NYPD's Animal Cruelty Investigation squad looks into at least 7 cats found dead in Bath Beach
Graphic video shows multiple dead cats, some of them with blood coming out of their nose and mouths.
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The NYPD's Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad is looking into an incident where at least seven cats were found dead under a deck in Bath Beach on Tuesday.
Graphic video shows multiple dead cats, some of them with blood coming out of their nose and mouths.
Albert Berto says many of the cats were originally strays that he has now been taking care of for years. He says he feeds them, took them to the vet to get shots and get neutered, as well as get chipped. He believes they were poisoned and says even more have been found dead.
“I'm in shock. I've been up for three days. I can't sleep. I have the picture of all those cats laying on my deck, bleeding from the mouth and nose. The pain they must have went through. And it's unbelievable," said Berto.
Police say the cats were found on 16th Avenue around 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Reeva Grammatikopoulous says she was one of the wildlife rehabilitators who responded to the incident.
“It was horrific. It was a nightmare. I just basically went in and grabbed them all out two at a time. It didn’t really hit me until I climbed out of the hole and saw them all lined up, and that's when I broke down," said Grammatikopoulous.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals tells News 12 they have the cats and that their forensics team is working with the NYPD.
"That many dead cats at once, they were poisoned on purpose," said Grammatikopoulous.
The NYPD and ASPCA have not determined a cause of death as of Thursday evening. Berto says more have been found dead since police initially came. He says he has only seen a handful of the 22 cats he normally feeds.
“They were part of my family. You have to have a heart. They’re living, they're breathing, they're God’s creatures. I don't know, I have no more purpose in life. I have no purpose and I just- I give up. I just give up," said Berto.
