A black tuxedo cat was spotted clinging to a ledge on the Manhattan-bound side of the Williamsburg Bridge. After first responders rescued him, the thing his shelter cannot stop talking about is how he drinks his water, with a paw planted right in the bowl.
Willie BeeCredit: Animal Care Centers of NYC
Willie Bee is a five-year-old tuxedo cat, and his path into safety started in about the most frightening place a cat can end up. A passerby on the Williamsburg Bridge spotted him out on a narrow ledge, high above a Manhattan street, with nowhere to go.
What happened next was a scramble. The person who found him called 911, 311, and Animal Services, flagged down a traffic officer stationed on Clinton Street, and stopped by a nearby firehouse, pulling the NYPD's 7th Precinct, the FDNY, and Animal Care Centers of NYC into the effort to get one small cat down.
"We don't know what he was doing, nor how he got there, but we know he's ready for a fresh start," a volunteer with Animal Care Centers of NYC, wrote.
Out on the ledgeCredit: MysticalSeal19
The photos from that day are shocking to look at. Willie Bee pressed himself against the concrete beneath the bridge railing, a small black-and-white shape stranded over a long drop, apartment towers rising in the distance.
However he ended up there, help reached him. He was eased off the ledge and into a carrier, shaken but unhurt, and taken to Animal Care Centers of NYC in Manhattan to begin again.
From the ledge to safetyCredit: MysticalSeal19
As dramatic as the bridge was, the volunteers are quick to say it is not the headline. The headline is what Willie Bee does at his water bowl.
"His dramatic rescue, however, is not the most interesting thing about Willie Bee. He drinks water while holding onto the bowl in all sorts of configurations," rescue volunteers shared with LoveMeow. He hooks a paw over the rim, dips it into the water, and keeps it there while he drinks, lapping around his own foot and holding the bowl steady the whole time as though it might get away from him.
A paw in the bowlCredit: Animal Care Centers of NYC
No one is quite sure why he does it, and no one minds. It is the kind of small, particular habit that turns a shelter cat into somebody's favorite, the quirk his people will tell every visitor about.
Away from the water bowl, Willie Bee is a shy, gentle soul who takes the world in slowly. "Completely enchanted, I opened his door but Willie Bee wasn't sure what to make of me when I did. He backed up before gently sniffing my hand and accepting a couple of pets here and there," a shelter volunteer shared.
Warming up to a feather & volunteerCredit: Animal Care Centers of NYC
That gentle caution is worth knowing. Willie Bee is looking for a patient, calm, low-traffic home where he can set the pace, take slow introductions, and feel safe before he hands over his trust.
He is also FIV positive, which sounds bigger than it is. Cats like Willie Bee live long, full lives as indoor companions, and by the shelter's account he is doing just that. He is neutered, vaccinated, and ready to go.
At his own paceCredit: Animal Care Centers of NYC
In the weeks since his rescue, Willie Bee has shown the people around him a cat who is nervous at first and quietly affectionate once he decides to trust you.
Give him a quiet room and a little time, and the shy cat from the bridge begins to soften, trading his nerves for careful sniffs and a head turned toward a friendly hand.
Settling inCredit: Animal Care Centers of NYC
None of it is rushed, and that is the point. Willie Bee does everything at his own speed, and he opens up most for the people willing to meet him there.
For now, Willie Bee is at Animal Care Centers of NYC in Manhattan, in the cat adoption room. The people there know his story, his shyness, and his signature move at the water dish, and they are ready to introduce him to the right person.
Ready when you areCredit: Animal Care Centers of NYC
Not long ago, Willie Bee was a frightened cat clinging to a bridge ledge with nowhere to go. Today he is safe indoors, dipping a paw into his water bowl, waiting for the patient person who will find every bit of him, the nerves and the quirks and all, worth it.
Share this story with your friends. View more on Willie Bee and Animal Care Centers of NYC on Instagram @nycacc and Facebook. Special thank you to Emily Skalet, NYC ACC Volunteer. Willie Bee's adoption listing is at NYC ACC link — Willie Bee.
Related Story: They Never Gave Up on Cat Found Clinging to a Building, Now Her Whole World Has Transformed
