The animals were taken from a house in the 600 block of Elmbank Street, said Officer Christine Luffey, who added that police know the identities of the former residents. Charges are expected to be filed after results are obtained from a necropsy on a dead kitten that is being conducted by a veterinarian at the Animal Friends shelter in Ohio Township.
Most of the surviving cats are being cared for by the volunteer nonprofit Homeless Cat Management Team. Five cats were taken to Animal Friends.
When Officer Luffey went to the house Monday, HCMT volunteers Tarra Provident and Mary Kay Gentert, both Brookline residents, were there.
Neighbors had posted on the HCMT Facebook page, asking for help for cats that had been abandoned in late March, Ms. Gentert said.
After obtaining a search warrant, Officer Luffey entered the house. Most of the cats were seized Monday, but police and volunteers set humane traps and removed several more Tuesday.
The house was filled with cat urine and feces, as well as swarming flies around plastic bags containing dead kittens, the officer and volunteers said.
Ms. Luffey suspects the kittens died of starvation. If the necropsy on the kitten confirms that, the owner could be charged with a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. Less serious summary counts of animal cruelty could also be filed against the owners for each of the felines, living or dead.
The cats are thin, hungry and infested with fleas and worms but do not seem to need extensive veterinary care, Ms. Gentert said.
Caring for cats is not the normal mission of the HCMT, which tries to control the cat population through sterilization; donations of money and supplies are needed to help with their care, Ms. Provident said.
Donations can be mailed to Homeless Cat Management Team, P.O. Box 100203, Pittsburgh 15233. Information about online donations can be found at www.homelesscat.org or on Facebook.
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - May 4, 2016)
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