Colony of feral cats in NYC goes missing without trace. Help needed

Over the past two weeks, a colony of feral cats being cared for in the New York City area has mysteriously disappeared one by one. Their loving caretakers are presently trying desperately to ascertain what has happened to seven of the eight kitties that they have been lovingly tending for many years. To say that they are worried about and heartbroken by the loss of their beautiful cats would be a huge understatement.

An extensive search to locate the missing cats was launched by the caretakers; but so far their investigation has yielded no results. What makes the situation even more upsetting is they suspect the cats were subject to foul play.

On their newly launched website, “Astoria7”  was posted,

“Prior to their disappearance, we learned neighbors discovered evidence of attempted poisoning (open tuna fish cans laced with antifreeze). Shortly after their disappearance, we discovered evidence of trapping. Since we did not find the remains of any of the cats, we can only assume the worst — they were trapped and destroyed.”

“In a span of approximately two weeks, almost an entire colony of alley cats (except one little girl) has vanished leaving neighbors heart-broken and outraged. These 7 souls brightened the lives of many; not just the neighbors who fed and cared for them, but dozens of friends and family who visited us and came to know and love these cats as much as we did. There is no doubt that these cats met with foul play. Prior to their disappearance we learned that neighbors discovered evidence of attempted poisoning (open tuna fish cans laced with antifreeze. These cats would never leave the alley of their own accord.”

On December 15 the caretakers contacted 311 to find out how the missing cats could be reported. The operator told them they had to contact their local police precinct and the call was transferred to the local precinct. There they were told they had to call 911. But when they reached that emergency number they were told that the police would not take action. This information boggled their imagination, leaving them wondering why apparently no one was concerned sufficiently in order to get involved.

Inasmuch as their colony was registered with Neighborhood Cats, the caretakers would have been alerted by email if Animal Care and Control had picked up one of their cats. But they soon learned that they would not have been notified if a cat had been brought to one of the ACC centers. With no further recourse, they drove to NYC’s Animal Care and Control shelters in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, looking for their cats among the dozens of homeless kitties being held in these shelters. Sadly not one familiar face was found.

Making this situation even more dismal was a tweet recently posted on their Twitter page  alerting their followers that

“ASPCA’s humane law enforcement will not open investigation into our missing cats.”

I spoke with Mary, one of the colony caretakers on January 8. Although one female cat remains in their care who was lucky enough to escape this disaster, she is miserable without her playmates. The caretakers need our help to get an investigation underway so they can learn what happened to their cats, and to seek justice for the seven cats who have inexplicably gone missing. I told her we would do our best to lend a hand.

A $5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person (s) responsible for these crimes. If you have any information about their disappearance, please contact them at :

• Call or text: (917) 627-4950
• Email: astoria7@earthlink.net

How we can help: Spread the word on Facebook, on twitter, email, blogs, and any other social media outlets.

Meet the cats, and read more about them on their website https://astoria7.org/home.html

Photos with Permission of Caretaker

Jo