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Thirty cats were found living in grimy, excrement-filled cages near a Bethpage State Park trail — where a homeless hoarder set up camp after falling out with his mom, officials said.
The cat and kitty colony off the Southern State Parkway had little food and water and were left exposed to the elements at the hoarder camp marked by fallen trees, piles of empty soda bottles and other assorted trash, according to rescuers and photos of the scene.
The cages, which were discovered Tuesday night by kids riding their bikes, also had gaping holes in them, leaving the cats vulnerable to wandering into nearby 55-mile-per-hour traffic.
“I’ve handled pretty bad situations, but this was one of the worst,” animal rescuer John Debacker, vice president of Long Island Cat/Kitten Solution, told The Post.
There were about five cats to a cage or playpen, which were filled with feces — while their food and water dishes were “bone dry,” he said.
“It was quite sickening when I came upon it…and they easily could have wandered out onto the parkway.”
A 29-year-old homeless man, Thomas McDermott, is believed to have been keeping them in the disgusting cages for about a week — including through an intense rain storm on Saturday night, according to Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
“It’s very sad…we could tell right away he was hoarding these cats,” she told The Post of the scene Tuesday night.
McDermott had been arrested for criminal contempt after violating the order of protection his mother had filed against him, barring him from her house, the DA added.
“I opened a criminal investigation into the [McDermott] who claims these are his cats.”
The hoarder, who told CBS News New York that he is a handyman, claimed he took good care of the animals.
“I love them,” he told the station.
“They’re my cats. I’ve been taking care of them for years, and I do everything I can. I spend a lot of money on them – $20 of food every two days.”
The cats were taken to the town of Oyster Bay animal shelter on Wednesday, where they were being medically evaluated.
“We know that they need vaccines. We know some of them need to be hydrated,” Donnelly said.
They are now evidence in a potential case against McDermott, but will be put up for adoption afterward, Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said.
“People will be emotionally moved and want to adopt and take care of these beautiful, defenseless creatures.”
Debacker has already committed to getting the word out on adopting the cats when they become eligible — but there may be other cats still in the wild near the popular biking and walking destination.
“There was a gray and white one that climbed up a tree that we were not able to rescue,” he explained, encouraging the Massapequa and Farmingdale area to be on the lookout.
He has set up trail cameras around the wooded area with food and will continue to monitor them to try to find other cats from the encampment.
“It’s hard to tell right now…sometimes cats wander off never to be seen again, but hopefully that isn’t the case here,” he said.
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