Animal shelter staff removed 44 cats from a Sumner apartment Wednesday after their owner died earlier in the week, officials said.
Sumner police contacted shelter staff after officers saw the cats in the apartment. The owner’s family agreed to the removal and helped contain the animals, according to the city. The cats were taken to a Puyallup shelter for examinations, vaccinations and emergency housing.
Officials said the cats appeared to be between less than a month and three years old. They also appeared healthy and friendly toward people when they arrived. Each must be spayed or neutered and medically cleared before adoption.
Officials said the case is not being investigated as cruelty or neglect, citing the owner’s death and the family’s cooperation. The shelter said the household grew from two unaltered cats to 44 in less than three years, creating an emergency for the small shelter.
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