Update: While humane agents were back at the residence Thursday, one of the cats delivered babies while she was in a live trap. Add three newborn kittens to the total.
The Humane Society of Richland County removed 27 animals Wednesday from a house where the residents had been evicted.
As of Thursday morning, there were still seven cats at 348 Grace St.
Of the 27 animals initially removed, there were 21 cats and six dogs.
"The animals don't look bad, but some of the cats have upper respiratory issues, which is not unusual when you have so many cats," said Linda Chambers, executive director of the humane society.
She called the situation "unique and heartbreaking."
"I genuinely believe this is not the outcome the people wanted," Chambers said.
She said the society received a call from 5th Ward Councilman Aurelio Diaz about the situation Tuesday morning. Mansfield police called that night to say the people had been evicted.
"It was back on our radar," Chambers said.
She said the humane society previously had been notified of the situation and scheduled a well-being check for Thursday.
Police gave Chambers the phone number of the property owner "so that I could confirm that the people were out of the house. That's what expedited it."
Diaz said he heard from some of the people involved with the skate park about the pending eviction of the family of four.
'Heartbreaking' to see the animals left behind
"I was just trying to find a home for them," he said. "I didn't know they had animals."
He said it was "heartbreaking" to see them temporarily left behind.
Chambers and agents from the humane society were on the scene Wednesday, facing deplorable conditions and not sure how many animals were there. She said she saw a cat go under a bed, but when an agent picked up the bed, there were eight cats under it.
"We made quite a few trips back and forth," Chambers said.
She closed the humane society Wednesday and Thursday while getting the new arrivals situated and vaccinated. Chambers hoped the facility would reopen Friday.
Community donates to help with animal care
Chambers made a plea for donations to care for the influx of animals, and as usual, the community responded, meeting the $4,000 goal in only four hours.
The humane society still needs non-clumping cat litter and canned cat food, Chambers said.
Even if the facility is closed, Chambers and staff are still there at 3025 Park Avenue West in Ontario to take donations.
Diaz said the family is staying with friends for the time being.
She said she hasn't thought about asking for criminal charges and urged people to have compassion for the pet owners.
"People get passionate about holding someone accountable, but we're always most concerned about the animals," Chambers said.
She said the animals should be suitable for adoption at some point. In the meantime, she pointed out the humane society has plenty of animals available now, including a number of adult cats.
"It would help us to get to a more manageable level," Chambers said if people would adopt.
For more information, visit adoptourstrays.com.
mcaudill@gannett.com
419-521-7219
X: @MarkCau32059251
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Humane Society gets influx of animals from home where residents had been evicted
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