Results tagged “cat”

A judge overthrew a plea deal offered to suspected feline arsonist Cheyenne Cherry yesterday, potentially extending the prison sentence for the 17-year-old who is accused of killing a kitten by baking it in a 500-degree oven. According to the Post, "Judge Margaret Clancy, who had earlier approved the plea deal, said 'nobody realized' at the time that reducing a violent felony charge to a nonviolent charge was illegal."

The cat who was found in a SUV's engine area is recovering just fine. According to the Daily News, the cat, now named Art, is at a Manhattan animal shelter. Animal Care and Control's David Ziegler said that Art had "fleas and badly-matted fur," adding, "He seems pretty calm, like he's not in any pain. But he's mean. He has been growling." The AC&C is holding him for another day to see if an owner turns up; if not, "they will try to place the cat in a home via a rescue program."

Cats do the darndest things—like hang out in SUV engines and wait for cops to rescue 'em. Seriously, an orange and white cat had be to extracted by Emergency Service Unit detectives when a SUV driver discovered the feline in the vehicle's front hood.

                     

As we mentioned last week, the first annual Meet the Breed event—featuring 160 purebred breeds of dogs and 41 purebred breeds of cats—was held at the Javits Center. And people weren't able to walk a foot without in any direction without saying, "Awwww." Enjoy these photographs by Katie Sokoler.

Yesterday, Animal Care and Control and emergency service workers opened up a sewer in East New York, Brooklyn to free a cat. NY1 reports (which has video) that a nearby store owner "heard the calico making noises" and contacted ACC. He saw the five or six month old cat liberated, "The cat was a mess. It was scared, it was thin. It looked like it hadn't eaten for half a day, a day. It was very scared, dirty. The cat was going crazy. It was just happy to be out, I guess." It's unclear how long the cat was trapped there, but she seems okay, besides being weak from her hunger. ACC workers named her Cheese and "say she will be up for adoption in three days. For more information, call 1-212-788-4000."

As a bit of an antidote to the upsetting animal cruelty news, we recommend you read this NY Times real estate section story about the Upper West Side apartment of cat rescuer Tammy Cross. Cross works with Kitten Little Rescue—maybe you've seen their set-up of cats available for adoption and fostering on the corner of West 72nd and Columbus Avenue—and in her one-bedroom rent-stabilized apartment, "some 6 to 18 baby kittens — and once as many as 22 — are bottle fed and nursed back to health." Awwww.

Sean Lynde pleaded not guilty to charges that he killed and/or tortured his ex-girlfriend's six cats over a four month period last year. Lynde, who is out on $5,000 bail, told the Post, "There are two sides to every story. Right now, we are hearing just one incredibly distorted one."

This week's NY Times Real Estate cover story is about "accidental sellers"—people whose "life has gotten in the way — in the form of a job upheaval, imminent offspring, holy matrimony or the dissolution thereof." There are various anecdotes (like the couple who hasn't sold their Brooklyn place and are now in Switzerland where cost of living is really expensive), and the one that caught our eye was the dilemma of artist-art professors Elizabeth Demaray and Hugo Bastidas: They are expecting a baby next month and, if their two-bedroom condo at 116th and Lenox Avenue doesn't sell, they have outfitted the walk-in closet as a nursery. Why? Because Bastidas uses one of the bedrooms as a studio: "The 1,200-square-foot space is not big enough for the couple, his canvases, a baby and an exceptionally vocal Bengal cat that must be sequestered in its own bedroom at night if the humans are to sleep." Demaray says, "If we wind up staying, we’re going to have to find a studio space for both of us, probably somewhere toward Lower Manhattan or possibly Jersey City. But the cat won’t work in the closet." See the couple and their cat in this picture—looks like Bastidas is practicing his baby carry with the 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."

The Daily News has some more details about Cheyenne Cherry, the 17-year-old accused of killing her friend's (or ex-roommate's or ex-lover's) kitten by baking it in a 200-degree oven. Cherry was arrested in 2008 after her "boyfriend snatched the pooch from a woman in a Bronx park... after holding a BB gun to her forehead" (Cherry had "friends show up with the dog when a $500 reward was posted"). Also in 2008, she robbed a man of his iPod at gunpoint, claiming it was a "joke," which is what she said of the kitten killing and, in 2007, she was busted for "smacking a girl in the head with jewelry." In spite of her history, she was released without bail after being charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, arson, burglary and criminal mischief for the incident killing Tiger Lily the kitten and damaging the friend's apartment. The owner of the teacup Yorkie that Cherry and her boyfriend stole told the News, "They wonder why this little girl doesn't learn right from wrong. If she's willing to kill a cat and steal my dog, what else will she do? She thinks she can beat the system."

