West Side Mews: A Super-Starry Lifestyle for Two Golden UWS Kitties

By Victoria Cumings

Never mind boring old NYC celebrities — meet Uncle Sidney, Jr., and Wee Thomas, a couple of Upper West Side celebriKITTIES! These amber beauties stand out from the crowd in so many ways, and can boast of an avid local following in their neighborhood around West 114th Street.

What is it that makes the pair legendary? Well, for a start, their gaggle of fans and visitors. The kitties love to put on a show preening themselves by the windowsill in their gracious ground floor apartment on Riverside Drive; Wee Thomas especially, with his long honey-hued fur, drawing ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from onlookers. Children on their way to a nearby school enjoy peeping through the geraniums to see who’s there each morning, sometimes having hushed conversations with the cats through the mesh screen.

Whilst Wee Thomas is strutting his stuff by the window, Uncle Sidney, Jr., is also a never-ending source of entertainment. Unbelievable as it may seem, he enjoys eating cruciferous and other vegetables. Arrive at dinner time and you’ll find him munching on a broccoli floret, chunk of cauliflower, corn-on-the-cob, even a raw mushroom! His favorite is cooked asparagus, and if it’s sitting on a dinner plate, look out — Uncle Sidney, Jr., won’t hesitate to snatch and run. No doubt he’s already busy plotting some vegetable thievery for Thanksgiving.

Wee Thomas’s unique name comes from a Martin McDonagh play, The Lieutenant of Inishmore. As with many celebrities, however, he has an alias, and is otherwise fittingly known as ‘Phloughpheigh’ (pronounced Fluffy). He’s also adopted the pseudonym Colonel Mustard, apropos in light of his deep golden-colored fur. Uncle Sidney, Jr., a handsome gent with wonderfully expressive eyes, is named after a beloved great uncle.

As with many of the rich and famous, though living in the lap of luxury now, both kitties come from humble beginnings. Uncle Sidney, Jr., was found a few years ago as a fit-in-your-pocket-sized homeless kitten wandering around Avenue B on a hot summer night. Phloughpheigh was rescued not long after, lost and wandering around a Walmart parking lot in Jersey City.

Both enjoy their home life immensely, with plenty of places to hide out, including a claw foot tub! Wee Thomas is fond of decorating, and has been known to stay up all night rearranging his toys (as well as, much to his pet mom’s annoyance, other objects in the apartment). Uncle Sidney, Jr., having once tried to escape, quickly saw the outside world can be pretty harsh and was relieved to be returned by neighbors to the safety of his apartment to watch TV (his favorite show is ‘Breaking Bad’) and eat vegetables to his heart’s content.

Now around 9 years old, both Uncle Sidney, Jr. and Wee Thomas have healthy, sturdy bodies, maintained by their frequent jumping onto and back down from tables in the apartment. The boys also get exercise from chasing and tossing around catnip toys, of which they have plenty. Apart from that, their cardio consists mainly of walking from the food bowl to the bed (likely not too dissimilar to plenty of other UWS residents!).

At the end of the day, once the stage door is closed and the fans have gone home, it’s time for some rest. Although alleged to not particularly like each other, the pair’s snuggling prowess, and fondness for sitting close together, quite evidently proves otherwise.

Uncle Sidney, Jr., and Wee Thomas – paw pals for life . . .