YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - An animal hoarding situation in Youngstown  ends with about 100 cats being pulled from a home and what officials estimate, could be one-thousand rats infesting the surrounding neighborhood.


City officials are calling the situation a "terrible health issue." Humane agents said the last "record breaker" in a cat hoarding situation was forty-three and that this one surpassed that number by the dozens.

Neighbors on Youngstown's west side shared with 21 News cell phone video showing about a dozen rats out on a sidewalk in the middle of the afternoon. Neighbors also complained about a strong odor coming from a home on Greenwood Street.

"I see they got window air conditioner but all that was doing was putting out stink, ammonia from the cats," said Neighbor David Macolaj.

When officials came out to investigate, that's exactly what they found. Dozens of cats and hundreds of rats.

"Hundreds and hundreds of rats. They can't calculate the exact number but they're speculating it may be a thousand, the way they have burrowed underground and in the structure of the house," explained Youngstown Law Director Jeff Limbian.

City officials "red tagged" the home, calling it uninhabitable.

"Everytime you go in it's an instant burning, like the ammonia is so thick it's actually burning the inside of your throat and nose everywhere you can feel it. You can feel it everywhere," said  Jane MacMurchy with Animal Charity Humane Society.

Ninety-seven cats were taken from the home. MacMurphy said some were already deceased, others were pregnant and one was even in active labor.

"There seem to be a lot of females that have had litters or are going to have litters, and are pregnant. So we can suspect this number whether we leave here with 70 or 100 will grow," said MacMurphy.

 A woman living inside the home was taken to the hospital for an evaluation.

"Usually when we come in contact with homes like this, which for us we do encounter these quite often, you can suspect that there would be some sort kind of mental health problem," said MacMurphy. "Adult Protective Services was on scene and they are helping the woman."

The cats are now in the care of Animal Charity. They are asking for donations to help care for these animals.

Needed items include:

  • 6 Qt. containers to use at litter boxes
  • small food and water dishes
  • cat food
  • cat litter
  • cat crates
  • cleaning supplies
"The most important need is obviously going to be monetary donations because they are going to need a lot of emergency medical care," said MacMurphy.
 
More information on Animal Charity, can be found here.