PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — A Pierce County couple says they have been given one week by animal control to remove more than 20 cats from their home to comply with local ordinances.
Jon Salazar and Carrie Sell-Salazar currently have 27 cats in their residence, though the county’s legal limit for their property size is five.
The couple has rescued and adopted out more than 400 cats over several years, but they consider the remaining 27 to be their permanent family. Many of these cats are “foster fails” or animals with special needs that have lived with the couple for years.
“They would be so unhappy not in our home, and we would be worried for them,” Sell-Salazar said.
Sell-Salazar said an animal control officer visited them on Thursday and told them they would have to give up the cats within one week.
“I said, ‘I’m going to need some time,’” Sell-Salazar said. “She said, ‘No, I’m giving you one week.’”
Salazar said they consider the animals to be like their children rather than temporary rescues.
“If something happens to one of them, it happens to all of them,” he said. “We don’t want to break up a family.”
The couple provides medical care and maintenance for all 27 cats using their own resources. Every cat in the home is spayed, neutered and vaccinated.
“If one cat has a sniffle, it’s going to the vet,” Sell-Salazar said. “We use our own money. We sacrifice our own time.”
Sell-Salazar said she was previously unaware that a special license was required to house that many animals. She expressed a willingness to seek proper documentation but noted that the current timeline is a barrier.
“I’m willing to do all of that,” she said. “But I need time and I feel like one week, for me to displace 21, 22 cats into homes within one week, It’s not possible.”
While she works to fill out a license application, the couple is scrambling.
“The shelters are full,” Sell-Salazar said. “Why would they want my cats? I don’t understand.”
Despite the pending deadline, the couple has received significant support from the local community. Dozens of friends and neighbors have reportedly offered to testify on behalf of the Sell-Salazars regarding the care and condition of the animals should it be necessary.
“We just want to take care of these cats until they live their lives,” Sell-Salazar said. “We don’t want to lose them.”
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office provided general information regarding animal licensing options but did not comment on the specifics of the couple’s case. Animal control falls under the jurisdiction of the sheriff’s office.
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