Tale of the Alley Cats: 3 Flew In, 3 Slipped Out

Rescued from a pack of 30 cats trapped in a New York City alley, Sassy, Pumpkin and Blackie appeared headed for the lush life.

Unable to find a New York family able to adopt all three cats, businessman Mel Skolnik flew the felines across the country to a willing person in Corona del Mar.

But the West Coast life apparently didn’t agree with the cats because they have disappeared. And Skolnik is intent on finding out what happened to them.

Skolnik, who owns an Irvine printing company, has paid for 21,000 flyers to be distributed to Corona del Mar and Newport Beach residents offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the return of the cats.

So far, he has received about 100 calls, but no leads.

“We are heartbroken,” said Skolnik, 49, a part-time Newport Beach resident whose New York girlfriend is a devout animal lover. “We just want to find out what happened.”

The three cats are about 1 year old with golden eyes. Sassy and Pumpkin are dark gray, similar in looks to Russian blue cats, with short hair and whitish noses. Blackie is a short-haired black cat with a few white markings.

“They are the sweetest creatures in the universe,” said Elisabeth Brenhouse, Skolnik’s girlfriend. “I don’t know if they can survive by themselves. They grew up together and were inseparable.”

The couple’s relationship with the cats started last year when Brenhouse heard about a large group of cats that were unable to get out of a city alley.

“A man was lowering food down to them, but the situation was coming to a head,” she said. “The tenants were planning to poison them because they were crying and making so much noise.”

Brenhouse and Skolnik, who already had adopted seven homeless pets, contacted a trapper who specializes in feral cats--ones that are difficult to catch because they are not accustomed to being around people. The cats were captured, and Brenhouse said she was able to place 27 of them in foster homes.

The remaining three--Sassy, Pumpkin and Blackie--lived with Skolnik and Brenhouse in their apartment overlooking Central Park for more than a month while the couple searched for a permanent home for the cats.

“They really started to come around after a while,” she said. “I could pet them and touch under their little chins, and they played with toys.”

But the quarters became cramped, especially because the couple already had two cats and five large dogs. So Skolnik, who frequently flies between coasts, found a home for the cats with a woman he knew in Corona del Mar.

The woman, whom he declined to name, lives at the Baywood Apartments on San Miguel Drive. Skolnik said the woman agreed to keep the cats together, which was crucial to Skolnik and Brenhouse.

“I thought this person would be reliable,” Skolnik said.

But recently, after questioning the woman regarding the cats’ whereabouts, he discovered that the cats had been missing from that apartment since Thanksgiving.

“She didn’t relate to the cats and didn’t tell me she was having problems,” he said. “She said she lost them. I don’t know what really happened.”

So Skolnik spent $1,000 more to distribute the flyers through the South Coast Shopper, a weekly direct mail publication.

Of the 100 calls he has received, he said, “mostly, people are just sympathetic.”

Other callers said they have seen cats matching the description in the flyer, but the tips haven’t worked out.

“I’m willing to offer this money because we feel we have a special interest in finding out what happened to them,” Skolnik said.

“I am heartbroken beyond words,” Brenhouse said. “I feel that it is my responsibility, and if I’d kept them, then they’d be OK.”

Brenhouse said that if the cats are found, she will take them back.

“I wouldn’t trust anyone in the world with them anymore,” she said. “I’d be the happiest person in the world to see them again.”