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Man Sues Bodega Over Alleged Cat Attack
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 6, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 6, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Meow! The Post reports that a Long Island man is suing a West Village bodega Andy's Deli at Seventh and Grove Street because the bodega's cat attacked him - and wants $5 million. However, Andy's Deli owner Andy Singh says he doesn't even own a cat. Dunh dunh DUNH!
The claim: Adalberto DeSousa says he went to Andy's to buy a sandwich when he "felt something strange on my shoes." It was a kitty at his feet. DeSousa said, "I didn't want to hit the cat, so I pushed him away with my hand," only for the cat to attack his hand and arm.
"A guy in the story came over and yelled at me to get off the cat," DeSousa said. "A lot of blood came out."
He said that deli-store clerk gave him a bottle of rubbing alcohol and let him rinse the blood off his hand in the sink.
DeSousa said he grabbed his drink and his Philly cheese steak and went home to Inwood, L.I.
When he woke up the next day, he said, his hand was red, throbbing and swollen.
DeSousa says he was in the hospital for a month and "says he still has not regained full use of his right hand." But Singh told the Post, "We don't have a cat. We've never had a cat."
Though many bodegas have cats, bodega cats are actually against the health code. For some reason, the Health Department thinks that having cats means there are mice in an establishment, versus being a preemptive measure against mice. The only stores allowed to have cats wandering around are pet stores.
Tagged
alcohol
animals
bodega
cat
cats
cheese steak
grove street
health
health department
hospital
long island
philly
west village
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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