Read The Story Of Rescuer’s Tireless Efforts To Aid 'Taco Bell Cats'
Queens has its own kind of late-night legend, and it comes with a side of cat hair. Paul Santell, aka “the Cat Guy,” has spent years showing up after dark to pull stray cats out of danger, one trap at a time.
Since 2014, he has rescued thousands, including the famous “Taco Bell Cats” that people started recognizing from the area. It sounds simple until you realize what he’s really doing: breaking night, trapping cats in batches, getting them spayed or neutered and vaccinated, then deciding who goes to foster and who returns to their colony without the stress of being unfixed.
And the last batch he returned after another set of fixes is where the story really gets interesting.
Paul Santell, known as "the Cat Guy," is celebrated as a local hero in Queens.
Taco Bell
Since 2014, Paul the Cat Guy has rescued thousands of cats, including the famous Taco Bell Cats, with support from generous backers.
Paul said
“I broke night two Saturdays in a row and trapped 25 cats. All have been or will be spayed/neutered and vaccinated, with a possibility of a few of the more social ones being put into the PTCG foster network. The others will be returned to their colony, free from the stresses of unfixed living.
Here is the last batch of ‘Taco Bell Cats’ that I returned tonight after a bunch of them got fixed this past Tuesday. I spent the day cleaning all of my traps in anticipation of tomorrow night’s action: another double-digit haul of cats near the same Taco Bell. Fingers crossed.”
Stray cats from Taco Bell locations are adopted as house pets.
Paul is passionate about rescuing cats.
“I’m outside year-round, breaking night more times than I can count, helping hundreds of cats each year while working a full-time day job. Cat rescue is my passion. The work is hard, but the payoff is seeing fewer homeless kittens being born outside and less suffering overall,” said Paul.
The “Taco Bell Cats” name stuck because Paul Santell kept showing up near the same Taco Bell locations, night after night, with traps ready to go.
This echoes the outrage over a rogue cat rescuer who neutered a beloved pet without owner permission.
After he broke night two Saturdays in a row and trapped 25 cats, he had to play the long game, cleaning traps all day and preparing for another double-digit haul.
The complicated part is what happens next, some of those cats can join the PTCG foster network, while the rest are returned to their colonies, free from the misery of unfixed living.
So when Paul talks about working a full-time day job while still helping hundreds of cats each year, it turns a “cat rescue” story into something way bigger than a single Taco Bell.</p>
So, the next time you're craving a late-night taco fix, spare a thought for Paul the Cat Guy, the unsung hero working tirelessly to ensure that even the city's most overlooked residents have a shot at a better life. Because in a city as wild and wonderful as New York, every cat deserves their moment in the spotlight.
Next time you’re craving tacos, remember Paul is the real reason those cats have a shot at a calmer life.
For another rescue comeback, read how a group freed 250+ cats and dogs from a testing facility.
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