Volunteers from West Street Whiskers Asking for Help Identifying Dog that Apparently Killed One of Their Cats

A sad incident out of Greenpoint yesterday.

Volunteers from West Street Whiskers, a local cat TNR (trap, neuter, release) colony that looks after strays and feral cats, say that one of their longtime residents, Al, was killed by an off-leash dog on West and Freeman streets. 

The off-leash dog was large and black, with a beige collar. The group says that the dog’s description matches that of a dog that had twice gotten loose in the area over the past couple of weeks, according to local lost and found pet groups. It is unclear who the dog belongs to, whether the dog is lost or just loose.

West Street Whiskers has asked anyone who might know the dog’s owner to come forward. With the dog still loose, they worry about the safety of the rest of the cats, not to mention other neighborhood pets.

Volunteers and supporters alike shared tributes to Al on Instagram, remembering him as a sweet cat that gave so much joy to cat lovers, especially during the dark days of the COVID pandemic. A volunteer shared more of Al’s story with Greenpointers:

“Al was in and out of the colony for years but then at one point we saw that he was just in really bad shape and neighbors were reporting sightings of him looking just absolutely terrible. This was back in April 2020. We worked with our friends @greenpointcats for weeks trying to trap him, Our neighbors were always texting me with sightings of him and we had wildlife cameras set up around the Colony so we could see when he was eating and try to get to him. We finally trapped him and he needed so much work done and we were able to fund raise to get work done on his eyes and multiple other issues he was having. When I returned him to the colony he was just a completely different cat, friendly to the other cats, always coming out for feedings, and just laid-back and chill. Never social enough to be an indoor cat, but he blended in with our Colony family perfectly and he was best friends with Frankie Blue Eyes, another popular resident who we know miss him dearly.”

Unfortunately, it’s the latest in a string of off-leash dog incidents in Greenpoint. We recently reported that a dog bit a child in Newtown Barge Park. Soon after, another incident occurred, with a different dog biting a patron at Paloma Coffee and Bakery.