HOUSTON, Texas – A total of 26 cats were found living in a one-bedroom apartment in Harris County.
The cats were living in “unsafe living conditions,” according to the Houston Humane Society. All of the 26 cats were rescued and taken to the Humane Society where they all are recovering from some type of illness.
“So, it ranged from, pretty mild cases of like, upper respiratory infections to pretty severe cases to where some of their eyes need to be taken out,” said Samantha Delomba, lead veterinary technician at the Houston Humane Society. “So, it ranges.”
Harris County Animal Control officers received the cats from the owner on Friday. The owner surrendered the cats.
According to animal control officers, the owner initially brought home three unaltered cats. This is what led to the cats reproducing litter by litter to form a cat colony of 26 cats and kittens.
“Yeah, it is pretty tough to see,” Delomba said. “Some of them we’re pretty close to, you know, being too late, but most of them have a pretty good prognosis.”
One of the young kittens had its eye removed on Wednesday morning. Others are now receiving a cocktail of medication to treat the various illnesses that likely formed due to the neglect for care.
“It’s not something that just happens within the span of 24 hours or so,” Delomba told KPRC 2.
There’s one thing that could’ve prevented all of this: neutering and spaying the cats.
“We will always advocate for spay and neuter and your animals,” said Macey Khone of the Houston Humane Society. “This happened because the owner was not educated on where or how to receive spay neuter services for their animals.”
Owning an animal is getting more expensive, just like everything else in life.
However, there’s resources out there to help if you find yourself in a tight financial spot.
There are low cost clinics and even some free resources to help keep your pets safe and from unintentionally reproducing.
“I’m going to get help. I’m going to get help, I’m going to get help. And then it becomes embarrassing. We want to put the message out to the public. Don’t let it get to this point. It’s not embarrassing to ask for help. We are here,” Khone said. “There are tons of other task force partners that are here to help you and to help those animals seek refuge. As needed. We want to make sure that you’re healthy and that your pets are healthy. And we’re doing everything we can to make sure we educate our community about that message.”
To learn more about the programs the Houston Humane Society has, click here.