Providence Animal Center saves 12 cats from hoarding house
UPPER PROVIDENCE » Providence Animal Center Humane Society officers responded to a hoarding case involving 12 cats. The homeowner and guardian of the cats passed away unexpectedly, but her cats were still living in the home, unattended.
The home they were seized from is located on Burmont Road in Havertown. The living conditions were deplorable, with feces piled all over the home and urine-saturated floors, surfaces and furniture. “The smells were immediately overwhelming; it just absolutely took your breath away with the amount of ammonia in the air,” Humane Society Officer Ron Riggle said. “I’ve been in some terrible houses before, but this one was by far one of the worst we have ever seen.”
The husband of the owner of the cats would periodically stop by to feed them, but not in a way that was sanitary for the cats, so Providence officials had to intervene. According to Riggle, the husband of the owner of the cats would feed them by opening a bag of cat food and tossing it all over the home for them to eat, while it was mixed in with the feces and urine.
It took humane officers about a month to get into the home and rescue the cats due to the husband not being present when they went to the home. All 12 cats are in good health with no major problems. They are now safe at Providence Animal Center and waiting for adoption.
Providence Animal Center is located at 555 Sandy Bank Road, Upper Providence. Hours of adoption are noon-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. To see some of the cats available for adoption, visit www.providenceac.org.