A cat's tale

For anyone wondering about this missing black kitty from earlier today around Seventh Street and First Avenue ... Nugget and her owner have been reunited...

A visit with Hemingway, the sleepy kitty in the window on 3rd Street

Text and interview by Stacie Joy 

We’d long-admired Hemingway’s insouciance as he catnapped in a north-facing window on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C...

Hemingway’s human companion, Alex Smith, recently granted us an audience with the playful feline and answered some questions as Hemingway allowed himself to be admired.

How did Hemingway come to be a window mainstay on Third Street? When did the two of you arrive here and how did his lounging antics start? 

We arrived in NYC in April 2021, and the lounger was one of the first things I set up. We moved here from New Orleans, where he used the lounger on our front door in a quiet neighborhood. I honestly didn’t think much about putting the lounger up on the window when we moved in. 

Not long after setting it up, he took right to it again, and very soon after, the passersby started, and the phones came out. My mom had come to help us settle in, and we would laugh at everyone’s reactions to Hemingway in the lounger. 

What has been the reaction of passersby? 

The reactions range from surprise and amazement over the lounger and cuteness of Hemingway — for those who haven’t noticed it/him before — to people slowing down right as they check if he’s in the window. Some people pick up their dogs and bring them up to the window, which I always find hilarious, and Hemi doesn’t mind. I can hear people talking to friends saying, “Oh, wait, come see this cat,” some even call his name after reading it on his collar. 

If someone is walking by and on FaceTime, they will flip the phone view to show the person on the phone. The most consistent reaction is smiles. It’s hard not to look at a kitty in a window and not smile.

How does Hemingway react to all the attention? 

He loves it. He’s never been a shy cat and seeing the number of people he’s come into contact with over the last year has been so fun. The same children will come to the window every day, and if he’s not at the window, they call for him, and he runs to them. It’s so cute to watch. I also like that it keeps him stimulated. He also loves to sunbathe and nap, which also makes people stop to ooh and ahh.

What does he do during his “down time” when he is not lounging in the window?

If he’s not in the window, there’s a good chance he’s either sleeping in his heated bed — I know, I know — playing with his toys or trying to get my attention for treats, pets and playtime. 

 Best viewing times to see him? Is there anything special he likes or doesn’t like? 

You can usually find him in the window from midmorning to around 3 p.m. daily. Sometimes a little later. It also depends on the weather and temperature. He loves when people talk to him through the window. He also enjoys it when people bring their dog up to the window — as long as the dog doesn’t bark too much. 

You can follow Hemingway on Instagram at @hemi.inthecity.

Caturday's opening shot

The always-sweetly lounging kitty (Hemingway! 😻) in this window along Third Street ... photo by Stacie Joy... 

About Jake, who roamed the East Village these past 11 years

[Photo by Josh Rogosin]

EVG reader thomkat, an East Village resident since 1980, shared this piece about Jake, who roamed the neighborhood for the past 11 years. "He made a lot of friends all over the East Village from Tompkins Square Park to Avenue D, mainly between 10th and 4th streets — and possibly a few enemies."

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Out the door to work one morning on 7th Street in the fall of 2006, I noticed a young and healthy looking tuxedo cat pawing at the black plastic trash bags next to the curb.

Obviously hungry and lost (?), he willingly accepted my offer of food. After he gobbled that down, I snapped his picture and later posted “Is This Your Cat?” flyers all over the East Village. After two weeks, when no claims had surfaced, he was mine. The vet estimated his age to be a year and a half. He also pronounced, “That cat’s going to dominate you!” That seemed preposterous at the time, but little did I know.

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At first, Jake was constantly trying to find a way to get outside. We tried a leash – not a good idea. You’ve never seen the likes of such thrashing, clawing and biting. So I let him out into the garden adjoining our building — and over the wall he went and across the street.

