Daily What?! Untapped Writer Rachel Fawn Alban Has Rescued Baxter the 5Pointz Graffiti Cat

Photo of Baxter the 5Pointz Graffiti Cat by Rachel Fawn Alban

We remember the day we sent our writer and photographer Rachel Fawn Alban to 5Pointz for the first time. From then on she went back, regularly. With the sudden whitewashing of 5Pointz and the vacating of artists from the building, the resident cat also had to leave so Rachel took him home with her. Baxter the “graffiti cat” was first introduced in 2007 or 2008, reports DNAInfo, as a way to control the mice. He became so popular with the artists and tourists, he had his own bed in the building.

Rachel tells us:

I had been going to 5Pointz to shoot photos, and I had gotten to know some of the artists. My heart really was with them during the events of the past few months, as were many fans, and I was going often to photograph and show my support. When Baxter needed a place to stay, I was happy to volunteer. I am an animal lover and my dog of 14 years (Barker) recently passed away, so it was actually really good timing for me too. Having Baxter with me has really helped me get through a difficult time. He’s as great cat, super fun and cute.

Here are some additional photos of Baxter by Rachel, who is well known to ham it up for photographs, chilling in her apartment. She is currently thinking of keeping the cat, though the original plan was to put him up for adoption.

A Hanukah Present for Baxter

HIgh on Catnip

Read more about 5Pointz on Untapped Cities. Get in touch with the author @untappedmich. See more quirky NYC facts and discoveries in our “Daily What?!” series. Submit your own via Twitter with the hashtag #DailyWhat.