Field workers with the Pima Animal Care Center rescued 57 cats and kittens from a small mobile home on Tucson’s northwest side Wednesday, officials said.
The cats and kittens were taken to the PACC, where they were tended to by workers and Pima County JTED students, who checked their weights, vaccinated and dewormed them before transferring the animals to PACC’s medical team, said Marcia Zamorano, a Pima County spokeswoman.
All of the cats were treated for ear parasites, and many were treated for dehydration or thin body condition. Several of the cats were found to have painful ear infections, Zamorano said.
The cats are mostly young to middle-aged, and several will need significant dental work, surgery to remove eyeballs or possible tumor removals, Zamorano said.
The cats’ former living conditions were called “deplorable” and not suitable for humane care, according to PACC’s field services manager Adam Ricci, who said his team is working to help the cats and their former owner.
The hoarding case is still under investigation, so it is unknown when the cats will be placed up for adoption.
At this point, the shelter is focusing on the cats’ medical needs, and in upcoming days the team will assess the cats’ behavior and decide if they’re suitable for traditional adoption, or if they’ll need another lifesaving option, such as placement into the PACC’s Working Cat Program, said José Ocaño, director of operations.
“Our ultimate goal is to save the savable, and we’re going to do everything we can to get these cats out,” Ocaño said.
