CAT-NAPPED!
Brooklyn bodega kitty is abducted
A beloved Brooklyn bodega cat was abducted last week outside the feline’s Park Slope store — and his heartbroken owner said Thursday that he’s praying the NYPD will track down the cruel catnapper.
“The cat was so special . . . when the cat is here, he brings life to the store,” Abdulmajeed Albahri, the owner of Park Slope’s Green Olives Deli & Grill, said of his gray kitty, Boka.
“Sometimes when it’s not that busy, I used to play with him, make videos of him throughout my shift and also the customers used to come to play with the cat, you know, taking pictures with him, so it was fun for us as we work in the store and for the customers, too,” Albahri said.
On Friday, Boka was hanging out in front of the Seventh Avenue deli when a man dressed in khakis, a white shirt and a light blue hat was caught on surveillance footage skulking around outside, the clip shows.
As Boka trotted out onto the sidewalk, the man came over, scooped him into his arms and walked away, the video shows.
At first, Albahri thought Boka might have gotten lost, as he sometimes likes to venture around the neighborhood.
But when he checked the cameras on Monday, he realized his feline had been stolen.
“It’s really stressful because I don’t know what the guy is going to do with the cat because he stole it in a weird way,” said Albahri, 25. “He doesn’t look like someone who cares about cats.”
Albahri called police, gave them the surveillance footage and filed a report, he said.
The NYPD confirmed Thursday a report has been filed and said no arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing.
Albahri has been posting about the abduction on social media and is hoping someone can track down the person who stole Boka.
“It’s the first time we got a cat because we love cats,” Albahri said of his decision to adopt Boka last January. “He used to be so active because some people say they have cats but their cats are not active and they don’t play a lot but Boka used to be so active and when he plays a lot, he brings life to the store.”
Albahri runs an Instagram page for Boka, @kediboka, and frequently shares videos of him hanging out on his shoulder, playing in boxes and walking on his leash.
“I wish Boka will be back soon,” he wrote in a recent post. “My entire world.”