Vacant Bayport Home Draws Cats and Neighbor Concerns

A fire this past January torched several rooms of a south Bayport home, forcing tenants to relocate and leave several domestic cats behind at what some nearby residents say is quickly becoming a neighborhood eyesore.

The property at 230 Seaman Avenue is now just home to a half dozen abandoned felines being cared for by several residents who told Patch they are frustrated at failed efforts to have the animals rescued.

The abandoned cats, say neighbors, is just the latest issue in a series of incidents at the property in the past several years. Neighbors in 2011 raised concerns with Islip Town regarding animals housed on the property, which reportedly included a horse, a large pig as well as many felines.

A tour of the property shows evidence that neighbors are regularly bringing food and water to the cats. One local resident who spoke with Patch during such a food visit said efforts to find the cats homes have come up empty, despite the fact the cats are not feral and appear in very good health.

"They are very shy and they're getting a bit skitterish I think from living in the wild and not in a house," one woman said, requesting anonymity.

Yet not all neighbors believe the cats should be fed as the activity is encouraging other cats to the property.

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One thing residents seem to agree on is the need for animal rescue organizations to help, though several people involved said efforts to get the cats taken off the property have come up empty.

"There are just so many cats and no one has room or capacity to take them in," another neighbor told Patch.

According to Islip Town officials, the owner of the property must sign the animals over to the Town in order for its animal control and shelter to get involved. The Town can't enter the property without the owner's permission or without the owner being at the premises. The town can step in if animals are found injured or deceased, an official said.

According to Redfin.com, the home was sold in 2005 for $1.1 million.

The house is currently for sale with Prudential and priced at $650,000. The listing describes the home as a seven-bedroom, four-bath colonial built in 1888 on nearly two acres that adjoin State and Town preserves.

"House Is Sold As Is. Some fire damage to the kitchen and second floor bed room; needs complete  renovation. Two acre lot size allows for possible development site," states the listing, which also notes that the monthly tax bill is $1,858.

"As is" likely refers to the damaged home and property which is littered with junk, overgrown animal pens, two barns barely standing, large ground-moving equipment, boarded up windows, a New York City horse carriage, as well as an inground pool that appears to be in decaying condition.

Inside the house there is evidence of increasing vandalism with broken chandeliers, pulled out electrical systems, ripped up heating systems and broken windows. Beer bottles and cans litter the yards in front and back.