Fetid LI home had dead cats in freezer, dead kittens in boxes — and even seasoned rescuers were gagging at the stench
Two dozen dead cats were stashed in the freezer, while the remains of newborn kittens were found inside old cat food boxes — as new details emerge about a putrid feline-infested Long Island home.
The stench inside the Bohemia house where as many as 100 feral and stray cats — both dead and alive — were found Saturday was so severe when authorities arrived that one animal rescue worker threw up after going inside and ended up in the emergency room, officials told The Post.
'There's kittens and Chewy boxes throughout the house,' Tammy Gatto, a volunteer with Long Island Cat and Kitten Solutions, said Sunday — referring to the online pet food retailer.
'It was crazy. There had to be like a hundred Chewy boxes in the entire house. They were scattered in every room, and there were little bodies, dead bodies, inside.
5 Nearly 100 cats were found living in putrid conditions in a home on Long Island — with 24 found dead in a freezer.
Aristide Economopoulos for The NY Post
5 Cats in the window of a Long Island home where as many as 100 strays had been living in horrid conditions.
Aristide Economopoulos for The NY Post
'I had to take five breaks [Saturday], and I was only in there for two and a half hours,' she added. 'We were wearing protective suits like hazmat suits and we had respirators and it was still really tough.'
Firefighters responded to the Westminster Drive home, once valued at $725,000 but now condemned, around 3 p.m. Saturday after neighbors reported a stomach-turning ammonia smell emanating from the property — and walked into the gruesome scene.
5 The SPCA of Suffolk County said some cats found in a Bohemia home were so sick that several had to be euthanized
Suffolk County SPCA
'We were called in and we found 28 deceased cats, over 50 cats alive,' Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk County SPCA, told The Post. 'Those cats are right now with volunteer veterinarians, and they have a long road ahead of recovery. They're all very sick — three of the cats had to be euthanized last night.'
The frightened kittens, seen clawing at windows from inside the house on Saturday, were caught by animal rescue workers, who displayed their scratched-up hands as proof of the how wild the kitties are.
Neighbors said cats have long flocked the property, where the homeowners put out food for dozens of strays who were eventually taken inside — with the issue growing worse after the homeowner's wife died several weeks ago, leaving her 75-year-old husband to care for the feline swarm.
5 Official said one responder was so sickened by the stench in the cat infested Bohemia home that they were hospitalized.
John Roca
'He was feeding the cats in the backyard for years,' one neighborhood resident said. 'I mean, I would smell the urine, but I like cats. But we never smelled anything like this. I mean, I feel sick to my stomach right now. They kept the windows closed. Now with the windows open, Oh my God!'
The home is owned by Steven Glantz, according to property records.
A man identified as Glantz ouside the home on Sunday declined to comment.
SPCA officials said the cost of caring for the surviving cats is at $10,000 and rising, prompting the agency to ask for contributions to help or for vets to volunteer their time to help.
5 Veteran animal rescue veteran John Debacker shows the scratches from cats rescued in a squalid Bohemia home.
John Roca
'This wasn't the worst I've seen, but it was pretty bad inside,' John Debacker, head of Long Island Cat and Kittn Solutions, said outside the home.
'There were Chewy boxes in every room with holes in them. Mothers like a secure place to give birth and we found kittens, newborns, inside the Chewy boxes.
'Someone who was in there yesterday started vomiting and had to be taken to the hospital,' Debacker said. 'When the investigation is over, people will be able to adopt these cats.'
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