Turns out this old cat still had one life left.
An elderly cat was rescued after spending nearly a week trapped without food or water inside a police-sealed Harlem apartment following the deaths of her owners, thanks to a determined rescuer who refused to give up.
Kelly Mahoney, founder of Big Apple Cat Rescue, said she first learned about Thai, the 15-year-old tortoiseshell-tabby mix, after seeing frantic Facebook posts from friends of Jeffrey Newman and Jayson Conner asking what had happened to the couple’s cat.
“Everyone knew the dogs had been taken out,” Mahoney said. “But people kept asking, ‘What about the cat?’ Nobody could answer. That’s when we realized she was probably still inside.”
Newman, 58, and Conner, 49, lived on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard at West 150th Street and had been married since 2004. Together they founded Backpacks for the Street, a nonprofit that distributed backpacks filled with food, toiletries and other essentials while helping connect homeless New Yorkers with housing, jobs and other services.
Conner died unexpectedly after suffering cardiac arrest, according to a Facebook post Newman shared on June 28 — the couple’s 22nd anniversary.
“Jayson was the love of my life. He was my person,” Newman wrote. “He accepted me for who I am—flaws and all—and loved me unconditionally.”
Newman, who also had health issues, died just days later. It wasn’t clear why, but police do not suspect any criminality and the city Medical Examiner is investigating the cause.
Friends remembered the pair as tireless advocates whose kindness touched countless New Yorkers.
Mahoney tracked down Thai’s cat sitter, who confirmed the elderly feline had been left behind after the apartment was sealed by police.
“We called the NYPD and they said the apartment couldn’t be opened without a court order,” Mahoney said. “I’d been through this before, so I knew it could be done if you were persistent.”
Mahoney went to the 32nd Precinct, where she waited more than an hour before finally convincing a sergeant to hear her out.
“She listened to the story, grabbed a new seal and said, ‘Let’s go,’” Mahoney recalled.
By then, Thai had likely been without food for about a week.
“We didn’t know if we were going to find a dead cat, a sick cat or what,” Mahoney said. “But when they opened the door, she came running into the room crying. It was like she was saying, ‘You’re here.’”
The officers were stunned.
“They weren’t expecting to find her alive,” Mahoney said.
Now safe in foster care, Thai has avoided any urgent medical problems despite her ordeal.
“She’s remarkably strong,” Mahoney said. “She’s a very, very sweet little cat.”
Mahoney said Thai likely won’t be looking for a home for long. One of the departed couple’s friends is expected to adopt her.
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