 40-60 cats rescued from infested home
Hicksville, NY (US)Date: May 1, 2006
County: Nassau
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Marilyn J. Cimitile
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The residents of Acre Lane in Hicksville say they are particularly polite to each other. So no one said anything to Marilyn Cimitile about the heavy cat odor emanating from her home and plaguing the block. "I should have complained or said something," said one man who did not want to give his name, as another neighbor nodded in agreement. "But because you want to be a good neighbor you don't want to upset anyone, so you don't say anything."
On Friday, after being contacted by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Town of Oyster Bay officials began trapping and removing an estimated 40 to 60 cats that had been left alone in the house for about a month following Cimitile's hospitalization, according to town officials. "They have to be trapped to get out because they are on the feral side," Oyster Bay spokeswoman Phyllis Barry said. "It's a process that will take place over some time because there is still some food around and they are going to go for that before they eat what's in the traps." She said 10 cats had been caught by Friday afternoon.
Barry said Cimitile was issued a summons May 1 for violating town code that restricts pet owners to six cats. Around that time Cimitile, who neighbors said was a nice but reclusive woman who lived there about 20 years, contacted the SPCA and asked for help in removing the cats. Cimitile's family could not be reached for comment but Barry said they are cooperating with the town with Cimitile being hospitalized. The reason for her hospitalization could not be confirmed.
For several hours, animal control workers went in and out of the two-story, wood-shingle home, where boards, pillows and furniture could be seen inside leaning against an upstairs window. As neighbors watched, they talked about what had been an open secret in the neighborhood for years. "It's sad that it has come to this," said one woman who has lived on the block for decades. Another neighbor said he planted shrubs and pine trees, and erected a small mesh fence to keep the cats out of his yard. "It's been unbearable. In the summer, oh, horse flies and the smell. You wish for rain," he said. "Even she complained and said the cats were running her life. But I don't think she had the power to fix the situation. She worshiped the cats." Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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