Tomcat, the purring poet of Elizabeth Street Garden

BY JOSEPH REIVER | Tomcat, the stray cat of the Elizabeth Street Garden, passed on Sat., March 16, just before the garden opened. It was a beautiful and quiet spring morning, just before the day of Saint Gertrude, the patron saint of cats and gardeners.

Tomcat was first found in the garden more than 12 years ago when a track of small paw prints in the snow led behind the lean-to at the Little Italy green space. ESG’s gardener, Patricia Squillari, built a small heated cabin for him to get through the cold winters.

True to his feral nature, he was a wandering poet that you may have seen around the Elizabeth Street Garden’s planting beds, sneaking through a shrub, or napping in the sun.

We’re so grateful that you made this place your home all those years ago, Tomcat. May you rest in the garden now. You were the sweetest grump a gardener could ask for.

Reiver is executive director, Elizabeth Street Garden.