The Pennsylvania SPCA’s Animal Law Enforcement Team removed 38 cats and one dog yesterday from a home on the 7100 block of Whitaker Avenue in Philadelphia.
The PSPCA’s Animal Law Enforcement team was contacted after the FBI, while executing an unrelated search warrant at the property, discovered the home to be unsanitary and housing multiple animals.
The interior of the residence was found to be filled with an overabundance of belongings as well as feces, urine, and empty food bags and boxes, with several cats observed throughout the property.
The Pennsylvania SPCA ALE officers, assisted by ACCT Philly, spent hours onsite working to safely capture and remove animals from the home. By the end of the day, 38 cats and one dog had been removed.
Because additional cats remain on the property, the PSPCA team has set humane traps and plans to return today, and if necessary in the coming days, to continue the rescue effort. It is not uncommon in cases involving large numbers of cats for a rescue operation to span several days.
All animals removed from the property were transported to the Pennsylvania SPCA’s Philadelphia headquarters, where they will undergo forensic examinations and receive any necessary medical care.
The animals have not yet been signed over to the custody of the PSPCA and will be held in the care of the organization until such time or the adjudication of the court case.
Charges in this case are pending the results of a forensic examination.
“Our Animal Law Enforcement team sprang into action yesterday upon learning that animals were living in deplorable and unsanitary conditions inside this home,” said Nicole Wilson, Director of Animal Law Enforcement and Shelter Operations at the Pennsylvania SPCA. “Thanks to the swift work of our officers and the invaluable assistance of our partners at ACCT Philly, 38 cats and one dog are now safe. It is our hope that, in time, each of them will find the loving new homes and new beginnings they deserve.”
Anyone with information about this case or other cases of animal cruelty is urged to call the Pennsylvania SPCA’s Cruelty Hotline at (866) 601-SPCA, or cruelty@pspca.org. Tips can be left anonymously.
About
About The Pennsylvania SPCA
Since 1867, the Pennsylvania SPCA, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization headquartered at 350 East Erie Avenue, Philadelphia, has been dedicated to preventing animal cruelty and rescuing animals from abuse and neglect. The Pennsylvania SPCA’s lifesaving programs for animals include a low-cost veterinary clinic, low-cost spay and neuter services, pet adoption facilities, and the Pennsylvania SPCA Animal Law Enforcement Department. For more information about adopting, donating or volunteering, please call (215) 426.6300 or visit www.pspca.org.
