my apartment and I was worried he’d join up with a colony, but he came running home after a few hours.
I used to live on Monroe between Franklin and Bedford. My whole block was feeding the cutest little grey and white kitten. I had no pets, so guess what? They talked me into rescuing her. I’m so glad I did it she’s a great pal.
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