A lot of New Yorkers thought they saw a puddy tat in Curtis Sliwa's arms as the GOP mayoral nominee showed up to cast his ballot Tuesday.
They did. Sliwa carried Gizmo, one of 17 rescue cats he lives with in his studio apartment, to his polling place on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, The New York Times reported.
Sliwa can be seen in photos carrying Gizmo wrapped in a red towel as Sliwa and his wife, Nancy, make their way through the city.
Sliwa reportedly became irritated when election officials would not allow him to bring Gizmo inside. He left the cat outside with a staffer while he voted, but then reportedly quarreled with officials inside because he was wearing a jacket with his name on it, a violation of voting rules since he is a candidate.
Sliwa is facing much-favored Democrat Eric Adams for the Big Apple's top job in a city dominated by Democrats.
The Times reported that Sliwa's ballot jammed the voting machine, causing a repair, and an election official shouted an expletive at him as he left.
''They couldn’t have been more hostile,'' Sliwa said, finally reunited with Gizmo more than an hour later.
The Times quoted Sliwa as saying he brought Gizmo with him to take advantage of his animal welfare platform that has received notable attention during the campaign.
Sliwa noted that Gizmo came close to being euthanized after having a fungus. ''Gizmo was on the kill list,'' Sliwa told the Times. ''Thank God my wife was able to save Gizmo.''
Sliwa recently appeared on MSNBC's ''Morning Joe'' and was asked which of his cats was his favorite. He refused to name a favorite, but pointed to Gizmo as being special.
While Sliwa is tender with cats, the Guardian Angels founder has vowed to be tough on criminals if elected.
''If the people of New York City haven't lost their minds, they'll elect me,'' Sliwa told Newsmax on Monday. ''And I will go after these gang leaders who have killed. Lock them up. Throw away the key. Put 'em in jail, no bail, and prosecute them for these major crimes that they've committed. Not elevate them, put 'em on a pedestal, and give them parity with the police — that's crazy.''
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.