lizzielou742
11-10-2004, 08:35 PM
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/11/06/BAGHR9NBI21.DTL
SAN CARLOS
81 cats found, taken from house
Ex-nun, nurse said they'd hoped to find homes for them all
Ulysses Torassa, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, November 6, 2004
Two women who apparently thought they could find homes for stray cats ended up living with 81 felines in a San Carlos home reeking of urine and feces, animal control officers discovered Friday.
The cats were remarkably well-fed, and most appeared to be in good health, said Scott Delucchi of the Peninsula Humane Society. But the conditions inside the home were so bad that the health department ruled it unfit for habitation, and the landlord says it will cost thousands of dollars to repair the damage.
"In all of our 25 years of renting -- we've had up to 250 units or thereabouts -- we have never experienced anything like this,'' said the landlord, who asked to be identified only as Joe, as he stood outside the home on the 1200 block of Alameda de las Pulgas.
He said the two tenants, whom he declined to name, were an ex-nun and a nurse in their 60s and 70s. They began renting the home in May.
"They appeared so well-qualified (as tenants) and totally pleasant -- and they totally snookered us,'' he said.
It is not known whether either woman will face criminal charges. Debi Denardi, one of four humane society officers who donned masks and ventured inside the home to rescue the cats, said the district attorney would eventually make that decision.
Denardi said the smell of ammonia from the animal waste was overpowering and that cats had been found in every nook and cranny of the 1,100-square foot, two-bedroom home.
"They were under the couches, on top of the shelves, and there was feces everywhere,'' she said.
The woman who was home at the time seemed genuinely contrite about the mess and told the officers that she had been trying to find homes for the cats, but realized she had gotten in over her head, Denardi said.
"One cat became 10, and 10 became 20, and 20 became 81,'' Denardi said.
Authorities became aware of the situation when a carpet-cleaning company that had been called to the house Friday morning made a report to police.
The landlord, however, said he had gotten an inkling something was wrong last week when he accompanied a handyman to the property to trim a mulberry tree and smelled something awful. When he looked through a kitchen window, he saw several cats, even though the rental agreement stated the tenants were allowed only two.
He said he had confronted one of the women and insisted that they clean up the mess immediately. She told him that the situation had gotten out of hand because her roommate had been ill and unable to care for the animals.
The landlord said he had suspected there might be as many as two dozen cats on the premises, and was shocked to learn the grand total was 81.
Delucchi said it was believed to be the largest case of cat hoarding on the Peninsula in at least 25 years.
The cats, most of which appeared well-socialized, would be checked out by a veterinarian in the coming days, Delucchi said, and would be available to good homes shortly.
Anyone interested in adopting one of the cats can call the Peninsula Humane Society at (650) 340-7022 or visit its Web site, www.peninsulahumanesociety.org/adopt. Anyone interested in adopting one of the cats can call the Peninsula Humane Society at (650) 340-7022 or visit its Web site, www.peninsulahumanesociety.org/adopt. E-mail Ulysses Torassa at [email protected].
---------------
Sad. :( But hopefully the cats will find good homes. These people seemed to have good intentions, but ended up letting it get out of hand.
As a fun bonus, translate the name of the street the apartment is on ("Alameda de las Pulgas'). ;) :p
SAN CARLOS
81 cats found, taken from house
Ex-nun, nurse said they'd hoped to find homes for them all
Ulysses Torassa, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, November 6, 2004
Two women who apparently thought they could find homes for stray cats ended up living with 81 felines in a San Carlos home reeking of urine and feces, animal control officers discovered Friday.
The cats were remarkably well-fed, and most appeared to be in good health, said Scott Delucchi of the Peninsula Humane Society. But the conditions inside the home were so bad that the health department ruled it unfit for habitation, and the landlord says it will cost thousands of dollars to repair the damage.
"In all of our 25 years of renting -- we've had up to 250 units or thereabouts -- we have never experienced anything like this,'' said the landlord, who asked to be identified only as Joe, as he stood outside the home on the 1200 block of Alameda de las Pulgas.
He said the two tenants, whom he declined to name, were an ex-nun and a nurse in their 60s and 70s. They began renting the home in May.
"They appeared so well-qualified (as tenants) and totally pleasant -- and they totally snookered us,'' he said.
It is not known whether either woman will face criminal charges. Debi Denardi, one of four humane society officers who donned masks and ventured inside the home to rescue the cats, said the district attorney would eventually make that decision.
Denardi said the smell of ammonia from the animal waste was overpowering and that cats had been found in every nook and cranny of the 1,100-square foot, two-bedroom home.
"They were under the couches, on top of the shelves, and there was feces everywhere,'' she said.
The woman who was home at the time seemed genuinely contrite about the mess and told the officers that she had been trying to find homes for the cats, but realized she had gotten in over her head, Denardi said.
"One cat became 10, and 10 became 20, and 20 became 81,'' Denardi said.
Authorities became aware of the situation when a carpet-cleaning company that had been called to the house Friday morning made a report to police.
The landlord, however, said he had gotten an inkling something was wrong last week when he accompanied a handyman to the property to trim a mulberry tree and smelled something awful. When he looked through a kitchen window, he saw several cats, even though the rental agreement stated the tenants were allowed only two.
He said he had confronted one of the women and insisted that they clean up the mess immediately. She told him that the situation had gotten out of hand because her roommate had been ill and unable to care for the animals.
The landlord said he had suspected there might be as many as two dozen cats on the premises, and was shocked to learn the grand total was 81.
Delucchi said it was believed to be the largest case of cat hoarding on the Peninsula in at least 25 years.
The cats, most of which appeared well-socialized, would be checked out by a veterinarian in the coming days, Delucchi said, and would be available to good homes shortly.
Anyone interested in adopting one of the cats can call the Peninsula Humane Society at (650) 340-7022 or visit its Web site, www.peninsulahumanesociety.org/adopt. Anyone interested in adopting one of the cats can call the Peninsula Humane Society at (650) 340-7022 or visit its Web site, www.peninsulahumanesociety.org/adopt. E-mail Ulysses Torassa at [email protected].
---------------
Sad. :( But hopefully the cats will find good homes. These people seemed to have good intentions, but ended up letting it get out of hand.
As a fun bonus, translate the name of the street the apartment is on ("Alameda de las Pulgas'). ;) :p