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40 Frozen Dead Cats Found In LIC Self-Storage Unit
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 18, 2016
Modified Oct 19, 2016
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 18, 2016
Modified Oct 19, 2016
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A man who bought a Queens self-storage unit at auction found a grisly surprise waiting behind the roll-up door: dozens of dead cats in a freezer. It's believed there were approximately 40 cats in storage there, though it was difficult to count because some of the cats had been frozen together.
The new owner had purchased the unit from American Self Storage in Long Island City at auction. The previous owner, a 66-year-old woman, hadn't paid rent since July. According to WABC 7, when the new owner went to inspect the space, he found the cats "inside two four by three feet freezers. Police said the animals were stacked on top of each other and frozen together. They couldn't even count exactly how many there were... [O]ne skinned cat [was] in an aluminum tray."
"When officers opened it, [it was] a horrendous death smell, horrid," a source said to the Post. "They had to go back to the command to change.”
The ASPCA is investigating and necropsies will be performed on the cats. The police are now looking for the previous owner.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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