NEW YORK — A cat missing since last week's deadly Brooklyn building collapse has been found alive and reunited with his young owner, New York City officials said Sunday.
Allie Taylor, director of the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare, said her office worked with the veterinary nonprofit Flatbush Cats to locate Isaac and reunite him with 13-year-old Zariah Coleman.
It was a bit of good news amid the tragedy of Wednesday’s collapse, which killed 8 people, injured 18 others and forced the evacuation of several nearby buildings, including one next door where Zariah lives.
The New York Times reported that workers found Isaac on Sunday in a cabinet under the kitchen sink of Zariah's apartment after hearing a soft meow. Zariah and her family hadn't been allowed in since the collapse, which tore off the side of her building and left a hole where her bedroom wall had been.
Waiting outside, Zariah hugged the cat’s cage as workers brought him out of her apartment building. Isaac had gone four days without food or water. After his rescue, he was taken to Flatbush Cats’ veterinary clinic for a checkup.
“I had it in my heart they would find Issac,” Zariah told the Times. “I knew they would.”
Zariah tearfully spoke about her missing cat at a news conference on Friday, telling reporters: “I just really hope they come and get our cat. He’s hiding from them, and I think he’s scared.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani heralded Isaac and Zariah’s reunion in a social media post. He thanked Taylor’s office, the city’s Buildings Department and the nonprofit for the happy outcome.
“Isaac is now receiving the veterinary care he needs,” Mamdani said. “We’re grateful to everyone who helped bring them back together.”