Animal hoarders in the Bronx are not having a good week! On Monday a fire revealed 15 pit bulls in one apartment and then early Tuesday morning another fire led the FDNY into an apartment where an elderly woman was living with at least three dozen cats (the News says the count could be as high as 60), a dog, and not one litter box. more ›

There comes a time for every lonely woman when she must face the most defining decision of her life: considering whether or not to buy a cat, and possibly embracing cat lady-status. Retired waitress Barbara Pinchbeck, 70, had already owned several cats over the year, but she decided to take the plunge one more time and adopt a friendly feline from a Westchester animal shelter. But instead of a cuddly indifferent life-partner, she claims she got a vicious, evil bitch: "It was snarling, hissing and bearing its fangs. It leaped 6 feet in the air and landed on my hand. It bit through my two fingers," Pinchbeck told the News. more ›

The 35 cats that were taken from one crazy cat lady's apartment are now up for adoption! The NY Post reports that you can have the pick of the litter. The ASPCA has been working with the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, as well as other groups, to get the cats healthy and into forever homes. Cats and kittens were transported by the Mayor’s Alliance to organizations around the city, and you can check here to find the closest to you. In related cat news: we couldn't find Art on the ASPCA's adoption site anymore — so it looks like someone took him in! (He had suffered injuries after riding 2-miles in the engine of a car in the Bronx.) more ›

Remember the Brooklyn woman who ended up with 37 cats in her one-bedroom apartment? Thirty-five of them were confiscated by the ASPCA, and soon one can be yours! "It was costing me a lot of money. I didn't want to throw them out in the street," 53-year-old Kima Brown told the NY Post. "Everyone in the complex has a kitten from me." Animal care agencies are still checking out the cats, but so far they all seem healthy. Just two were returned to their owner, who was happy to have a reprieve, most of all from the sound of cats screeching. "No more," said Graham. "That is it for them. I'm getting too old for this." more ›

Authorities commandeered 35 felines from a Brooklyn cat lady today. The woman, who lived in a one-bedroom apartment, said the population grew exponentially after two initial cats started breeding. According to ASPCA spokesman Tim Rickey, veterinarians are assessing the 25 adult cats and 10 kittens she handed over. Most appear to be in good health and will soon be available for adoption. The feline enthusiast was allowed to keep just two cats and was required to have them spayed and neutered, according to the AP. She has not been charged with a crime, and ABC says officials are calling the woman an "overwhelmed caregiver." They urged anyone in a similar situation to contact the ASPCA. more ›

The Star-Ledger reports that dozens of cats were found living in unfit conditions in a million-dollar home in Chester, NJ: "All 12 rooms of the two-story house on Farm Road were laden with feces and urine, authorities said. In some areas, piles of excrement reached as high as 2 feet. In one of the bathtubs, a mound of feces measuring 8 inches thick coated the bottom, authorities said." The fire department was called to ventilate the house, which might need to be condemned because it's so toxic. Anonymous complaints had been made to the SPCA last week and the authorities found almost 80 cats, plus a dog, and will likely charge owner Wanda Oughton with 80 counts of animal cruelty. SPCA superintendent Frank Rizzo said, "The smell was horrific. This is not a place you can live in. I don't know how anyone could survive in that." Twenty-two cats were taken to a vet for observation; the others were left in the home as the SPCA coordinates living arrangements for them. more ›

THEATER: With his zany imagination and distinctive bass-baritone voice, Joseph Keckler (myspace) has been generating buzz throughout the gooey honeycomb of the downtown performance art cabaret scene. Tonight he sprinkles his particular blend of whimsical catnip at Dixon Place with Cat Lady, in which a man re-enacts an ordinary day with his mother, who runs a community theater with cat actors out of her home. “Past lives are recalled, songs are sung, and finally a trip to the vet's is made in this comedic and dark exploration of the relationship between art and trauma.” Part of the HOT! Festival. – John Del Signore more ›