Woman Charged After 120 Cats Rescued From Filthy Long Island Home

Multiple animal rescue organizations from across Long Island mobilized to assist with the removal and care of the animals.

Rudy Blalock

Published: 1/21/2026, 11:11:24 PM EST

Woman Charged After 120 Cats Rescued From Filthy Long Island Home — Picture of recently rescued cats at Save a Stray Rescue. (Courtesy of Save a Stray Rescue founder Renee Kraft)

A homeowner in Long Island faces animal neglect and confinement charges after more than an estimated 120 cats were found living in severely substandard conditions in West Islip.

Grace Etzelberger, 66, was charged after the Suffolk Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) received an anonymous tip on Tuesday, the organization told local television station WABC-TV.

Multiple animal rescue organizations from across Long Island mobilized to assist with the removal and care of the animals. Save A Stray Rescue, among the first responders, rescued 32 cats and six kittens from the home, according to a Facebook post from the organization.

Workers described the difficulty of operating in such conditions.

“The cats were matted, infested with fleas, have ear mites, have skin and eye conditions, some are under weight, and many with URI,” Save A Stray Rescue wrote in its post.

They estimated that there were over 120 cats in the home.

"The house was disgusting, was absolutely deplorable, there was wall-to-wall feces and urine, there was not any place clean at all in the house," a volunteer rescue worker told WABC-TV. "The litter boxes weren't cleaned, the cats were just defecating and urinating anywhere in the house."

Renee Kraft of Save A Stray Rescue told local station News 12, “It's really hard to breathe in there. I was coughing a lot. We were trying to grab as many cats as we could.”

Maine Coon Cats

The SPCA said in statements to local media that Etzelberger had been breeding Maine Coon cats for at least 20 years. The homeowner allegedly sold the animals through a website linked to the West Islip address, with listings advertising cats for thousands of dollars.

Authorities are now investigating whether the breeding and sales were conducted legally.

Many of the rescued cats required immediate medical attention.

“If you’d like to donate to their care, please make donations to Last Hope. If you’d like to donate for the care of the 6 kittens with Save A Stray Rescue, please send to the links below,” Save a Stray wrote in their post, linking Venmo and PayPal options.

The cat breeding operation's scale apparently went unnoticed by many in the neighborhood. One neighbor told News 12 she was aware of the cats on the property but believed the owners were legitimate breeders. Large deliveries of pet food had been seen arriving at the home, but otherwise, neighbors reported nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

The six kittens with Save a Stray were scheduled to see a veterinarian on Wednesday. Rescue organizations are accepting donations to support the medical care and rehabilitation of the animals as they recover.

NTD News has reached out to Suffolk SPCA for further details.