GREENVILLE, Mich — Nearly 50 cats were discovered in a Greenville home Monday afternoon on Lafayette Avenue. Non-profit animal rescue groups are now working to find shelter for them.
Those who entered the home did find a few dead cats during the search.
The homeowner had been working to evict the tenants for at least four months, but the eviction moratorium put a stop to those efforts.
"I plan to prosecute them to the fullest," said Amy Tippit, the homeowner, "because I’ve never seen something this sad. We don’t do this to our animals."
Michele Schaut, of Michele's Rescue, said there was "about a foot of cat feces on everything." Tippit said neighbors had been complaining about the smell for months, but she was not able to access the building because she said the tenants were not evicted yet.
"We climbed into the windows, because they changed the locks," said Schaut, "and it was intense. I thought I could handle it, but we were five seconds in and I dry heaved out the window."
Greenville Police said they are working to find the tenants for possible charges, but the priority is now is to get all of the cats out of the house.
Michele's Rescue and Cannonsville Critters are both taking in the cats as animal care and control did not have enough space.
"I’ve never seen anything like it," said Schaut, "and I’ve been doing rescues since '97."
There was no water or food available for the animals when they arrived. At least one cat was pregnant. Tippit said she saw some living in the walls.
The rescuers are looking for help with veterinary bills and people who are able to foster the felines.
"We’re going to have to totally gut it right to the studs," said Tippit, "because it is such a filthy, filthy mess."
Tippit said she called police and animal control Friday, but it wasn't until she reached out to Michele's Rescue that someone came to free the animals.
They are also asking other area shelters to provide care to these cats.
A 13 ON YOUR SIDE crew said you can smell the odor coming from the home on the other side of the street.
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