Feral cats have reportedly turned the childhood house of former U.S. president Donald Trump into their home.
Neighbours who live nearby told real estate publication Curbed that there are about 20 to 30 felines who live at the Tudor-style property, located in New York’s Jamaica Estates area in Queens. The cats are fed by a volunteer. A sign on the lawn warns visitors: “Do not take kittens from this property.” A “pungent smell” emanates from the front yard, per Curbed.
However, the furry residents of the home where Trump lived until he was four seem to be the least of the neighbours’ worries. A more serious issue is how dilapidated the property has become.
According to the New York Times, the five-bedroom home was built by Trump’s father, Fred Trump.
Since the young Trump lived at the address, it has been owned by a variety of buyers, including a couple who purchased the home for US$782,500 in 2008, the New York Post reported. They sold it to a “mystery buyer” in 2016 in “a US$1.25 million deal,” the publication said.
Over the years, it was sold a handful of times. It was even listed as an Airbnb for US$725 a night, publications like CNN and the Associated Press reported at the time.
In 2019, the home hit the market again, with a price tag of US$2.9 million, Forbes reported. There were no buyers. It was set to be sold at an auction, but after dwindling interest, it was called off.
A GoFund Me campaign was launched in 2020 with the goal of raising US$3 million to purchase the home. Potential uses for it included turning it into a presidential library, museum, historic site, a house of worship, or a single family home, per the GoFundMe webpage. The campaign raised nearly US$8,000.
Neighbours say as well as the cats, the home has had its fair share of issues: a burst pipe flooded the basements of other houses in the area and another problem with the property caused a power outage that left some without air conditioning in the summer for a week, Curbed reported.
“A neighbour’s security camera caught an attempted break-in,” per the publication, and its outward appearance has turned dismal. “The mailbox is stuffed with overdue bills, the doorknob is smashed, and cobwebs have taken over the windows.”
The owner has been impossible to contact, neighbours told Curbed. One neighbour said her hope is that someone takes over and cares for the home. As for the cats? It seems they’ll be the primary residents for now.
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