More than 20 cats found without access to food, water and heat were surrendered on Feb. 25, the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office said, in the latest animal hoarding or abuse incident reported across Michigan.
Twenty-plus cats were abandoned inside a Maple Ridge Township home where the resident had been hospitalized “for the foreseeable future,” the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office said on Feb. 26.
The cats were removed from the home on Feb 25 by the Sheriff’s Office with the help of Alpena County Animal Control and Second Chance Animal Shelter.
“It’s been a tough few days, on Wednesday one of our shelter volunteers assisted Alpena County Animal Control with a cat hoarding situation and spent hours containing 20+ cats that were in horrific living conditions,” the shelter said in a Facebook post on Feb. 27. “We have taken in a number of cats that are going to need a specialized diet, veterinary care and lots of love and attention.”
The shelter said while seeking donations that in addition to basic needs, it plans to spay or neuter the cats, which will cost more than $200 each.
“The cats are severely dehydrated and underweight, several are going to need medical attention,” the shelter said in a separate post.
In recent weeks, police and animal shelters across Michigan have reported multiple hoarding situations. In Genesee County, more than 60 animals were found in a filthy home. Nearly 40 dogs were found in a home in Detroit this month.
The release did not say whether the individual who owned the cats had been living without necessities or if the situation arose after their hospitalization.
Cats were distributed to the county shelter, Second Chance shelter and the Huron Humane Society, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The Sheriff’s Office said deputies had been at the same home in 2024, but no enforcement action took place at that time.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: More than 20 cats found in Alpena County home. What happened
Reporting by Dan Basso, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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