'We just want to get them help': Dozens of cats roam Dix Hills neighborhood following homeowner eviction
Dozens of cats are roaming a Dix Hills neighborhood after a homeowner was evicted, leaving neighbors scrambling to feed the animals and find help.
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Neighbors in a Dix Hills neighborhood are trying to find help for dozens of cats they say were left behind after a homeowner was evicted.
Residents on Cascade Court say the cats began appearing around the neighborhood about three weeks ago. They estimate there are now between 20 and 30 cats roaming the block, with several households taking turns feeding them and trying to find a solution.
“You'd see a stray going around here or there but now all of a sudden it's between 20 and 30,” said Dix Hills resident Renee Novotny. “We just want to get them help. We are taking turns feeding them. We are on the phone all day trying to get help.”
“My stepdaughter comes out every day to feed them. When she gets home from work, she actually sits out there with them while she is feeding them,” said Dix Hills resident Robyn Wisch.
Neighbors say many cats are friendly and believe they are domesticated. They say the animals need homes and proper care rather than being left to fend for themselves.
“There’s like 30 cats. They are good cats and they need homes,” said Dix Hills resident Ralph Zammillo. “They are under cars and a couple of them were killed.”
Residents say the cats began showing up shortly after the homeowner was evicted from a house on the block.
But neighbors say the situation has also created safety concerns for the cats.
“Two kittens had gotten into the hood of my husband's car. We unknowingly drove them up to the Huntington Subaru dealership to have work done on the car,” Novotny said. “They popped out in the garage and miraculously one of the salesmen on the floor adopted them.”
Neighbors say they reached out to the Town of Huntington and the Suffolk County SPCA for help.
The town says the cats are considered feral and is offering free cages so residents can trap the animals and bring them in to be spayed or neutered before being released back into the area. The town also says the SPCA will ultimately determine the cats’ classification.
Neighbors, however, disagree with the town’s assessment and say the cats are domesticated and should not be returned to the streets.
“It isn't going to help them survive the outdoors, fly-strike issues, and cars coming,” Novotny said.
The Suffolk County SPCA says its investigation is ongoing. The agency says it will work to get the cats care and, when possible, get them adopted.
“They're loving cats and they'd make a great family pet,” Zammillo said.
