The Cats of Red Hook Story and photos by Vicki McIsaac

You see them every day, the stray cats of Red Hook. Many have been around for years, some turned up more recently.  Some are friendly and crave to be touched, some are feral and eye you suspiciously from under a car. You may love them or hate them, or perhaps fall somewhere in the middle.  They are a rough looking lot. Scars, dirty paws, limps, tipped ears and crooked tails. A motley crew.

On my block alone, there are twelve. Yep, twelve. There’s Little Bubba who my housemate lovingly refers to as Garbage Pail Cat, he has seen about 8 of his lives pass by on the streets. He rode out Sandy with the rest of us. He is an old skinny man with a limp and appears dirty. He’s really sweet though, and loves a good head pet and a warm place to sleep. The shelter my lovely neighbor made him which he slept in every night particularly during the winter months, has been moved by the lot owner due to the lot being sold. Now he often runs to my front door to try and come inside when it’s cold outside. He surely had a home at some point in his life, being that he isn’t feral. He would love nothing more than a human to call his own, a couch to lay on and a sunny window to pass the time in during this Golden days. With so many kittens and less used up cats in the shelters he doesn’t stand a chance at general adoption, so he wanders the streets, asking for pets and food from kind humans. He has friends though, a family of sorts. A few nameless shiny black ones; one large one small,, an affectionate orange guy who rolls around on the ground craving belly rubs,  a couple of shy Tabbies, and a Raccoon. Then there’s Big Bubba, a friendly large black and white cat, and his accomplice; a small shy calico who doesnt leave him alone always butting her head up against him and following him around, they both come running for a pet on the head and a meal, when they hear my voice.

I’ve always been an animal lover and seeing them suffer breaks my heart. These are not wild animals. Although they are felines, and the ones which were born outside learn the the survival skills they need to survive, they do seek the comforts which made them domesticated in the first place. We humans created these domesticated animals for our pleasure and they deserve to be cared for and  treated with respect. Like all living things, they need food and water and shelter, and when they are sick they require vet care.

I’m not sure why Red Hook is home to so many. Is it because we have more space down here (fleeting), or maybe it’s because we have a large population of humans here in a small area and not everyone practices good pet owning i.e. not getting them spayed/neutered and allowing them to roam outside and multiply, or dumping kittens when they become adults because they get big or aren’t as cute, or they have to move away and cant take the pet with them? Are they put outside due to their nuisance behaviors inside the home such as spraying, howling, aggressiveness etc which is really sad because these are easy fixes: Spay and Neuter. Working for the ASPCA as an advocate in a low income community and a personal rescuer for a few years, I was able to see these problems first hand. I was also able to speak top the community and find out why some residents dislike the cats. They don’t like the spraying, the howling or fighting while mating. There is also  an easy solution to that problem. It is again, spay and neuter. WHen said spay and neuter applies to strays it is called TNR:. Trap Neuter Return. Trapping the cats, bringing them in for vaccinations and spay/neuter and returning them to their original domain. This allows them to live longer, healthier, happier lives and the nuisance behaviors are gone.

There are a couple of amazing women in Brooklyn that volunteer hours to rescue, feed, and TNR when they can get down here in Red Hook. They are completely overwhelmed by the amount. Overworked. Underpaid.  There is Jose, an elderly man with a big heart who lives in the community and feeds appx 50 cats daily for many years in the NYCHA community. He also takes care of the squirrels.

There used to be an more of us feeders, trappers, builders of shelters.  The numbers have dwindled. We are being run out of Red Hook, as our feline friends are, They are losing their shelters and feeding stations due to construction they hang on the sidewalk as their hideouts, lots, hangouts, safety nets, are taken over by debris and noise. We are being forced out due to raising rents and sold buildings.

As gentrification continues to spread. I worry what will come of the cats?  Will the wants of proprietors of open air restaurants and breweries and of building developers supersede those of the cats who were here long before them?  If history is any guide I fear the answer. When I am forced out of this apartment I have lived for ten years, I wonder will my replacement feed and trap, tend to the sick?  Know the names and personalities? Will they take LB in during the worst of winter nights as I did? Will they see him at the window, looking in with those deep, longing eyes, pleading for food and shelter, a warm and peaceful rest if for just a few hours?  Will they see the beauty? Do you?

If you would like to help with the strays of Red Hook, donate time, food, or money to the rescuers or feeders, if you are able to foster, or give Little Bubba a home in his last year(s) he so deserves, I can be reached at [email protected] and can tell you how. Also, visit your local cat cafe just down the road, run by BBAWC.

Story and photos by Vicki McIsaac