Pet Groups Working to Gather 40-Plus Cats from Miller Place Home

Two nonprofits stepped in to help a Miller Place homeowner who gave up over 40 cats on and around her property, though work remains to be done before they can gather them all from the home.

Kent Animal Shelter is holding over a dozen kittens at their shelter after volunteers from the Calverton-based organization went to the home on Monday along with Rita Miszuk, of Sound Beach-based Volunteers for Animal Welfare.

According to Kent Executive Director Pam Green, the shelter is in the process of evaluating the cats currently, and plans on spaying and neutering them before adopting out the ones they can. The shelter is currently doing two-for-one adoptions on cats due to an excess at the shelter, even getting some foster parents to host cats while they wait for a long-term home.

"There is an ongoing effort to tray and spay and neuter them, and get the adoptable ones out there," Green said. "If the kittens are feral, it's much easier to work with them. But if adults have been running feral for several years, it's very difficult, if not impossible, to."

Kent and VAW rescued the cats on Monday. The Heanerly Drive homeowner had let the number of cats on the property – and the property itself – run astray after her husband, mother, and mother-in-law all passed away in a short amount of time, Green said.

"I guess it was a lot at once. She was left by herself with the house," Green said. The homeowner had started hoarding items, and the home had got so overrun that some cats on the property had fallen prey to raccoons.

Miszuk said that as of Tuesday afternoon, six kittens were being bottle fed after being rescued from the home, with the rest being six-to-eight-week olds. She and volunteers from Kent will be going back to rescue more. Green said that there are about 43 cats estimated to be on the property.