Cats began popping out of every nook and cranny as workmen began dismantling a derelict apartment building in Queens, New York, last month.
“They leapt out when they opened the walls – cats, baby cats, huge cats, you can’t imagine,” Isaac Silberstein, the building’s owner, told the New York Times.
According to neighbors, the property’s destruction has been postponed until people figure out what to do with the cats and kittens that had been hoarded by a tenant and left behind after the building was deserted. Because the cats and kittens were residing in a building on Onderdonk Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens, they were dubbed the Onderdonk Orphans.
Several neighbors banded together to attempt to find homes for the kitties. Many of the animals are terrified and shy after attempting to survive on their own while their home was being demolished. Some of the cats looked to have been harmed as a result of impromptu attempts to convince them to leave by dowsing the area with bleach, however, it’s unknown who did this.
Carissa Aguirre, who runs A Tail of Two Kitties, a rescue organization in Ridgewood, said that it’s most important to focus on the future and help find these cats’ homes, rather than dwelling on the wrongs done to them in the past. It’s a race against time because the cats could be euthanized if they aren’t placed quickly. “We desperately need fosters and adopters to help save them,” Aguirre told The Dodo. “That is the most important thing here.”
Aguirre’s organization has already rescued roughly 25 cats and kittens from the property, and she says it’s “increasing constantly.” Others were taken in by different rescue organizations, while others had already been saved by neighbors. There were about 40 cats in the building, and some of them have yet to be found. “Some have also fled the premises,” Aguirre added, “and we’ll have to catch them outside.”
The cats that have previously been removed from the premises are gradually acclimating to their newfound security. One black cat, who had previously been afraid, is now getting head scratches from her saviors.
A Tail of Two Cities commented on Facebook, “This Black Beauty has let down her wall and is ready to leave her tragic history behind her and start fresh in a forever home.” “We urgently require the placement of ten cats, and the number is growing by the day! When the dust settles and the narrative fades from memory, these stray animals will still be waiting to be rescued.
This is a collective effort, and we can’t do it alone. Please spread the word far and wide.”
