Animal Lovers League Rescues 100 Cats From Hoarder's Home

were rescued from 56-year-old Betty Bjorkman's Elm Avenue apartment, continues to provide comfortable temporary homes for the cats while prepping them for adoption.

– a program where Patch editors set aside five days a year to volunteer in their respective communities – Glen Cove Patch spent Thursday afternoon getting to know some of the shelter’s newest residents and Animal Lovers League volunteers.

Sea Cliff resident Cindy King has been volunteering at the shelter once a week for several months.

“It’s very rewarding,” said King. “It’s nice to give back and there’s so much need for volunteers. It’s also fun.”

Several volunteers spent the day inside the shelter socializing with the rescued kittens and preparing Fancy Feast meals for over 100 animals.

Michael Vines – one of the three volunteers who braved the conditions of Bjorkman's home to rescue the animals – tended to the rescued cats who are currently being kept in a storage shed outside of the shelter.

While some of the rescued kittens have already been adopted, shelter employee Diane Connolly said that their new owners can’t take them home until they are spayed and neutered.

“The kittens can’t be fixed until they are at least two pounds,” Connolly said. “We’re trying to bulk them up. But people have been choosing the kittens they want; about six are spoken for.”

Connolly said that there has been a wonderful response since the cats were rescued last Thursday.

“The kittens are getting a lot of attention,” she said. “We would love if the older cats got a little more attention. They are really beautiful cats, no older than three years old.

Bjorkman, of 43 Elm Avenue, was arrested on April 5 and charged with Animal Cruelty, a Class A Misdemeanor, after she was discovered hoarding 100 cats in near unlivable conditions, said Detective Joe Graziosi of the .

While police said that Bjorkman technically faces up to one year in prison for each cat found, Graziosi said that the woman does not necessarily deserve prison time.

Animal League volunteers said that the woman has since moved to Huntington and is at high risk for hoarding more cats.

“I can’t confirm if she currently has more animals, but she mentioned to us that she wants to get more cats,” said Vines. “She acknowledges she has a problem, but she needs help; she has an addiction. There’s no way she will only have two cats.”

Bjorkman is scheduled to appear in Glen Cove Court on April 19.

Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.