For years I’d see signs on the buildings at the Ravenswood Housing Complex saying “PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE CATS”. Thing is I never, ever saw a single cat around there, much less the implied quantity of many more that would appear should Ravenswood residents leave food for the cats.

That changed today. I spotted this sour/self-satisfied-looking beast huddled in a hole in the wall of one of the apartment buildings. The cat barely moved, and had no objection to being photographed.

Ravenswood CatRavenswood Cat

I later learned there had been a small plague of feral and abandoned cats at Ravenswood. This was 10 years ago, when Astoria gators ruled the Queensbridge Houses and the feral cats owned Ravenswood. This cat, looking angrily at home, might be a survivor of the latter scene. And also, is s/he missing a claw?

This cat looks like might satisfied and unthreatened in their perch.