Cat abuse found in two neighborhoods Police are investigating Richmond Hill and Howard Beach incidents

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

Two disturbing cases of apparent animal abuse have outraged many across Queens.

First, three stray cats were found severely injured in Richmond Hill, with what appeared to be chemical burns that ate away to the bone.

Then over the weekend, 14 cats were found dead behind a barbed wire fence bordering the train tracks on 102nd Street in Howard Beach. There is no known link between the incidents.

It appalled Meagan Licari, head of the Middle Village nonprofit Puppy Kitty NYC.

“I have not seen 14 dead cats together in the same area before,” Licari told the Chronicle. “Cats do get poisoned unfortunately and they’re treated like rats,” she added.

She was alerted by smaller rescues in the area because her organization could provide veterinary care, like for the Richmond Hill cats. Licari took the three cats in but one had to be humanely euthanized, she said.

When she heard about the Howard Beach scene, she went and even removed one kitten from the barbed wire, which indicated to her that they had been thrown over the fence.

“I don’t know how they died, but if they were poisoned, they probably were poisoned in another location because there’s no evidence of a feeder feeding cats,” Licari said. “I asked the neighbors if they see a lot of cats and they’re like, ‘not really.’ For 14 cats to be dead, someone would have seen a cat or two.”

But nobody on the block had much surveillance footage, Licari said, and she hopes law enforcement can find more.

She contacted the law enforcement liaison for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“The ASPCA is saddened to hear about a situation where 14 deceased cats were found on a non-residential property in Queens,” a spokesperson for the organization said in an email. “At the request of the New York City

Police Department, the ASPCA is supporting this ongoing investigation by conducting necropsies on the cats to assist in evidence collection and help determine causes of death.”

The group is not currently involved in the Richmond Hill case. The NYPD’s Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad is investigating both.

Stephanie Castro, founder of MeowSquad in Howard Beach, a nonprofit that helps strays, saw the cats and also believes it was poison due to the similar rates of decomposition. “It’s still a puzzle that I’m trying to put together and figure out ... what can be done and how to do it or if there’s anything I can help with,” Castro said. “But it’s hard not knowing anything.”

The lack of protocol in these situations, she said, is a flaw in the system, and Licari is fearful investigations will lead to a “dead end.”

“Investigators don’t have an easy task on their hands. It’s going to be hard to get evidence,” she said. “I’m just trying to be realistic and not set myself up for disappointment.

“People need to know that animal abuse is not acceptable and it’s illegal and no animal deserves to die like that or go through that suffering and pain,” she added.

Former mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa discussed the Howard Beach killings with his wife, Nancy, an animal rescuer, on WABC on Wednesday.

“There’s still no information about this cat killer and although it’s received some attention, it just seems that a lot of people are of the opinion, ‘you know, animal abusers, that’s not really a priority, we have to go after the people abusers,’” Sliwa said, adding that members of his group, The Guardian Angels, which he says now has an animal welfare division, were on the scene.

His wife said that it should be the opposite because the sociopathic tendencies can eventually lead to harming people.

Animal abuse is a low-priority issue for police, she added. Q