Rescue Cat Adds Soul and Charm to a New York Police Station

I hope this catches on. I’m guessing (although I have not been inside one – yet) that police stations are rather soulless, forbidding places where macho men deal with the day-to-day difficulties of maintaining law and order. Is not the sort of place where you would expect to see a resident cat.

I think the deputy inspector of the police station is showing an incredibly enlightened and progressive attitude to allow the officers to keep a cat on site. A kitten was abandoned on the doorstep of the police station to the New York Police Department’s 60th Precinct. Rather than jumping to the conclusion that they should take the kitten to an animal rescue centre, officer Martin D Costanza decided, with the backing of the other officers, to suggest to Deputy Inspector William Taylor that they should adopt him as a police station cat.

Fortunately, William Taylor is an animal lover and he agreed, I suppose, on condition that he was looked after properly in an organised way. Taylor, though, did agree to pay for the cat’s food and treats. They named him Martin. He looks like a “Martin”.

The officers pooled their funds to pay for the usual veterinary treatments such as neutering and micro-chipping. Martin has settled in beautifully. He has his own baskets for snoozing in. He has multiple food stations and toys aplenty.

He looks entirely at home and it is impossible to deny that he has enhanced the ambience of the police station, giving it a more inviting atmosphere. Not that you want to be invited to go to the police station but I think you know what I mean.

Quite naturally word got out about Martin’s presence at the police station and he has generated a fan club who want to make donations for his upkeep. They are politely notified that they can make donations to the local rescue centre.

Mr Taylor says that he has the run of the precinct and that he turns up to roll Call every morning to inspect the officers. Above all else, Martin spreads joy to those working at the station.

I’m sure also that he spreads some joy to visitors to the station under what must frequently be difficult and stressful circumstances. Let’s see more of this please.