Hoarding - 40 sick cats euthanized
Central Islip, NY (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Nov 22, 2008
County: Suffolk
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Joan Rosenberg
More than 40 sick cats and kittens were euthanized and two horses were seized after their caretaker, a Central Islip woman, was arrested and accused of animal cruelty, authorities said.
Some cats were already dead when the Suffolk Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals detectives arrived Saturday at the home of Joan Rosenberg, 57, on Connetquot Avenue, county SPCA chief Roy Gross said. The survivors were so sick, "they were beyond help," he said.
"The most humane thing to do was to euthanize them," he said.
The two male horses, both considered elderly at older than 20, were being housed yesterday by the SPCA and being nursed back to health in hopes of putting them up for adoption, Gross said. The horses had been housed in a stable on a half-acre of land behind Rosenberg's house in "unsanitary and unhealthy surroundings," he said, declining to be more specific.
Neighbors said the horses' paddock did not appear to be cleaned regularly, and that they were often seen walking knee deep in mud and manure.
Rosenberg was charged with two misdemeanor counts of torturing and injuring animals, and released on $500 bail after pleading not guilty at her arraignment yesterday in First District Court, according to the SPCA. She could not be reached yesterday, and a call to a telephone number listed in her name at her address, went unanswered.
Outside the one-story, wood-frame house at 1149 Connetquot Ave. yesterday afternoon, litter boxes were strewn about the backyard amid five dilapidated vehicles. A few cats lingered near the back door.
The Suffolk Fire Marshal's Office condemned the house, declaring it uninhabitable, and firefighters dressed in hazardous material suits were called to ventilate the home before SPCA detectives went in, authorities said.
"The smell was terrible," said Neil Finnin, a neighbor and Central Islip fire commissioner who also said he did not believe Rosenberg was intentionally cruel.
Neighbors had complained in the past, Gross said, but Rosenberg had declined to allow detectives into her home. On Saturday, Rosenberg granted access, he said.
Rosenberg had lived at the house for at least 15 years. Neighbor Mel Laidlow said Rosenberg described herself as an "animal activist" and had rescued many cats.
"We know she was trying her best, but all the animals were beyond her capabilities," Laidlow said. References« NY State Animal Cruelty Map
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