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, McHenry County Department of Health spokesman Nick Kubiak 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 seven cats were either adopted or transferred to rescues.”

According to McHenry County court documents, a veterinarian initially recommended that 12 of the cats be euthanized because of 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, according to orders in McHenry County court.

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