'The Cut's' Story About Lucky the Cat Had People Worried — Here's an Update

Whether you're posting your thoughts on current events on social media, pontificating in a video essay on a touchy subject, or even writing a freelance article for a publication or a content farm, putting your opinions on the internet places you in the middle of a minefield. Each thought you post and sentence you add is another mine being buried into the dirt and you never quite know where it's gonna be or when it will go off. For the most part, though, a chain reaction occurs upon publishing.

You may end up inviting all sorts of reactions and comments that set off the minefield, whether they're deserved or not.

The same is especially true for journalists, who for all intents and purposes, have a larger platform than most people with a social media account. An anonymous contributor to The Cut received the brunt of that throughout August 2024 after they wrote about their cat, Lucky. The internet has been desperate to know how Lucky has been doing ever since.

In August 2024, The Cut published an article entitled "Why Did I Stop Loving My Cat When I Had a Baby?" In the article, an anonymous contributor described how her "postpartum fury" affected her love for her pet cat, Lucky, as she prioritized her newborn. According to the writer, she would reject Lucky's desire for attention and even forget to feed her on occasion. The cat even reportedly took on depression of her own upon repeated rejections from her owner.

The article was published as part of a series in which several New York Magazine writers raised ethical questions about being pet parents. While many of the articles raised eyebrows, the article about Lucky drew particular ire given the visceral nature of neglect described in it.

"The 'stop loving my cat after having a baby' piece is actually an article about animal abuse and it’s infuriating that it was written about so casually," one person commented on Instagram.

The subsequent rage even spilled onto more of NYM's social media pages and unrelated articles. In a post on @oldnymag, many commenters pleaded for an update on Lucky's status. Some even called for Lucky to be rehomed altogether.

The backlash became so severe that the editor-in-chief of New York Magazine actually had to issue a statement over the cat's health. The update came on another Instagram post made on Sept. 8, 2024 and addressed the controversy behind the original post.

It reads, "In response to an outpouring of concern about the cat's welfare, I'd like to make clear that the magazine does not condone harm to animals and confirmed that the cat is healthy and taken care of prior to publication."

The statement also decried the "racist [and] misogynistic" comments made against the original writer.

Comments on the statement have subsequently been limited, but commenters on NYM posts made after the fact still call for Lucky's safety.