The Algonquin Kitty Forced To Wear A Leash
For the second time this month, Mayor Bloomberg's administration has forced the exodus of someone who really wasn't doing any harm to anybody in the first place. This time, we're talking about The Algonquin's resident kitty, Matilda III. After Matilda II retired to Brooklyn last winter, Matilda III has been holding down the fort, greeting guests, and generally keeping up her reputation as the coolest cat in all of New York.
But one thing she wasn't doing: helping the hotel stay within health code. According to the NY Post, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene sent a "reminder" to the hotel that its routine health inspections were being compromised by the presence of Matilda III in the lobby. And so as a precaution, she has been banished to a new leashed-up post behind the Front Desk.
Hey, if she's looking for new digs (and why wouldn't she?), might we suggest the W DC? We hear the animal service is great there.
The hotel at first tried to blame Matilda's exile on "aggressive" guests, but conceded that health code had played a significant role in the new no-cat-zone policy:
"People seem more aggressive toward her, and she’s responding in a way that’s not helpful.
[But the Health] department in the past months suggested to us that pets in food-service facilities are no longer commingled.
The lobby is an area where we serve food and beverage. We always want to be respectful of the Department of Health."
Keep in mind the hotel is due for some major renovations, starting this winter. We asked it before, and we'll ask it now: what, oh what, will become of the kitty?
[Photo: HotelChatter]
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