After Beloved Forest Hills Cat Disappears, Some Suspect Foul Play

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — The unofficial mayor of Forest Hills is a creature of habit. Every day, he slinks to the Dunkin' Donuts at the corner of Yellowstone Boulevard and Dartmouth Street, where he will post up for much of the day, often enjoying an afternoon nap. He takes his lunch in the backyard of a home on Dartmouth Street. After a long day, he retires to a residence on Exeter Street.

Now Tanu, a bona fide Forest Hills celebrity who has his own fan club, has gone missing. The 12-year-old mackerel tabby cat was last spotted July 20 outside his beloved Dunkin' Donuts, according to Forest Hills resident Ingrid P. Amaya.

Amaya, who has two cats of her own, is among several caretakers looking after Tanu since his owners left the country earlier this month for Romania. If Tanu turns up, she is slated to adopt him.

Amaya posted about Tanu on Lost My Kitty. She paid $80 to send an AMBER Alert to 500 people in the neighborhood. Discussion of Tanu's disappearance fills the Forest Hills Facebook group where he was often the subject of celebrity sightings.

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"Everybody would say, 'He's everybody's cat,'" Amaya's mother, also named Ingrid, said. "Everyone knew him."

Tanu has always been an outdoor cat, Amaya said. His most recent owners even had a doggie door to allow him to go in and out of their home freely, according to one Facebook post.

But, while he was beloved by many, he was not beloved by all: Several Facebook users have said he never should have been let outdoors, and that he needs to be "rescued" from "irresponsible" owners, the comments read on one recent post.

For that reason, Amaya said she fears something nefarious has befallen Tanu.

"We started to become suspicious that someone had taken him," Amaya said. "It just doesn't add up, because he has his routine."

After someone reported a possible Tanu sighting near Parker Towers on Friday night, Amaya rounded up a seven-person search party that weekend. They never found him.

For now, the hunt continues.

To anyone who knows where he is, Amaya said, "We won't ask any questions — just please let us know that he's safe, and return him."