More Than 100 Cats Removed From Brick Home: Police

BRICK, NJ — Authorities were removing more than 100 cats and kittens from a home off Mantoloking Road late Thursday night, Brick Township police confirmed.

The residents of the home called police saying they wanted to turn over the cats, Sgt. George Collins said Thursday night. An exact number of animals was not available as they were still being removed from the home late in the evening, Collins said.

"There were cats everywhere," said a source who asked not to be identified. In one room there were kittens of varying ages, from 5 to 6 weeks old to newborns. The newborn kittens were in open dresser drawers, the source said.

The animals appeared to be in decent health, and the conditions in the house were nothing like those of the house where 180 dogs and cats were removed in December, the source said.

Hazmat crews checked the home Thursday night before first responders were allowed in to begin removing the animals, News 12 New Jersey reported.

In the December case, two women, Aimee Lonczak and Michele Nycz, have been charged with animal cruelty. The animals, mostly dogs, were found in crates ziptied together, stacked on each other, with animals on the bottom living in the feces and urine of those above them, authorities have said. First responders had to dress in hazmat gear to remove the animals from the home.

Lonczak and Nycz turned down a plea deal during an April 18 status hearing in the case, and the next step is anticipated to be presentation of the case to a grand jury. Read more: Women Decline Plea Deal In Brick Animal Hoarding Case

It was not known Thursday night if any charges might be considered in connection with the cats at the Mantoloking Road home.