20 cats seized from home
Ronkonkoma, NY (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Nov 11, 2007
County: Suffolk
Disposition: Not Charged
Persons of Interest:
» woman
» man
It smelled so bad in a Ronkonkoma home, neighbors were forced to call police. When authorities arrived they found the Long Island home was overrun by cats. Firefighters were called to the home to force the family living inside to flee.
Operation Cat Rescue began with a late afternoon raid at a dilapidated, filthy home on Ronkonkoma Avenue. One by one, cats were caught and removed - 21 in all. Investigators say the homeowner, a woman in her fifties and her 20-year-old son, may have meant well but had too many cats for two people to handle in tight and unhealthy quarters.
"They got overwhelmed with what they had," said Bob Aversano, of the Suffolk County SPCA. "The conditions were bad. They had no electricity and no working water and no heat."
The home was declared unfit for people and pets, leaving the mother and son homeless. Neighbors say they don't know where they went.
The neighborhood nuisance got so bad, someone anonymously called the police to report the foul smells and wandering sickly cats. They constantly invaded one neighbor's property.
Wenge Fu, said he "saw the cat jump on the fence and catch some birds."
So far no criminal charges have been filed. The number one priority right now is intense emergency veterinary care.
The sad reality is some of these animals simply won't make it. Several kittens have eye infections, and one of them has an eye problem so bad he will require surgery.
Animal Shelter officials hope to get even the most sickly pets adopted by cat lovers with enough love in the hearts and enough cash in their accounts to pay for some expensive life saving surgeries.
The cats are at the animal shelter in Brookhaven. For more information on donating money for their medical care or adopting one contact the Suffolk County SPCA at (631) 382-7722. References« NY State Animal Cruelty Map
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