72 cats looking for good home after being rescued

Crookston, MN (WDAY TV) -- A shocking story capturing the hearts of pet lovers alike. One lady in Crookston, didn't just have one or two cats, but at least 72. Police and the humane society are involved, removing all those cats, many of them sick, from that home.

Tracey Janisch is the volunteer shelter manager at the Crookston Human Society. She is holding one of 72 cats taken from a home in the city. Most of the fur on this male cat had to be shaved. "

Janisch: "Matted so bad, he had feces on him he was not in good shape. "

The majority of the cats is not in good shape.They have respiratory conditions and serious eye infections.

Janisch: “Any of the long haired ones that you see all of them have feces on them.”

The cats have been rescued in small groups the last few months because they are all hard to find.

Tracey Janisch : "As far as we know they are up in the ceiling, they are in the walls, they are everywhere according to what we are being told"

The woman who owned the cats name and her address are being kept confidential.

Tracey Janisch / Shelter Manager: "And now we are to the point to where there are even more. She is just not sure how many more. "

Tracey Janisch / : "I think it was a bad situation where we was trying to help out a few cats and it got out of hand. That happen by not getting them spay or neutered. "

The Crookston Humane Society is licensed to have 32 cats, and right now they are more than double that. That bean they are on borrowed time to get these cats healthy and up for adoption.

Jacinth: "If they are not adoptable as far as them being feral or wild we will give them away for free to a farm."

The shelter is no kill, meaning only under extreme conditions animals are put to sleep. It has cut the price of adoption in half to find these cats homes quickly."

City law allows only three dogs or cats in a home. A clear violation, here. We could not reach police to see if charges are pending.

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