19 cats rescued from 'house of horrors' in Old Bridge
OLD BRIDGE – Nineteen cats have been rescued from a possible hoarding situation at a Pewter Court home, according to police.
Police said they went to the home on Aug. 3 on a welfare check and while speaking with the resident, the officer smelled a strong odor of cat urine.
The township's code enforcement department, animal control and health department were notified, police said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, animal control officers had removed 19 cats. Eight are at the Old Bridge Animal Shelter and 11 are at an animal rescue group.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
Neighbors told News 12 Jersey they had been calling the homeowners association to look into the possible hoarding for two years.
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Elaine Brodsky, director and owner of Happy Homes Animal Rescue, which took in several of the cats, said they are "extremely underweight and none have been spayed or neutered."
"They are all flea-infested," Brodsky said. "They were starving when they arrived but are now receiving the care that they need."
Brodsky said all the female cats are lactating.
"There were a bunch of kittens removed, but the concern is that there are really young kittens in the house that we can't find," she said. "We're going to try to trap the rest of the cats."
A post on the Happy Homes Animal Rescue Facebook page detailed the conditions found in what the post calls a "house of horrors."
"There are still cats trapped inside this house that we would love to save but we can’t do it without help! We need foster, adopters, and donations asap in order to continue our work. Please help us help them!"
To make a donation, foster or adopt a cat, go to the Happy Homes Animal Rescue Facebook page or visit www.happyhomesinc.org.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, the rescue group had raised $955.
Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com
Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Old Bridge NJ animal control officers rescue 19 cats from hoarding
