Westmoreland County

70 cats and kittens rescued from trailer in Hempfield Township

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A weekend rescue became the largest rescue in the history of Ninth Life Rescue Center.

“They did not know how overwhelmed they were,” Jen Johnson said.

Johnson is the president of the rescue.

She helped respond and rescue 70 cats and kittens over the weekend.

They were pulled from atrocious living conditions in a trailer in Suburban Acres in Hempfield Township.

The homeowners will not face any criminal charges at this point because they surrendered the cats voluntarily.

Johnson described the conditions inside the trailer.

“There was urine and feces on every surface, especially in the bathrooms it seemed to be a lot worse. There were 4 litter boxes for 70 cats,” Johnson said.

The Westmoreland County-based rescue was called by the homeowner for help.

The initial call from the homeowner said 20 cats needed help.

“We went in and it ended up being 70. You moved a dresser there were 10 kittens under it; you moved a bed there was 15 cats scattering. They were in every single room and every single surface,” Johnson said.

The rescue expects most of the cats to make a full recovery, but said none were spayed or neutered. The animals have never seen a vet and most have upper respiratory infections and dental issues.

The rescue said the medical bills to care for all of these cats will be exhausting for the nonprofit.

“We have a lot of cats here and we could use all the help we can get right now, that’s for sure,” Johnson said.

The cats will be available for adoption when they’re medically cleared and ready.

You can donate directly to their care at All Pets Hospital in Greensburg.

You can also help the rescue here: https://www.facebook.com/NinthLifeRescueCenter