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MARTIN COUNTY, Florida (WPBF) — Authorities in Martin County rescued 92 animals from the home of a postal service carrier, reuniting several of them with their original owners after they were kept in what officials described as horrific conditions.
On Monday, the animals were removed from the home and taken to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast.
One of the owners, Linh Nguy, was reunited with her cat, Patchy, after months of searching.
“I cried so much when I lost him. There were so many nights I couldn’t sleep,” Nguy said.
For more than six months, Nguy had been searching for Patchy.
“I prayed for a miracle,” she said.
That miracle came true on Monday when she was watching WPBF 25 News.
“I had a very strong feeling that my cat was one of the 80 cats found,” Nguy said.
Patchy had been just a 16-minute drive from her home in Stuart.
“This is Patchy. Say hi, Patchy,” she said.
Patchy is one of eight cats officials have already identified and linked to their original owners.
“One of the people who came here this morning was a neighbor who a few years ago lost her cat, and she said to me, ‘I had no idea the cat could be living next door,'” said Frank Valente, president of the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast.
The animals were found at the home of Gail Giustino, 77, who investigators say had been trapping cats along her mail route.
“It looks like on her mail route, she would identify cats that were loose—not feral cats, but cats that were loose—and come back with traps, trap the cats, and then bring them home,” said Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek. “In her mind, and she told us that, she thought she was doing the world a favor by taking these cats in. These are people’s pets.”
With all 92 animals now at the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast, Budensiek expressed hope for their future.
“Today is actually a happy day. It’s kind of a bittersweet day, but it’s a happy day for some families who thought that their pet was forever gone,” he said.
The sheriff also addressed the community’s mixed reactions to the case.
“It’s our job to do the right thing by everybody. Save the animals, reunite the ones that we can, and then try to get her the help and the judicial help that she can get,” Budensiek said. “So, we may not be able to make everybody happy, but I think they should be happy that we saved at least 92 animals from a living hell.”
The remaining animals are expected to be ready for adoption in the next few days.
This Friday, July 24, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., a deputy will be at the Humane Society to help facilitate any reunifications. The public is welcome if they think they’re missing their cat.
A missing pet report can be filed at 772-463-3211.
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