69 Cats Alive. 28 in the Freezer.
In May 2025, the Suffolk County SPCA executed a search warrant at the home of Stephen Glantz, 75, in Bohemia, Long Island, New York. Inside they found 69 living cats and 28 dead cats. Twenty-four of the dead cats were stacked in his freezer. Four more were found decomposing elsewhere in the house.
The ammonia levels inside the home were so high that the building was condemned on the spot.
The Conditions
The surviving cats had upper respiratory infections, severe eye disease, and urine scalding on their skin. Several were pregnant. Three cats were in such advanced stages of illness that they had to be euthanized immediately. The rest were taken into emergency shelter care.
Glantz was charged with nine counts of animal cruelty and nine counts of animal neglect.
NBC New York: 28 Cats Found Dead, Over 60 Rescued from Long Island Home
Why the Freezer
Hoarders freeze dead animals because disposing of them means acknowledging they died. The freezer lets the hoarder maintain the fiction that everything is under control. The cat is not dead. It is preserved. It is still there.
This psychological pattern appears in hoarding cases across the country. In Morgan City, Louisiana, Sheri Hite, 71, was arrested in March 2025 after police found 22 dead cats in her home. Fourteen were in the freezer. Eight were elsewhere. She told officers she had been "picking up cats from Baton Rouge to care for them."
In Marco Island, Florida, a couple stored dead cats in their freezer while 57 more suffered next door.
The freezer is the hoarder's confession. If you open it and find dead animals, everything they told you about their care was a lie.
ABC7 New York: Bohemia Cat Rescue
The Cost
Emergency shelter care for 69 cats costs tens of thousands of dollars. Veterinary treatment for respiratory infections, eye disease, and pregnancy complications multiplies that figure. The condemned property requires hazmat remediation before it can be re-entered.
Glantz faces up to two years in jail per count. But even if he serves the maximum, the cats he neglected will bear the consequences for whatever remains of their lives. Three already lost theirs.
This is what cat ownership looks like when it becomes compulsion. Not rescue. Not love. A freezer full of evidence.