YORKTOWN, N.Y. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- A couple was found dead in a “dilapidated” Westchester County “hoarding house” this week surrounded by 150 starving cats, some of them trapped in the walls, animal rescuers said Friday as they urgently seek help with their “largest rescue” ever.
Yorktown police make the shocking discovery Monday as they conducted a wellness check on the man and woman at their home on Cordial Road.
While no foul play is suspected, the investigation was complicated by the fact there were 150 cats living in the cluttered house.
Yorktown Police Department Chief Robert Noble told WABC he was “surprised people could live inside with the conditions present.”
As the investigation into their deaths continues, SPCA Westchester sent out a plea for help on social media, calling this cat rescue the “largest rescue in our history.”
The SPCA described a “horrific scene where 150 cats were discovered living in filth and squalor and being hoarded inside a small, dilapidated home.”
“The conditions were absolutely horrific,” the SPCA said, with cats trapped in every room and in “the walls and ceilings.”
“After years of neglect, all of the cats, who appear to be Abyssinian mixes, are sick and suffering,” the animal welfare nonprofit wrote on Facebook Thursday.
The felines have upper respiratory, eye and skin infections. They’re also suffering from malnutrition, dehydration and “more severe injuries” that require immediate care, the SPCA said. Many are pregnant, and one cat gave birth in transit “due to the stress of the situation.”
“All of the cats were starving upon rescue and had likely not eaten or had access to water in many days,” the organization said.
The cost of veterinary care and rehabilitation for the rescues is expected to be well over $40,000, according to the SPCA, which said donations are desperately needed for the cats.
The group had raised nearly $15,000 by Friday.
Among the groups helping with the rescue effort are the Best Friends Animal Society, Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, Westchester Humane Society, Rescue Right and Columbia Green Humane Society.
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