55 cats rescued from overcrowded home in northern Minnesota
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Dozens of cats were rescued Wednesday from an overcrowded home in northern Minnesota.
The Animal Humane Society says its humane investigations team found 55 cats living in a "cramped single-family home."
The shelter reports that most of the cats seemed to be generally healthy, but some were being treated for respiratory disease, which can spread quickly in overcrowded areas.
The shelter says the owner released the cats willingly to ensure they would get the medical and behavioral care they need.
"The nuances of the case are very interesting," said Dr. Graham Brayshaw.
Brayshaw said it's not uncommon to see a hoarding case involving up to 50 cats in a home. But what is unusual is that they find the animals healthy and in relatively good shape.
"It was something that these were actually pretty well taken care of. Amazingly, off the top of his head, the owner knew all the names of all of the cats," Brayshaw said.
Brayshaw said the homeowner may have underestimated how fast cat numbers can increase, as the animals can have multiple litters a year.
"It's amazing how quickly you can go from just a couple cats to dozens or 50, 60 cats. It can be just a few breeding cycles of cats," said Brayshaw.
The homeowner also had some medical issues, so he willingly surrendered his cats to the humane society, which is also rare.
"They knew there was a problem, they knew they couldn't continue care. There were definitely tears the day he handed them over to us but also some tears of joy knowing they were getting taken care of as well," said Brayshaw.
Once the cats get up to date on their shots and go through physical exams, they'll be ready for adoption. And that could happen as early as next week.
People interested in adopting can check out the humane society's website to see which cats are available. And you don't need to make an appointment to see the animals.
"We do first come, first serve when it comes to adoption. It lets us place as many animals as quickly as we can," said Brayshaw.
Some of the cats were treated for a respiratory infection, but it's not a long-term problem and they will likely be healthy enough to be adopted by early next week.
The Animal Humane Society is seeking donations to help care for the reduced cats and give them all a fresh start.
In August, the Animal Humane Society received a $15,000 grant from Petco Love to help support their work for critters around the Twin Cities.
The Golden Valley-based animal shelter says it helps nearly 100,000 animals every year through shelters, vital programs and services to keep pets and people together. Last year alone the Animal Humane Society took in more than 13,000 pets.