GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — More than 100 cats were taken this eek from what the Animal Humane Society is calling a hoarding situation out of rural Todd County.
Now, some of those animals are ready to find their forever homes.
The 115 cats were removed from a home on Tuesday.
"115 cats, completely contained inside, not even indoor/outdoor but completely living inside a small mobile home," Dr. Graham Brayshaw.
Brayshaw is the head veterinarian at AHS. He said luckily, the owners of the cats seemed to come from a caring place.
"Each cat had their own little note card, written out with name, age, personality, any medical concerns that they may have," Brayshaw said. "We actually didn't have any kittens--a good number of these guys have already been sterilized."
When the investigation began, it was clear that there were simply too many cats. AHS Humane Investigative Agent Keith Streff said the case was not criminal.
"Their heart is in the right place but their passion for animals eventually gets overwhelming and they have more animals than they can adequately care for," Streff said on Friday. He said they were alerted to the case because of concerned reports.
"This is what we call a custodial release where people understand the situation they're in," Brayshaw said, describing the situation as a best-case-scenario. "They work with us and sign the cats over and we try to find the cats homes as quickly as we can."
Brayshaw explained that in criminal cases, there are a lot of delays and holds the animals have to go through. In custodial release cases like this, it makes it easier on the animals.
That's where cats like Gnip and Boyington are at. They're all vetted, and waiting for their forever homes.
"They seem to be using their litter boxes, behaviorally, this group is doing pretty well," Brayshaw said.
Several cats are available for adoption at all four of AHS Minnesota shelters-- Golden Valley, Coon Rapids, Woodbury and St. Paul. Brayshaw said more cats will become available after further vetting and any required surgeries.