Father And Son Charged With Hoarding 26 Cats In Suffolk Home

ISLIP, NY — A father and son were arrested Tuesday night after Suffolk County Police said they found more than two dozen cats living in hoarding conditions in their Islip home.

Gary Verga, 72, and Daniel Verga, 39, were arrested and charged with 10 counts of failing to provide proper sustenance to an animal and 10 counts of failing to provide proper food and drink to an impounded animal under the Agriculture and Markets Law, police said.

At about 7:20 p.m., officers responded to reports of animal cruelty happening inside a Lake St. home.

Police saw several loose cats outside the home and noticed a strong ammonia odor coming from inside.

The cats inside the home were overcrowded, with sparse food and no water, police said.

Investigators also seized five cages and two containers containing 26 cats. The cats were brought to the Islip Animal Shelter for evaluation.

Officers were also assisted by the Biological Environmental Animal Safety Team (BEAST), the Islip Town Fire Marshal, Islip Town Building Inspector, Islip Town HAZMAT and the Islip Fire Department.

The father and son were issued desk appearance tickets and are scheduled to appear in First District Court in Central Islip on Jan. 19.