Finally, realizing how street savvy he was, I installed a flap door in the bathroom window and built an 8’ wooden plank down into the garden so he had 24/7 access to come and go at will.

And come and go he did, for more than 11 years. With an implanted chip, a red stretch collar with three bells (warning to birds, etc.), a tag engraved with my cell and the explanation “I can jump over the wall and go inside by myself” — and of course, regular visits to the vet (usually the result of cat fights), he survived many a close scrape.

That first summer, he came home with a long cut on this tail. The vet took pains to save it and Jake was confined to the apartment sporting an Elizabethan collar and a heavy cast on his tail for 30 days. But alas, the tail could not be revived so he lost a little over half its length. (My son who lives down on 1st Street called him “Stumpy”).

He truly lived up to the reputation of his namesake — Jake, the handsome and rowdy lady killer from the book I was currently reading, "Lonesome Dove," a cowboy who was always riding off, being chased and getting into trouble.

Jake’s regular hangouts were the many East Village Gardens gardens and parks, Tompkins Square Park being the first. Other favorites were 6BC, the Fireman’s Garden and Green Oasis on 8th Street (where the gardeners squirted him with water for pestering the resident feral cats), La Plaza on 9th Street (where he had a girlfriend named Ruby and also bothered irate gardeners who were fearful for their chickens), the Generation X, 4th Street Garden, and the LES Ecology Garden on 7th Street.

At times he would frequent the same garden for an entire summer as the "resident cat."

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Jake did not suffer fools – when certain people approached him he would move away. Dogs didn’t faze him; most gave him a wide berth. He seemed to be able to judge them from afar and was always close enough to a parked car or a fenced-in tree pit for a quick escape.

More often he wouldn’t budge and gave them a quick swat if they came too close. Sometimes he would even go after dogs if they were close to his size.

But he could charm most people — he knew how to work the block, lying on our stoop or stretched out in the middle of the sidewalk during rush hours, morning and evening, being greeted and patted by passersby — especially young girls who would sit on the stoop and leisurely pet and fawn over him.

Neighbors would often comment, “I never liked cats, but he’s great,” and “I know the woman who takes care of him over on 9th Street” (when we live on 7th ).

A few times he came home reeking of perfume. Traitor! And he was obviously overweight, fed by well-meaning neighbors or scouting out the regular offerings by the always-dependable feral cat feeders. (I confess to extra treats of low-salt turkey slices from Sunny & Annie’s in addition to his regular diet.)

Most days after work when I reached the corner of 7th and B, three short blasts on a dog whistle would bring him bounding up the street to walk home with me for dinner. And if he still hadn’t come home after the dinner hour, I would go searching for him, making the rounds of his usual haunts with the dog whistle.

One evening after about an hour I gave up and was walking back home on Avenue C and heard his meow. He was trapped on a fire escape on the second floor of a building and must have heard me whistle on 6th Street, then spotted me walking below. No buzzer system, so I waited for someone to open the door, and went up to the front apartment – they had let him in as well as out the window and were so absorbed in TV, had forgotten him. Finally I had to realize that, nocturnal in nature, he would usually stay out all night, still always a concern.

Over the last few years Jake became much more domesticated and affectionate, and actually once in a while would rub against my legs (!) – and he loved having his stomach massaged. He would jump up on the bed, lie flat on his stomach like a sphinx with his head down and I would massage under his stomach in time with his breath and extremely loud purring. And late nights we might go for walks, one following the other, taking our time. He also acquired a fascination for car license tags – would sniff one after the other – I always wondered what he learned from those sniffs. And often he would “mark” the tags — embarrassing when the owner was there and fuming.

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However, 11 years later, in February of this year, Jake began to seem off his game and would go through spells of not being able to keep his food down. After several visits to the vet, he was diagnosed with an inoperable, malignant, abdominal tumor and given only a few weeks to live back in April.

