40 cats that were kept in U-Haul van in Island Lake euthanized

Forty of 47 cats found living for months in an “unsanitary” U-Haul van in Island Lake had to be euthanized, Nick Kubiak, spokesman for the McHenry County Department of Helath, said Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, given the circumstances and the unsanitary conditions the cats were living in, 40 of the 47 cats had to be euthanized for an inability to thrive with highly communicable zoonotic diseases,” Kubiak said. “The remaining 7 cats were either adopted or transferred to rescues.”

McHenry County court documents said a veterinarian initially recommended 12 of the cats be euthanized due to their poor health.

Two people pleaded guilty in the case to one count each of animal cruelty, Class A misdemeanors, and were sentenced to 40 days in the county jail and one year of conditional discharge. Both also were ordered to seek mental health evaluations, orders in the McHenry County court said.

Patryk Popek, 32, of Island Lake, and Nicole Blotnicki, 32, of Glenview, were accused of housing dozens of cats in a Ford Transit U-Haul van found in Island Lake for at least two months, according to criminal complaints.

The cats, found March 13, 2024, were kept in “a life-threatening situation for a prolonged period of time,” according to a petition.

The couple allowed the cats to live in conditions that were unsafe, unsanitary and “extreme,” and besides their health problems, there was inbreeding among the animals, and they lacked veterinary care, according to court documents. The cats were seized by Island Lake police and placed with McHenry County Animal Control, according to a petition.

The couple were ordered to pay McHenry County Animal Control $15,300 to care for the cats, including three that were pregnant, records show.