18-year-old cat who needs medication stolen from bodega in Queens
WOODSIDE, Queens (WABC) -- Residents in the Woodside section of Queens are asking for help after an 18-year-old cat was stolen from a bodega over a week ago.
Antonio is 18 years old and has been a beloved fixture in the community.
He has lived (and worked) at the bodega on 65th Street for over 10 years.
The store owner, Glen Alagasi said he was inside the store when the cat was stolen.
On August 2nd, Alagasi said it was raining that evening around 8:30 p.m. when "Tony" the cat who normally roams nearby the store was sitting outside on the doorstep.
That's when surveillance video captured a man stealing Antonio from the bodega.
The cat got away but then was taken a second time.
Customers say the neighborhood isn't the same without Antonio.
"He's our beloved neighborhood cat. Please return him safe," customer Consuelo Berna said.
The community is pleading with the person who took him or anyone who knows who the man is in the video to get him back. No questions asked.
"I'm not pressing any charges on you. Just bring the cat," Alagasi said.
Missing posters are being put up all over the neighborhood offering a reward in the hope that someone recognizes the person who grabbed the cat. The posters highlight that Antonio is a senior and needs his medication.
"The neighborhood is upset. People who live here, they're in their 20s and they're like, I remember being a little kid and Antonio was part of growing up," neighbor Pia Tracy said.
Pia Tracy has been putting up flyers hoping for a safe return.
"Everyone's coming together and doing what we can to get him back, We just want him back," Tracy said.
Antonio's friends in the community have started an Instagram page (@helpusfindantonio) with pictures and information how you can contact the bodega to get him home and safe again in his favorite spot.
"Somebody has to know him. And if you know him, please do the right thing," Tracy said.
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