NEW YORK – It’s a good thing she has nine lives.
The woman behind the Brooklyn Cat Cafe managed to save a freezing cat from the side of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Tuesday, naming the kitty “Suzy BQE” after the harrowing experience.
Anne Levin, who is the president of the Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition, which operates the cat cafe. learned about the stranded cat after someone posted a photo on an animal rescue group’s Facebook page.
A fellow animal rescuer who knew the Cat Cafe was nearby by saw the post and texted Levin, asking her what she was doing.
“It wasn’t me alone, there were a lot of people involved in her rescue,” explained Levin, who was already well on her way to the Park Slope Veterinary Center with another rescuer to get regular checkups for a few cats.
Anne Levin
Instead, the pair decided to pack an extra carrier and headed towards the BQE, finding the feline under the Brooklyn Heights Promenade at approximately 4 p.m. during Tuesday’s downpour, she said.
They pulled up slowly with their blinkers flashing and stopped when they spotted the cat.
“She was so wet and huddled, she looked like a piece of wood or trash just huddled up there,” Levin recalled.
She went on to explain that the other drivers on the highway “politely” drove around them and were generally understanding of the situation.
“I think they saw I got out with a carrier and a towel and they could tell we were trying to help something there,” Levin stated.
She managed to wrap the cat up safely in a towel and get her into a carrier before heading to the veterinarian.
The cat, who the vet determined to be about one year old, suffered various injuries to her tail and legs, Levin noted.
“It looks like she was dragged or pulled under a car,” she stated. “Her tail and a little bit of her legs are scraped raw, she didn’t have any skin on there.”
As a result, the cat’s tail will soon be amputated, Levin said.
Her surgery will be done within the upcoming days and then she’ll be placed in a foster home until she’s adopted, she went on to say.
The Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare is currently welcoming donations to assist in paying for Suzy BQE’s surgery. If you would like to learn more about how you can donate, or if you are interested in adopting Suzy BQE, email brooklynbridgeanimals@yahoo.com.
