Will cash from Cats save the subway cat?
Former 2013 mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis is offering an $1,000 reward for the safe return of Arthur the cat, one of the “subway kittens” made famous during the race for mayor, who has gone missing from his Brooklyn home.
Catsimatidis, owner of the Gristedes supermarket chain who hosts a weekly radio program "CATS Roundtable," tweeted the offer Wednesday morning, saying the $1,000 would go to an “animal charity of choice for [the] successful return of Arthur the cat to family.”
Arthur and his brother August, then just weeks old, stopped traffic on the B and Q lines in the summer of 2013 as rescuers scooped them off the rails; soon afterwards, they became tabloid sensations when then-candidate Joe Lhota — and former MTA chairman — said he wouldn’t have stopped train service to save the kitties.
After DNAinfo reported Arthur was missing, Lhota swore on Twitter: “I don’t have the kitten. Really, I don’t.”
Arthur’s owners, Katherine Lynn and Keith Lubeley, told DNAinfo they hadn't heard from Catsimatidis about his reward, but are touched by his generosity. They haven't yet found their 2-year-old tabby and are busy searching the blocks around their Prospect Heights home for any sign of him.
"We are overwhelmed to hear about this generous donation offer from John Catsimatidis to speed Arthur's safe return home," the couple said in an email. "Not only will we and Arthur's brother August be elated and relieved, but also a deserving animal charity will gain financial support to help more animals in need."
Anyone with information about Arthur should call Lynn or Lubeley at (646) 789-5626 or contact them through a Facebook page dedicated to the search.
