PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Metro Animal Shelter is now caring for 44 cats that were taken from an apartment in Sumner after their owner died – and they need your help.
According to staff, the owner passed away earlier this week.
“Her family members accepted our help in removing the cats, and provided valuable assistance in helping to contain the cats to help expedite getting them out of the apartment,” the shelter shared.
All the cats were transported to the shelter in Puyallup, where they received examinations, vaccinations, and emergency housing.
They appear to be between the ages of less than 1 month old to 3 years old and are in good health.
The shelter says the cats are all friendly with people.
“This is not a cruelty or neglect investigation, as the owner is deceased and her family accepted our help while grieving the loss of their loved one,” the shelter said. “This is, however, another clear example of how quickly that cats can multiply, even within one household, without being spayed or neutered.”
All of the cats will need to be spayed or neutered before they can be adopted into forever homes.
This large intake of cats has placed a significant strain on Metro Animal Shelter. The facility was already at capacity for cats before police called and asked for their help.
If you’d like to help, you can adopt one of the other cats or kittens at the shelter to free up space and give an animal a loving home.
“Every adoption gives us one more kennel to help these new cats decompress, receive some TLC from our staff and volunteers, and get adoption-ready,” the shelter said.
You can also donate bags of non-clumping kitty litter to the shelter or donate toward spay/neuter services, vaccinations, microchips, and any needed medical care for these cats.
“Donations toward the cost of these services will help to keep the adoption fees as low as possible so these cats can quickly find new homes, while also receiving the very best care in getting ready for their adoption day,” staff said.