Man Sues Bodega Over Alleged Cat Attack

2007_09_catsentry.jpgMeow! The Post reports that a Long Island man is suing a West Village bodega Andy's Deli at Seventh and Grove Street because the bodega's cat attacked him - and wants $5 million. However, Andy's Deli owner Andy Singh says he doesn't even own a cat. Dunh dunh DUNH!

The claim: Adalberto DeSousa says he went to Andy's to buy a sandwich when he "felt something strange on my shoes." It was a kitty at his feet. DeSousa said, "I didn't want to hit the cat, so I pushed him away with my hand," only for the cat to attack his hand and arm.

"A guy in the story came over and yelled at me to get off the cat," DeSousa said. "A lot of blood came out."

He said that deli-store clerk gave him a bottle of rubbing alcohol and let him rinse the blood off his hand in the sink.

DeSousa said he grabbed his drink and his Philly cheese steak and went home to Inwood, L.I.

When he woke up the next day, he said, his hand was red, throbbing and swollen.

DeSousa says he was in the hospital for a month and "says he still has not regained full use of his right hand." But Singh told the Post, "We don't have a cat. We've never had a cat."

Though many bodegas have cats, bodega cats are actually against the health code. For some reason, the Health Department thinks that having cats means there are mice in an establishment, versus being a preemptive measure against mice. The only stores allowed to have cats wandering around are pet stores.

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Comments (37) [rss]

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"A guy in the "story" came over and yelled at me to get off the cat," DeSousa said

Fruedian slip or typo, but it sounds like quite a "story" to me.

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what a douche. go back to long island and stfu.

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No cats in book stores?!?

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that deli is disgusting. anyone ordering a cheesesteak from there deserves whatever comes their way.

personally, i think he's lucky he got out of there with just a bite from a cat... and not a philly catsteak sandwich.

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This guy can just die...
how is that his hunger for money is now gonna make cats disapear from comercial areas...?
go and die you money hungry cat hater.

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#3, I was wondering the same thing. Cats and bookstores are like peanut butter and jelly.

You see, cats have a sixth sense... they can detect morons from LI...

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The Trade Fair in my neighborhood had a cat. It would take naps on the produce.

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I can't wait to read the comments from people freaking the shit out over cat-dander. Let's hear it folks!

I guess this guy won't win the "cat-loving man of the week" award on www.menandcats.com.

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He wants $5 million for that? What an awful person

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if your deli/bodega has a cat, the premises has roaches and rats. The products have cat hair all over them. Oh yeah ... cats shit indoors.


How do I know you're gay?
You like cats.

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dude, every deli/bodega has rodents. If they have a cat or cats, they've got it under control. If they don't, they probably have shitloads of poison all over the place.

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my cats breath smells like cat food

Well CR, some people are violently allergic to cat dander; god forbid they not want to get sick from just walking into a store.

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i would like to see how this cat does vs. the prospect park raccoon.

sincerely,

michael vick

What a horrible human being. And I don't even like cats, but this is pure crap. Leave the kitties alone dude and work for a living instead of sue, sue, sue!!

Oh and the guy still had enough strengthand sense to grab his drink and food and go home to Long Island. I bet he ate the food too. Please.

Oh and they are called FLID's.... Those folks from Long Island.

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bohooo allergic people, BOOHOOOOOOO

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I'm allergic to cats and I'd laugh this kind of shit off. Then again, I'm demented like that.

10 bucks says this guy is illegal.

For shame, 6 foot 4 man crying like this, what the hell is this world coming to.

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allergic people are as annoying as finicky eaters.
eat right and healthy and you shouldn't have allergies.
cats can sense assholes and this cat did his job.

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#6: The New Yorker once had a cartoon of an independent book store window, sign naming the store read "Cat-Free Book Store."

Adalberto DeSousa is a wimp.

I've got no probs with the kitties, except I'm allergic to them (Not the freaks who get all spazzed if they see a cat, just can't touch 'em).
But, cat bites have a VERY high rate of infection (up to 80% in the first 24H), and a deep space infection of the hand/foot, especially a joint space or tendon sheath is a surgical emergency and can require multiple surgeries and 6-8 weeks of IV antibiotics. Yeah, the guy may seem like a wuss to the puss, but if he sustained a bite by a dog, parrot or the owner's kid, the media wouldn't be trolling to the whack cat folks. So the point is, the guy got bitten by an animal (any animal) in a place where an animal, by law, was not supposed to be, and was hospitalized for a month, likely had multiple surgeries (I&D, fasciotomy, debridement, grafting) and will likely have a significant loss of function of his (statistically) dominant extremity. If he got scratched by an SUV the folks here would blame the SUV, no problem, and say he should have been near a bike.

Dadoc

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I'd rather have a kitty than a SUV.
what kind of person raises his hand at a pet?

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some people think opting to respect animals will take power from them...disassociation is difficult for some minds.

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Should make cat stew with it...delish!

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I think I was there today. On my poster route. One of those places had a big cat. Grey, and probably very old.

If his right hand has all the problems, why is it his left hand has all the tubes coming out of it in the Post photo? He's afraid of cats? Puh-leeze. I've never met anyone who was afraid of cats. Some may not like cats, but they're not afraid of them. When was the last time anyone saw a story about "cat mauls/kills man/baby/child"? They're not Rottweilers or pit bulls, for crying out loud.

Reason #1,593 why there should be a wall built at the Nassau/Queens County line.

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Cat people are friggen weird. This thread backs this notion..no, fact..up.

Sue crazed america, im sure he will (would) take the money and give it to the A.S.P.C.A. I hope he goes to kitty hell where he has to give cats cold water baths, live off fancy feast and face the aroma
of smouldering used boxes of litter.

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Who would be so stupid as to touch an outdoors cat, especially in the city? I hope his hand falls off. What a dick.

And to everybody going crazy about cat dander and rats and roaches and shit WOW, move somewhere else! Go back to the burbs, you pussies!

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the DOH has a hi-LAR-ious interpretation of the relationship between cats and mice.

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Also.. someone brought up a really good point in another article about bodega cats. Whey are DOGS allowed to go into just about any store with their owners? Do I really want dogs rubbing up against the clothes I buy at Filene's Basement? Or in the coffee shop where I buy my bagel?

I guess the rules are different for offices, since the place I used to work had an office cat, and when the Health Inspector came to check up on some smoking complaint, he told us cats were OK. In fact, any pets are Ok in an office setting. I guess because it's private property? You could even have a pony!

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