East Village Residents Mourn Loss Of Neighborhood Cat

The Big Apple isn't always hard-hearted—witness these sweet tributes to Pretty Boy, an East Village cat who passed away last month at the suspected age of 22 (!!). He traveled between Mikey's Pet Shop, where he slept, and Salon Seven, where, the NY Times reports, he "spent his day purring, sprawled on the appointment calendar at the reception desk and in the laps of clients having their hair washed." Salon Seven's Mark Dolengawski told the Villager that neighborhood supers loved Pretty Boy, one even wished "I had a cool walk like that." Dolgengawski added, "It really was a cool walk...it was a Zen-like stroll. It was so serene. I like to think of him as my sensei — my Zen master. I hope to be as cool and serene as that when I get old." And Living in Narnia wrote last month, "Mikey told me that Pretty Boy wanted to hold on until Tuesday, when Mark returned to the salon, and so he did. He died in Mark's arms...Rest in peace, Pretty Boy. The East Village lost a good friend. " A former Mikey's Pet Shop employee told the Times, "Every day I cry. He knew he was the man. He was the man on East Seventh Street. Everybody just loved him."