- Police removed 30 cats from a Cottonwood Heights home due to unhealthy conditions.
- Animal control attempting to trap another 20 feral cats from the same location for safety.
- Health department closed the home; owner to find temporary housing during cleanup.
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Police on Wednesday removed dozens of cats from a home after they said officers found conditions so unhealthy that the homeowner couldn't be allowed back until there was a comprehensive cleanup.
According to the Cottonwood Heights Police Department, 30 domesticated cats were removed from a house located near 1400 East and 6800 South, and animal control workers were working to trap an additional 20 feral cats.
Sgt. Gary Young said it appeared cat waste had accumulated inside the home for over a decade.
He said health department workers decided to close the house to occupancy due to the conditions.
"When it's unkempt, it then accumulates and then becomes more and more of a hazard, where cats can be unhealthy," Young said. "There can be other vermin or other creatures that might want to inhabit the same area, such as rats, and so it becomes a little more difficult, a little more untenable to be able to maintain a living condition when you're in — I guess a better word is a cat house."
Young said the woman had not licensed any of the cats and had not secured a permit to house so many.
Under the city code, Young said individual homes are allowed to have up to three cats.
Police said the cats at least appeared to be in decent health.
"And it's really hard," Young said. "She's caring for cats; she loves cats, (and) cats need a home. She's feeding them, providing them water and shelter, and so she's doing the right thing for the cats, but in the wrong way."
Young said officers hoped to adopt out the domesticated cats, and the feral cats would be spayed and neutered before being released back into the wild of Cottonwood Heights.
Police said they were working with health officials and Adult Protective Services to find a place for the woman to stay while her home remains uninhabitable.
