A man and a woman were found dead surrounded by about 150 cats inside a home in Yorktown Heights, in northern New York’s Westchester County.
The dramatic finding was made by local police during a wellness check in the 100 block of Cordial Road on Monday, January 30 around 9:50 p.m., reported Daily Voice Yesterday.
The names and ages of the residents were not released for privacy reasons, Yorktown Police Chief Robert Noble said. The investigation into the deaths is ongoing and awaiting the forensic report.
Police were initially unable to investigate the scene due to the large number of cats in the home. The cats were then removed by the Westchester Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Humane Law Enforcement Unit.
After the cats were removed from the home, police were able to continue their investigation into the deaths of the two residents. Police believe that the deaths were not initially the result of a criminal act.
SPCA officials said the cats had been living in “filth and squalor” in the house, which they described as “small and dilapidated.”
The 150 cats found in the home were mostly Abyssinian mixes and many were found to suffer from conditions including upper respiratory tract, eye and skin infections, malnutrition and dehydration. Some had more serious injuries that required immediate medical attention and others were even dead.
All of the cats were described as “starving” when they were rescued and some had not eaten for days, authorities said.
“This is the largest hoarding case SPCA Westchester has ever undertaken, and we desperately need the support of the community to help care for these sick and abandoned cats in need of urgent medical attention,” said the organization’s executive director, Shannon Laukhuf. . In addition to foster homes, they were soliciting items such as cat food, litter, blankets and towels, as well as financial donations.
Anyone with police information regarding this double death is asked to call the Yorktown Detective Division at 914-962-3856.
In another recent SPCA Westchester case, it was announced that a Hispanic veterinarian from Elmsford will lose his license after pleading guilty to attempted forgery and two counts of animal cruelty.