Police find 200 cats in South Anchorage house Thursday, October 7, 2004 - by Lynn Melling
Anchorage, Alaska - A disturbing discovery was made Wednesday inside a South Anchorage home. Police found more than 200 cats and other animals inside, living in unsanitary conditions.
Neighbors thought something was wrong with the septic system, saying they've been smelling it for years. The stench coming from a house on North Circle prompted a nearby resident to call the police this week to find out what was wrong.
“I was shocked because she’s a nice person,” said Deborah Browning, a neighbor.
“I opened the door. I was really shocked. There were just cats everywhere,” said Officer Jackie Valdez (left), who was first on the scene. “At first, my estimate was at least 100.”
That estimate soon jumped to at least 200 cats, plus several dogs, birds and even chickens. Officer Valdez says all of them were living in their own waste, with little food and no clean water.
“Just a filthy place. It didn’t look like the toilets had been flushed in a long time. Standing water in bathtubs. It didn't look like it would be usable at all,” she said.
Unhealthy conditions. Officer Valdez had to grab her gas mask to continue sifting through the house.
“There was one particular little tiny gray cat that was wondering around, and these bigger ones kept messing with it. And it was making me sad. So I picked it up, and one of its eyes was really, really infected. So I brought it out to Animal Control, and they said they were most likely just going to take it back and euthanize it right away.”
At this point, Animal Control is still assessing the situation, working to get the owners to surrender the animals. They are also trying to determine the number and condition of the cats.
“We are going to independently examine them, and see if we can put them up for adoption,” said Beth Wallan of the municipal Animal Control shelter. “It’s always hard to tell because I don’t know the living conditions, we don't know their health situation.”
The residents at 2825 North Circle have been ordered to vacate. They have 30 days to either clean up or make an appeal to the city before the house is torn down.
“You never want to hear about something this bad, where somebody’s losing their home and possibly all the animals that they may not be able to find homes for,” said Browning.
At the very least, residents hope the air quality on their street improves. Neighbors wouldn't go on camera, but one said that at one point, the driveway was lined with at least 90 bags of garbage, which they eventually moved to their garage. One woman says mice were everywhere around the property.
The names of the owners have not been released, but neighbors said they know the woman at the house as Crystal Allen. They said the people at the house mostly kept to themselves.
Late Thursday afternoon, Officer Valdez said she had spoken with the owner, who says she's trying to find places for all the cats, and will likely let Animal Control come in Friday to start clearing out the house -- something that could take awhile, according to Animal Control.
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