Kittens Locked In Hot Car At Ronkonkoma Train Station: SPCA

RONKONKOMA, NY — A Ridge woman is facing charges after animal welfare authorities say she locked her two 8-week-old kittens inside her car for hours in extreme heat at the Long Island Rail Road train station in Ronkonkoma.

The kittens were left alone in the car from 2 a.m. Tuesday until they were reported around 9 a.m., the Suffolk County chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said in a news release. MTA police reported the unattended kittens to the SPCA. The temperature outside the car was 81 degrees at 9 a.m.

The SPCA said that at 80 degrees, the estimated vehicle interior air temperature after an hour can reach 125 degrees.

Kimberly McKinley, 23, faced charges of confinement of companion animals in a vehicle during extreme temperatures. She is expected in court in Central Islip in September.

It wasn't immediately known if McKinley has an attorney.

The SPCA said it has been continuously reminding people that leaving animals in hot cars can "lead to a tragedy."

"Many animals left in vehicles unattended have died from complications of exposure," the organization wrote. "Animals have a hard time staying cool, leaving them extremely vulnerable to heatstroke and or death. Avoid this unnecessary tragedy."