I have friends with five cats and they're indoor-outdoor munchkins so it never feels like there are that many in the house at once. I cannot imagine 300 cats in an apartment. This is honestly beyond imagination. This picture is worth more than a thousand words!
Hoarding cases are difficult to read about and the people involved typically are overwhelmed and just don't ask for help when it's needed but when I saw this story I needed all the details.
Toronto Animal Services were contacted when neighbors that lived in a high-rise building in Toronto started complaining about the conditions of one of the two-bedroom apartments. When they saw there were 300 cats in this apartment they realized that the situation needed back-up and Toronto Cat Rescue was called in to help.
We're so glad they arrived when they did. The dodo interviewed the rescue and reported,
"It's crazy to try and imagine how 300 cats could fit inside a two-bedroom apartment, and it was even crazier for the rescuers to witness in person. The conditions inside the apartment were unlike any they had ever seen before, and everyone was baffled at how the situation had gotten to that point."
Can you imagine the smell? The situation was clearly overwhelming but we learned that the cats were calm and very friendly.
The dodo also tells us,
"One by one, the cats were removed from the apartment in a few different waves. Toronto Cat Rescue helped remove 187 cats from the apartment, and took in 80 to their rescue. The remaining hundred or so cats were removed within the next few days, and all 300 cats are now safely in the care of rescues and fosters, getting the love and attention that's impossible to get when you're one of 300."
The cats taken in by Toronto Cat Rescue will be ready for adoption soon.
Toronto Cat Rescue has 70 of the 300 cats,
"The cats and kittens are doing well in their foster homes. We are so grateful to our volunteers and staff who stepped up to the plate to get cats of the apartment right away. "
Toronto has a limit of 6 cats to one home.
Many apartments require a pet deposit! I wonder what the pet policy is for this apartment building and how this hoarding situation unraveled. When you move-in with a few cats no one notices but you'd have to be pretty sneaky to get this many cats in.
Have you ever rescued a stray cat? Let us know in the comments section below!
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