The ASPCA arrested a 17-year-old girl for killing her ex-roommate's kitten by putting the feline into an oven and leaving it to die. The Post described it as Cheyenne Cherry's "heartless attempt to get revenge on her lesbian lover." Cherry and a friend broke into the Mott Haven apartment of Valerie Hernandez, planning to trash the place. And the Daily News reports that Cherry allegedly told investigators, "I hate cats." Neighbors called the fire department, because a fire started and smoke was coming from the apartment. ASPCA Assistant Director Joseph Pentangelo said, "The kitten was burned alive, and it did not happen quickly. It was an agonizing death," adding that Cherry and the other person left soon after also slashing Hernandez's couch and stealing items, "She didn't want to hear the cat crying and scratching at the oven door... It's a shame that this kitten had to suffer like this. For the kitten to get caught up in whatever was going on with them is a tragedy." Cherry was charged with arson, burglary, criminal trespass and felony aggravated animal cruelty.

The story of Lucky, the lower Manhattan cat who survived a 26-story fall (he "only" had a broken toe and broken lower jaw), has captured the imagination of a country. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, there are people who want more answers. Check out this video:

WABC 7 had this crazy story over the weekend: A cat fell 26 stories from a lower Manhattan building—and survived! And the cat's name is...Lucky! Apparently Lucky's owner had left a window in her apartment open 6 inches wide—which is more than enough for any enterprising cat to wander through. Lucky decided to walk out onto the ledge, but he slipped.

On Thursday, the Staten Island Advance reported that a 7-month-old tabby cat had been in the tree for four days. Luckily, on day five of her arboreal getaway, Dottie the kitten was rescued, thanks to some patience and the efforts of some nice folks.

While there are terrible acts of cruelty against animals, there are moments when humans band together to help them out. Newsday has a nice story about how firefighters in rescued a pet cat after his owners' Centerport house was on fire on Sunday. Apparently some oily rags in the kitchen garbage "ignited by 'spontaneous combustion'" (a fire official explained "certain kinds of oil can generate their own heat and cause fires"). While firefighters were able to put out the fire, during the inspection, some discovered a pet cat—named Sam— hiding in the basement. Newsday reports, "Centerport and Halesite firefighters used a small mask to give the cat oxygen. The cat was taken to New York Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center in Farmingdale, where he was said to be doing fine on Monday night." Aw—get better, Sam!

The Mets home opener at Citi Field may have been a loss, but there's a new star: The orange (or tan) cat that ran out during the third inning. Here's film of the feline:

Project Runway finalist Kenley Collins tried to set the record about her reported cat-throwing incident straight. Last week, she was arrested for apparently assaulting her now ex-fiancee Zachary Penley by throwing with a number of items at him during an argument: A laptop, apples, and, yes, their cat Arlo (she also allegedly slammed a door on Penley's head). According to the Post, Collins said, "The story portrayed in the papers is false. The only reason why a cat was involved in this story is because when I first approached Zak, I was holding my cat and it was gently tossed onto my bed." The fashion designer's mom tells the Daily News, "Zak's cat, Arlo, was bothering her so she plopped him on a down comforter on the bed and told Zak to 'go feed him.' That's all there was to it." At any rate, we hope Arlo is okay—he is apparently staying with Penley while Collins is taking their other cat.

The Post reports that Project Runway finalist Kenley Collins is letting her ex-fiance keep the cat that she threw at him. On Wednesday morning, Collins was arrested after throwing cat Arlo, then a laptop, apples and water at Zachary Penley in their Brooklyn apartment, an incident the fashion designer described as being blown out of proportion and, perhaps, the manifestation of a bad break-up. The former couple had two cats and Collins said, "The girl cat [Sandra] is mine and the boy cat [Arlo] is his," which is just sad to us—Sandra and Arlo are losing each other! And Project Runway winner Leanne Marshall told the Post (which also has a shot of Collins hamming it for a photographer), "This should put a clear answer to the question I am most frequently asked, 'Was Kenley really that awful, or was she just edited like that?' When she got angry, I knew to keep my distance. Clearly, she needs therapy."

Police say Keyleste Williams was drunk when he returned to his 6th floor Brooklyn apartment on Sunday morning around 3 a.m., got into a vicious argument with his sister, and threw his cousin Lateya's cat Shadow out the window. Shadow's (not pictured) fatal fall was heard by a neighbor, who only heard a loud thump and told the Post, "I thought it was bricks. I didn't know it was a cat. Oh, my God." Police charged Williams, 29, with aggravated cruelty to animals, plus torturing and injuring animals. But Lateya says her family doesn't want to press charges because he was intoxicated when he dangled the cat out the window and let go, "We just don't want him to come back home for a while...I would just want God to charge him." Related: The ASPCA on cats and falls—cats "may actually be at greater risk for injury when falling shorter distances... Shorter distances do not give them enough time to adjust their body posture to fall correctly."

