West Side Mews: From Country Cat to City Kitty — the Enviable Life of Crowley!

By Victoria Cumings

Meet Crowley — brought as a kitten from a shelter in Martha’s Vineyard to New York City, and now an Upper West Sider through and through. Crowley is living the good life on his new island of Manhattan, having gone from eating bugs in the bushes to getting his nose into some Zabars!

Now about two years old, a pandemic baby, Crowley (pronounced like ‘crowd’) got his name from his pet mom’s favorite book, Good Omens. Though the character in the book is a thin, elegant demon (Happy Halloween!), Crowley is the opposite — a fluffy, pure, goofy sweetheart who loves to play, nibble on pet grass, and have his cheeks tickled.

Crowley has made the transition from outdoor cat at the Cape to apartment living with aplomb. He loves sitting by the window to spy on his pigeon friends, scratching and climbing his cat post, and playing fetch with his toys. At only two, Crowley is still a baby and it’s certainly not easy keeping up with this energetic boy. A sociable fellow, and never-ending source of entertainment, Crowley loves to dive into every bag and box that comes into the apartment — wide-eyed, curious, and courageous. He also enjoys racing through his cat tunnel, playing games with his mom, and keeping himself occupied with his wonderous collection of kitty knick-knacks.

After a morning of activity chasing little rubber balls around the apartment, Crowley has some important work to take up, joining his pet mom on Zoom calls before turning to his most important role as Chief Napping Officer, which he performs expertly from his ‘office’ at the foot of the bed. And what a hard worker he is! Crowley won’t hesitate to put in a solid 12 hours a day of dozing, which is certainly likely to secure him an A+ on his next performance review.

Believe it or not, in addition to his adventures at home, Crowley is also an East Coast and transcontinental traveler! As well as taking trips back to the Vineyard, and to Miami, he’s made visits to a kitty ‘cousin’ called Bandit who lives with his pet mom’s parents in San Diego. The two are quite the conspicuous pair: Crowley with his sleek, inky dark fur and Bandit a beautiful black tuxedo. Their first meeting involved some trepidation, but they soon became pals and were turned loose to scramble around and play-wrestle together. Fearless, plucky Crowley also once tried to make friends with a large Goldendoodle dog. Despite their differences, the pair ‘chilled’ together for some time before Crowley eventually either lost interest or realized he was dealing with someone twice his size and took off.

Not being particularly food-oriented, Crowley prefers to nosh on small meals. He does love his shrimp though, perhaps due to his start in life on a glorious Massachusetts island by the sea. His adoring pet mom takes care to meticulously peel, clean and prepare the shrimp for him. A gourmet treat for a truly loved and lucky kitty!

Crowley – handsome, happy, and thriving in his city surrounds on the UWS . . .