This story takes us back to Stagg Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn back in 1925, and it involves the police, their mascot, and several stray cats apprehended by them. A fight broke out between the ruler of the territory at the time, a Tom cat named Spark Plug, and the perceived intruders of his domain. And as soon as the nasty scratching ensued, the police officers had to intervene, locking the strays into cells and bringing Spark Plug in the detective's room until the strays could be taken by the SPCA.
How did this whole fiasco begin with, you ask? It was all because of the empty lots on Scholes Street which had become a literal garbage dump, with people throwing old mattresses, food scraps, and all sorts of garbage, which attracted the rats scrounging for food, and thus attracting all the stray cats in Williamsburg. Despite actions from the local authorities, the rats and cats were not kept at bay, so when the people in the neighborhood had had enough, they asked the local police to step in. And so, for a time, the Stagg Street police officers became cat catchers.
Spark Plug, not being informed that such a thing was happening, was equally shocked and appalled by the presence of these uninvited guests into his domain. And that's how it all went down. For more on the history of Stagg Street Police Station and the Williamsburg Houses in 1937, visit Hatching Cat NYC.
(Image credit: Hatching Cat NYC)