A woman in Brooklyn, New York, was recently harassed by a random stranger while she was out early in the morning feeding homeless cats in her neighborhood. In the video she uploaded to TikTok, the man initially stood on a residential sidewalk in the Kensington area, arguing that her tending to the animals was “one of the worst things” she could possibly do because, in his view, they spread diseases.
When the woman did not budge, he quickly marched past her to where the food appeared to have been placed and, ignoring her protests, began pulling at pieces of cardboard and a wooden board that were lying nearby. He then walked off with both materials and tossed them into the snow piled along the sidewalk. Although it was not clearly stated why he targeted those materials, it seemed they were part of a makeshift shelter for the cats. The animals themselves did not appear in the camera frame during that moment.
Meanwhile, the woman, who seemed shocked by what she had just seen him do, refused to back down and insisted that she would continue feeding the cats regardless of his objections. At one point she called him a “weirdo,” and a “Karen,” because of how aggressively he had reacted. The man, however, maintained his stance that she was causing harm rather than helping and told her to “Google” why feeding stray cats was a bad idea as he walked away. While his approach was clearly aggressive, concerns about stray animals are sometimes raised by experts, who note that feral cats can carry parasites and may scratch or bite when approached if they feel threatened, which is why careful management of cat colonies is often recommended.
Netizens Rally Behind the New York Woman
In the comments, netizens sympathized with the woman while expressing frustration at the man’s behavior. One person wrote, “I swear the hatred some people have for cats is wild. I never see this type of behavior when it comes to dogs.” Another said, “Does he not realize the cats are keeping the rodent population in check, especially in big cities?” A third added, “I never understand these people, honestly cats are so chill, they dont bother anyone, they just want to eat & find a warm place to relax.”
Supportive messages also poured in for the woman, including, “Keep feeding them. You have a big heart 🩷” and “I’m sorry this happened. Thank you for feeding the cats. You’re doing the right thing. 💗💗💗.”
In the caption of her post, the woman also claimed that a neighbor later told her that the man was known in the area for behaving that same way toward people who feed stray animals.
