A general store cat that had been abandoned inside a closed deli for more than five weeks was rescued by Hell's Kitchen neighbors who rushed to the rescue on Monday afternoon.
Neighbors began noticing over the past few days that the cat, named Layla, was at Citra Gourmet Deli (formerly Clinton Gourmet Market), located at 648 10th Avenue (bw W45th/46th St.) Residents came together through the Hell's Kitchen Neighbors Facebook group and planned a rescue operation by Monday afternoon.
And as a sweet ending, Ben Rugman is now caring for Layla and plans to adopt her. He is asking for help to pay for her medical expenses through a GoFundMe campaign.
“My main aim at first was to protect this cat until I could find a new home,” Ben says, “but within 24 hours of bringing him home he went from hiding under the bathroom sink to making biscuits in my bed and becoming sad when I left the house. So he's become a part of me and I want to look after him for as long as I can.”
Ben and his “heroic” team, which included neighbours Tiff Winton and Mirjana Vicari, collected the cat from the deli's former owners at 4pm, who agreed to surrender it to them.
Tiff saw the initial post on Facebook on Sunday and went to the scene with her neighbor, Kim. She said the pair were trying to shove food through a broken window when a man with a key let Tiff inside the deli. After communicating with the man, who she believes was the deli's former owner, throughout the night, she agreed to surrender the cat on Monday afternoon.
The deli owner said he fed Layla once a day, and when Mirjana, who owns and operates the dog walking service Tilly's Walks, asked why he didn't just move Layla to another deli in Chelsea, the owner replied, “I couldn't pick up the cat. She likes to scratch.”
Ben said conditions inside the deli were less than ideal: “There were trash bags everywhere and broken glass on the floor.”
Neighbors took Layla to the Hell's Kitchen branch of Heart of Chelsea Veterinary Group around the corner, where they found she was dehydrated, had ear mites, a fractured skull and was toothless.
Ben, who has lived in Hell's Kitchen since 2018, said he was amazed by the outpouring of support for his cat from his neighbours.
“It's moments like these that show the kindness and wholesomeness people have in small towns,” Ben says. “It makes me want to live here forever.”
Tiff said Layla is the ninth stray cat she and Kim have rescued from their neighborhood. “The last cat I rescued was a sick cat called Rose, and people kept bringing food, toys and treats to my doorman,” she said. “They were so supportive!”
“The amount of love and community that came together for this kitten that nobody knew was really special,” Mirjana said. “I'm so proud to be a part of the Hell's Kitchen community.”
