Cat-hoarding home to be demolished
Wandering cats and an overwhelming urine smell wafting from a $1.5 million Marco Island home landed a couple in jail on felony animal cruelty charges this month after malnourished and sickly cats and kittens were seized, including many dead in a freezer. Now, the canal-front home at 1740 Piedmont Court, where 57 cats and kittens and “20-plus” frozen dead cats were found, is considered a health hazard and will be razed. “It’s going to be demolished,” said Tim Conatser of Pine Island, who owns the one-story home on a quarter-acre with another investor. “It’s not salvageable. The stench is unimaginable. It burns your eyes.” Conatser, who learned about the arrests on TV news, said the couple were very good tenants and had been leasing for years at a “very reasonable” rent, but the lease prohibits cats. There are numerous code violations, he said, adding he’s spoken with the city building department and the county Health Department. The city gave him 30 days to remedy the problem, but he called that impossible.