Animal rescuer: 61 cats removed from Bohemia home; another 28 found dead

Animal rescuers Sunday pleaded for help treating 61 "very sick" cats and eight newborn kittens that have been removed from poor conditions in a Bohemia home.

The rescue efforts that began Saturday afternoon continued overnight and into Sunday morning. By then, another 28 cats were found dead inside, according to Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk SPCA.

Humane traps were placed around the house Saturday to collect any cats that may have been hiding. Five cats were trapped overnight, Gross said, and there may be more.

"This is overwhelming to say the least," Gross said Sunday. "It’s a major undertaking."

Rescuers began removing the cats after the Bohemia Fire Department responded about 3 p.m. Saturday to a report of an ammonia smell inside the Westminster Drive home.

Along with the Suffolk County SPCA, the Town of Islip hazmat team and the town fire marshal also responded to the scene. "Keep Out" signs were posted outside the residence.

The owner of the home, Stephen Glantz, could be seen early Saturday evening at the front door speaking to animal welfare authorities and putting trash bags outside.

The cats are being evaluated and treated at the SPCA’s mobile hospital, now stationed at the Islip animal shelter. Most of them "are very sick," Gross said, many with upper respiratory infections. They are being tested for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia (FeLV).

Three severely ill cats were euthanized Saturday night.

The SPCA is appealing for veterinarians and vet techs to volunteer to help provide "the immediate care they need," Gross said. The nonprofit, is also appealing for financial donations, he added. The medicines alone could cost $10,000.

Late Saturday evening, Glantz watched from his pickup truck parked in the driveway as SPCA investigators and animal rescue volunteers continued to carry cats out. He declined to comment. Several live cats could be seen in the windows of the two-story Colonial.

SPCA investigators entered the house at about 7:30 p.m. with the owner's permission, officials said.

Power was cut off to the home, so they searched for live cats using flashlights and eventually set up temporary lighting inside.

Cat rescue volunteers assisted in rounding up the cats, pulling out more than a dozen in the first 40 minutes. Additional crates were lined up in the front yard as the rescue efforts continued.

Neighbor Brandon Gennarelli, 29, who has lived in the area his entire life, said the homeowners could often be seen feeding the neighborhood felines.

"We've seen cats coming in and out from the garage and front door," Gennarelli said, adding that there are a lot of cats in the area.

"We've had lots of stray cats coming in our back and front yards," he said. "We don't really know where they're coming from, but the fact that they're coming in such bulk, it seems to be from over here."

The cats will be transported to rescue and adoption groups across the state, according to Gross.