A year ago, we wrote about a little orange and white kitten who was found on the Queensboro Bridge. He was rescued (in a paint can, thanks to construction workers) and eventually adopted into a loving home. Now we hear that he's "very, very cuddly and loves to play"—and he's much bigger now, but still cute and freckly (pictured). If you're thinking about adding a furry friend to your household soon, head to the Empty Cages Collective adoption event in Park Slope tomorrow—there will be kittehs of all sizes.

We don't know much about this Japanese cat, except that we love him (or her). You go, you crazy diet-something-box-loving cat! (Reminder: today is kitten and cat adoption day in Williamsburg.)

Last week, Scarlett the cat, who captured the hearts of the city and the world, passed away. In 1996, firefighters responded to a burning garage in Brooklyn and noticed a cat carrying her kittens out of danger, one kitten at a time. The mother cat, named Scarlett for her red patches of fur, was seriously burned on her eyes, ears and face, and collapsed after bringing them all out; the six kittens were also injured from smoke. She was taken to the North Shore Animal League and, after thousands of adoption inquiries, Scarlett came to live with Brooklyn resident Karen Wellen. Wellen, who wanted a special needs cat because she was recovering from a car accident, said she couldn't stop crying about Scarlett's death, which came after hospitalization for a number of issues. She also told the Daily News, "She was the most precious and loving cat, and in our household, it was all about Scarlett."

           

Day one of the CFA-Iams Cat Championship feature breed competitions, cats running through the feline agility course, and overall animal adorableness. As promised, this year's cat show had a bit of election year spirit thrown in, as spectators could vote for either a Republicat or a Democat.

Joseph Petcka, whose trial for animal cruelty ended in a mistrial, has been making the rounds with the media to work on his image. He appeared on the Today Show and Inside Edition, where he said, "I hope there's something I can do in this lifetime that will make them see that I'm a person that loves animals."

Though the jury was deadlocked over whether the 205-pound Joseph Petcka deliberately killed a 7-pound cat, the Daily News spoke to a former girlfriend, who has experienced his anger directly: He slammed a door on her fingers, with one finger so badly injured it was partially severed. The woman, who speaks to women about domestic violence, says the prosecution never contacted her about testifying. they did find him not guilty of harassing the cat's owner, his then-girlfriend. Also, the Post reports the jurors might be called back to deliver the harassment verdict since a juror said he didn't realize they were allowed to deliver a partial verdict--and apparently the jury didn't tell the judge they had a verdict on harassment charge. As for holdout juror Francisco DeFlaviis, he asked reporters to respect his privacy.

After a judge declared a mistrial in the the animal cruelty case of a 205-pound man who killed a 7-pound cat, some of the jurors explained what happened during deliberations. The Post reported that "exhausted-looking" Shamsul Islam, Juror No. 11, said, "It was 11 to 1."

In her closing arguments yesterday, prosecutor Leila Kermani told jurors that alleged cat killer Joseph Petcka, a retired minor league baseball player and sometime actor, is just a "washed-up, never-made-it-to-the-big-leagues athlete" and a "D-minus" actor. On Friday the 6'2" Petcka testified that Norman, the name of his then-girlfriend's 7-pound neutered and de-clawed tabby, "came and lunged at me, throwing me on my butt on the coffee table. Norman was biting into my hand." While he admitted to kicking Norman "hard," his lawyer insists "it was a tragic accident. It was not intentional." But Kermani showed jurors a photo of Norman wearing a Christmas bow and, sarcastically referring to the cat's teeth as his "fangs of fury," asked them, "How can this, knock over that?" The jury begins deliberations this afternoon; Petcka faces up to two years in jail if convicted in the animal cruelty case.

NY Post columnist Andrea Peyser interviewed Joseph Petcka--the 205-pound man on trial for animal cruelty after kicking his girlfriend's 7-pound cat to death (the cat had a broken leg, three broken ribs, broken teeth, and a lacerated tongue, plus a chest full of blood). She finds him "uncomplicated" and writes his "life devolved into tragi-comedy" because of the incident. Petcka tells Norman the cat, via Peyser, "I apologize, and I'm very sorry - I'm so sorry this happened between us," says he loves all animals, and tells his side of the story. Petcka, who now has a new girlfriend with "an awesome dog," ultimately gets this reaction from Peyser, "He killed a cat! Can't this guy get a break?"

A prosecutor from the Mahattan DA's office called a man who killed his girlfriend's cat "an angry, jealous, drunken bully" during during opening arguments. Joseph Petcka, a 205-pound former Mets draft prospect and actor, is on trial for animal cruelty after he brutally beat an 8-pound domestic, declawed tabby.

The woman who had to give up her 44-pound cat--who took the country by storm as Princess Chunk when it was thought she was a girl (but actually he's a boy named Powder!)--spoke out, hoping to set the record straight. Powder was found wandering around Voorhees, NJ before the Camden County Animal Shelter took him in, and some have wondered why the cat wasn't sent to the shelter in the first place.