Image courtesy of WHS-WARL.

In a disturbing story from Washington Humane Society-Washington Animal Rescue League, a pair of women were hoarding more than 60 cats in a Northwest home where they were squatters.

Last night, WHS-WARL officers arrived at a home on the 800 block of Decatur Avenue NW to find 63 cats, 27 of whom were kittens younger than one month. A real estate agent for the home called the officers.

A release from WHS-WARL details “deplorable conditions inside, with feces located throughout the house both inside and outside of litter boxes.” In addition, officers found a U-Haul out back with more cats and kittens, many of whom are “suffering from Upper Respiratory Infections, are underweight, and were overheated due to confinement in the U-Haul trailer.”

MPD spokesperson Sean Hickman confirms that D.C. Police were on the scene as well, but did not take a report.

Officers removed 38 of the cats and kittens last night. The two women living there illegally “promised we could get [the rest] today,” says WHS-WARL spokesperson Matt Williams. But when the officers returned, most of the remaining felines were gone, along with the women. “There was some cats there today, but not all of them,” says Williams.

In total, WHS-WARL officers rescued 44 of the cats, leaving about 20 unaccounted for.

“This is an extreme case of hoarding and inhumane treatment of animals,” said Lisa LaFontaine, president and CEO of WHS-WARL, in a statement. “WHS-WARL’s ability to house these animals and provide them with the resources they need will be taxed.”

LaFontaine mentioned the Clear the Shelters event this Saturday, which will offer fee-waived pet adoptions. She said the goal is 150 adoptions, so WHS-WARL can “give these cats and kittens undivided attention and space for recovery.”

A north Petworth ANC commissioner has complained about the amount of vacant houses in the neighborhood. “There is roughly a vacant building on every block,” ANC commissioner David Sheon told WAMU last October.