So, like, these teenagers were just cruising through the woods near the Southern State Parkway on Tuesday when they stumbled upon something totally unexpected. They found a bunch of cats in a dog crate. Can you even imagine? Animal rescuer John Debacker was there to save the day, taking NBC New York on a tour of the woods where he rescued all these cats and kittens. Apparently, there were like 30 felines in total, some in dog crates and others in pods. Debacker also noticed empty bags of cat food and litter boxes lying around, leading him to believe that these poor kitties had been abandoned.
“They didn’t look too neglected, so someone must have been looking after them at some point. But man, that’s a lot of cats for one person to handle,” Debacker said. He then took the cats to the Town of Oyster Bay animal shelter in Syosset for a check-up. Little did he know, these cats actually had an owner – a guy named Thomas McDermott. Thomas was heartbroken to find out that his fur babies had been taken away.
“I love my cats, man. I’ve been taking care of them for years,” McDermott said. “I spend a ton of money on food for them every couple of days. I even left them food and water yesterday before heading to work. They must have finished it all before they were found.”
Poor McDermott, who is only 29 years old, had been kicked out of his family home and was living in the woods with his beloved cats. When he discovered that they were gone, he almost lost all hope. But then he found out where they were taken and rushed to the shelter to see them.
Town officials held a press conference to address the situation, stating that living in the woods is no place for McDermott or the cats. Supervisor Joseph Saladino mentioned that most of the cats were found in cages exposed to the elements without any food or water. Not a good situation at all.
The district attorney of Nassau County announced that an investigation would be launched. “These cats deserve proper care, shelter, and medical attention. We can’t have them living by the parkway in cages,” she said. McDermott was able to identify his cats, who are now being kept in individual crates at the shelter. He’s hoping to have them all back with him soon.
But whether McDermott will be reunited with all his cats is up in the air, pending the investigation. The district attorney’s office will have the final say on that. Not really sure why this matters, but Lavender, Coco, Zeus, and Nova are just a few of the names McDermott gave his pets. He really cares about them, that’s for sure.
In the end, McDermott just wants what’s best for his cats. And the authorities want to ensure that they receive the care they need. Let’s hope everything works out for these furry friends in the end.
