Couple found dead in Westchester home with nearly 150 cats
YORKTOWN, New York (WABC) -- A couple was found dead inside their Yorktown home this week with nearly 150 cats inside.
The man and woman were discovered Monday after a request for a welfare check at the home on Cordial Road.
Yorktown police found the couple dead but were not able to investigate further due to the number of cats inside the home.
"I'm surprised people could live inside with the conditions present," said Yorktown Police Department Chief Robert Noble.
Their cause of death remains under investigation but foul play is not suspected.
The Westchester County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of the death. The identities of the victims were not yet released.
On Tuesday, members of the SPCA removed approximately 100 cats and loaded them into crates to take them to their facility in Briarcliff where many are being treated for illnesses like eye and respiratory infections and ear mites.
One thing that stood out to police and animal control officials is how friendly the cats are.
"It's very unusual in a case like this, especially with that number of cats, for them to be as social and sweet as they are, usually they are scared when they come from a situation like this because they haven't had a lot of human interaction," said Lisa Bonnano with SPCA of Westchester.
The SPCA says at one time the couple may have been breeding Abyssinian cats but became overwhelmed.
Police say there were no complaints from neighbors and for some the discovery came as a surprise.
"It's a mystery, it's puzzling, I'm wondering how they got so many cats, where they got them from in the first place and if no one questioned them what they were doing with so many cats," neighbor Patti Pfeifer said.
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