Video shows theft of beloved Queens bodega cat. Here's how the neighborhood is responding.
NEW YORK -- For as long as Glen Alagasi has owned his Filipino grocery K'Glen Deli & Sari-Sari Store in Woodside, his favorite colleague has been a 18-year-old tabby cat named Antonio.
"The cat is like a teenager," he said. "After hanging out with his fellow cats, he comes back to eat."
That was until the first Friday in August at around 8:30 p.m., when an unknown individual picked up Antonio and carried him off. The act, caught on store camera, triggered a frantic search. Neighbors helped Alagasi post fliers both in English and Spanish.
Antonio is a longtime Woodside resident
Alagasi said the cat predated K'Glen, formerly roving a Mexican grocery store that held the space more than a decade ago.
"My heart is broken. Every day when I open the door, I think he's there waiting for me," neighbor Maria Deleon said. "He was very sweet, and I'm praying for him every day."
Alagasi wonders if the perpetrator could have mistaken the animal for a stray in need of care. Either way, he said, getting Antonio back is urgent due to the cat's age-related health issues requiring medications.
"We're not asking any criminal prosecution," Alagasi said. "Just, we need the cat back."
He said neighbors in pain are leaning on each other for support.
"He stole a precious thing here in this community," he said.
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