A colony of wild cats was trapped inside a vehicle at an abandoned daycare, drawing cries for help. Activists assert that some of the cats have already been rescued.
Volunteers managed to surround three of the cats during two separate incidents at the closed childcare facility in Sheepshead Bay, operated by the New York City Housing Authority.
This rescue effort initiated after the NYCHA claimed there weren’t any kittens inside the facility, according to the activists.
“It’s clear they don’t care about the cats,” remarked Olga Fudino, a five-year veteran of a trap-and-release program with Midwood Cats. “They just dismissed our calls by saying they didn’t see any cats. But we did.”
The situation began to escalate on July 25, when regular feeding access was blocked by gated windows and filled holes, preventing the cats from entering or leaving.
Even with these barriers, it turned out that wild cats remained trapped inside.
Thirteen felines were stuck at Beachbrook Treatment Nursery, closed for two years, and were crying for help, activists reported.
“It was terrifying to hear. They wouldn’t stop crying,” shared Miriam Melendez, a local resident whose windows overlook the nursery. “We felt hopeless while they were stuck there.”
According to rescuers, NYCHA originally claimed they couldn’t permit access because the building was leased to a private tenant, but later contradicted that by showing up to assist. This led to accusations of a cruel approach to handling the cats.
After social media outcry over videos showing the trapped cats, NYCHA eventually took action.
They visited the site on a Monday and confirmed that two of the cats were safely removed, according to a spokesperson, who added that video cameras were installed for ongoing monitoring.
“NYCHA is collaborating with relevant agencies to oversee the site, conduct regular checks, and continue rescuing any remaining cats,” spokesman Michael Horgan mentioned.
Despite NYCHA’s assertions that the situation had been resolved, tenants and activists continued to hear the cats’ cries and see them pleading from the windows.
Animal rescuer Suzanne Hernandez drew attention to the conflicting claims made by NYCHA, stating she received footage of a cat still inside which fueled suspicions that the agency was not being truthful.
“If they had helped us sooner, this crisis could’ve been over in no time,” she said.
The activists took matters into their own hands, re-entering the site twice starting Wednesday with permission from the nursery operator, managing to catch three of the cats.
They suspect that at least three more remain hidden within the crumbling infrastructure, including some seen in recent videos.
While there is hope for a positive outcome, rescuers stressed that this incident highlights a broader issue of animal neglect within the NYCHA framework.
“This isn’t just a one-off case. It’s indicative of a larger problem with NYCHA,” Fudino stated.
