Washoe County Regional Animal Services rescued several dozen cats from a hoarding situation at a Reno apartment over the past few weeks.
The Washoe County Sheriff's Office responded to an apartment on Kuenzli Street on August 20th for a lawful eviction.
Deputies discovered cats inside and called Animal Services. It was unknown exactly how many cats there were at the time.
We previously reported that Animal Services removed 80 cats. Today, they confirmed that number increased to 83, including newborn kittens removed on Monday.
An investigation into animal cruelty is ongoing, but we do know the cats are doing okay.
"The cats in general were overall in decent health, considering how many were in there. They were hungry and thirsty,” says Shyanne Schull, Director of Washoe County Regional Animal Services.
Schull says, unlike previous hoarding situations where dozens of cats were rescued, no one was home during this case. This allowed Animal Services to take their time with humane traps that don't stress out the cats as much, compared to trying to seize the cats in a couple of days.
“We went out 33 times to the property to remove cats,” she says. “We set those traps; we checked them multiple times a day and ultimately finally concluded our effort this week."
The bad news is they had to take in a lot more pets just a few days later.
“We had roughly 30 to 40 cats that had already been trapped when the Hawk Fire broke out,” Schull says. “Then we were also accommodating evacuees in our care. So we had over 80 cats on top of what we already had that needed to be evacuated for the fire. We were definitely put into a precarious situation."
Animal Services is working to get these cats adopted. Many of them need to be spayed or neutered, and others need medical treatment.
The Nevada Humane Society tells us it's taken in 30 of these cats. Of those, 25 have already found new homes, and five remain available.
“The ones that are left are shy, understandably withdrawn,” Schull says. “They've been through a lot in the last couple of weeks, and they also came from a property in a household with over 80 cats that were inside. So they're stressed out."
With cats moving quickly, the hope is that Animal Services can return to normal soon.
“What was here Monday has all changed today,” says Schull. “The hope is that we'll get back to a normal range of operating and we'll be able to resume normal routine."
For the time being, Animal Services is asking you not to bring in cats unless they need immediate medical attention.
The other big way you can support them is through donations. You can either donate money online or bring one of the items on their wish list in person. That information can be found on Washoe County’s website.
