Nearly 40 cats are believed to remain inside a mobile home at Garden Homes Trailer Park in Glenville. The resident has been unable to get back in for five days after the locks were changed, according to a NEWS10 report. Passersby have reported smelling urine outside the home.
The trailer belongs to Russel Gundloch, who told NEWS10 that he had taken in a few stray cats, but their numbers grew beyond what he could manage. The station reported that Gundloch had been evicted before the locks were changed and that a local park manager had been instructed to change them. Gundloch did not explain who ordered the change.
The Schenectady County SPCA has been working on the case since August 2025 and had removed 27 cats from the property as of last November. The nonprofit is seeking placements for the roughly 40 cats still believed to be inside and is asking the public to foster, adopt, or donate toward their care as area shelters run short on space.
No Charges, No Timeline
Andrew Fiumano, deputy chief of humane law enforcement for the Schenectady County SPCA, said the agency is treating the situation as one in which an individual needs help, rather than pursuing criminal charges, citing Gundloch's cooperation with investigators. NEWS10 reported that no timeline had been set for removing the remaining cats.
Garden Homes Management has acknowledged the situation publicly. The company's general counsel, Brian Daley, said management was doing everything possible to address it promptly and that he understood the cats had continued to receive food since Monday.
A Recurring Problem Across the Region
Cases like this one aren't isolated to Glenville. The Daily Gazette reports that Schenectady County sees roughly four animal-hoarding cases a year, part of an estimated 3,000 to 3,500 reported nationwide annually, and that cats are believed to be the most commonly hoarded animal of all. In 2015, 41 cats were pulled from a Canajoharie man's trailer in what the Gazette described as a severe hoarding case, a number strikingly close to what's reported in Glenville now.
The pattern has shown up elsewhere in the region too. In July 2024, NEWS10 reported that about 60 cats were found at a separate Schenectady home, requiring multiple agencies to assist in the rescue. Further south, WNYT reported that Catskill police arrested two people after recovering nearly 100 cats from a condemned North Street apartment, while the ASPCA has said it once removed more than 100 cats from unsanitary, overcrowded conditions in New York City in a single day.
Shelters Already Stretched Thin
The Schenectady County SPCA's request for help comes as area shelters are running short on space. The national intake, adoption, and cat-outcome figures previously cited here have been removed because they could not be independently verified from the research materials provided.
Foster homes are needed year-round
The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society says foster homes are urgently needed during kitten season, typically from late spring to early fall, and throughout the year. It does not say whether it has capacity for cats in this case.
The Schenectady County SPCA describes itself as a nonprofit law-enforcement organization whose investigators are designated New York State peace officers, authorized to make arrests for misdemeanor and felony violations of the state's animal-cruelty laws. In this case, the agency has chosen not to pursue charges, instead framing its response around getting the cats placed and getting Gundloch support. No further details on how many of the nearly 40 cats have since been fostered or adopted were available at the time of reporting, and NEWS10 says it will continue following the situation as more information becomes available.
