Saratoga County eatery Spring Street Deli & Pizzeria, located in Saratoga Springs, has disabled its Facebook comments, deleted its Instagram account, and is receiving a barrage of angry reviews on Yelp.
The backlash comes after owner Anthony Gargano reportedly grew fed up with the “sweet” ginger cat, named Kane, showing up to his Spring Street eatery, where it was “loved by many” and often fed by employees, according to a GoFundMe.
On the night of Thursday, Jan. 4, Gargano drove the cat to the Saratoga County Animal Shelter while they were closed and abandoned him outside, despite knowing that he lived just three houses away from his business, the cat’s owner Jaime DiGiovanni alleged.
Temperatures that night bottomed out around 20 degrees.
“Luckily this was caught on camera, and Kane was seen wandering around scared and then running into the woods nearby,” reads the GoFundMe. He hasn’t been seen since.
Gargano, age 49, was later arrested by Saratoga County Sheriff’s deputies and charged with animal abuse under the state’s Agriculture and Markets law, the Schenectady Daily Gazette reports. He pleaded not guilty.