A New York State senator is joining animal advocates in asking for help solving what he calls a swath of unexplained deaths of stray cats, as well as “some other beloved pets,” in three distinct areas of Brooklyn. Republican Sen. Steve Chan, who represents the Bay Ridge district where this h as been happening, says in a Facebook post that he has been in touch with authorities and concerned neighbors. Chan was with animal rescue workers Tuesday night when they pulled seven dead cats from under a deck where a family regularly feeds them on 86th Street and 16th Avenue. St. Vincent Feline Rescue, the nonprofit working with him, says there were signs the animals suffered “severely” as they died. The group posted photos to its Facebook page. (They’re graphic, so we’ve left them out of this story. If you want to proceed, click here.) “I don’t know what is happening. I’m deeply saddened by these incidents, as my own neighbors and I also care for strays,” Chan wrote on Facebook. Other areas where dead cats have been reported, according to Chan: 63rd Street, Ninth to 12th Avenues area; and West Sixth Street by Avenue S. Scattered cases have been reported in other nearby areas, he says. Police have been notified and necropsies are expected to be conducted to determine what killed the cats. ...read more read less