I inquired if there was any way to make him more comfortable and the vet said steroids would help, so he began to receive house calls for steroid shots at home. It worked like magic for over a couple of months. And we tried to make the best of it – he mostly stayed outside, we took lots of walks and he had all the favorite foods and stomach massages he wanted.

But he was definitely slowing down, and last week he slept almost all of the time in our garden, moving and eating very little, to the point that it became obvious he was not at all happy and most certainly in pain. So the vet came and we eased him out of this life at home on Saturday, July 29.

I — and I think some others — will miss him terribly.

Candy the Gem Spa kitten is 4 months old today!

EVG Facebook friend Blazes passes along the news from our favorite corner store on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place...

There is also a Candy the Gem Spa Kitten Facebook page if you are interested in adorable photos and videos of Candy.

Maisy

Maisy the cat today in Tompkins Square Park.

Photo by Derek Berg

These 2 adorable East Village cats need a new home

EVG friend Bayou shares this with us… "Audrey and Francine need a new loving home. They are funny, affectionate and come running for the dinner bell. I know them personally. They are BFF and should stay together."

Also!

"Will be four years old in 2014. Can live with dogs."

The owner, a longtime East Village resident, is really broken up about having to rehome them, but her husband has developed allergies. (No rehoming-the-husband-comments please!)



Here's the owner's email for serious inquiries...

Zoubi, famous East Village cat, needs dental surgery — and your help

Longtime East Village resident Leslie Sternbergh Alexander told us about a crowdsourcing fundraiser for Zoubi (aka Lula), the friendly store cat from Village Magazine at 102 Second Ave. ... "now living with East Village hippies Adam Alexander and Leslie Sternbergh Alexander."

Here's the situation via GoFundMe:

East Village hippies' famous 20 year-old cat, known for decades as the friendly store cat at 2nd Ave. & 6th St. before her retirement & adoption by her old friends indigenous east village hippies Adam & Leslie, appears to need dental surgical attention ASAP — including blood work & other prep tests necessary for older cats before general anesthesia's use ... we believe our goal's a fair estimate for her imminent care, we're blessed with fine local vet resources, & we thank you in advance for sharing our love of excellent cats with your generosity.

The goal is $3,500. And what do you get in return for the help? Well, some pretty cool things from these artists. For example, for $50: "Your choice of one of Adam & Leslie's original mid-80's late Punk Era nightclub invitation postcards - Authentic East Village collectible nostalgia!" For $500: "Framed Original Adam Alexander Fractal Art or Photographic Print." Check out his work here.

Find the GoFundMe site here.

This just might be my new favorite store cat in the East Village

Bobby Williams sent me this photo on Wednesday... it's the liquor store cat on 10th Street and Avenue C...

I never noticed the cat before... in part because it's not my usual liquor store ... Or maybe I have seen the cat but not his or her eyes...

Anyone know the cat? His or her name?

Anyway, from here on out, all cats, all the time.

A cool cat, most likely

Tonight on Seventh Street... photo by Dave on 7th.

People who are now friends with Minnie McSorley (and when did McSorley's get TVs?)

Yes! Friend her here. (Thanks to Cat Sitter in the City!)

P.S.
And when did McSorley's get TVs???

Per Minnie's Facebook page:

The boss should never have installed TVs. McSorely's was not a very happy place last night as the NY Jets lost 45-3 to the Patriots. This is because they didn't play in the New Meadowlands Stadium, where there is a black cat in residence -- a black cat that is good luck, like all cats.

Minnie the McSorley's cat now has a Facebook page

Our friend Cat Sitter in the City passed along this, uh, tidbit...



Per Facebook: "I'm an adorable cat who's the target of a frivolous pawsuit."

Indeed! Read about the lawsuit here. Have you seen Minnie on YouTube yet?

Is a Minnie Twitter feed far behind?

Tiger beat

Yes, as a matter of fact I am posting photos of a cat. Do you know Tiger at East Village Convenience on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place? Well, if not...