'Overwhelmed' elderly woman surrenders 120 cats, kittens

The Animal Control Centre, along with several neighbourhood rescues and shelters, have teamed up to remove 120 cats and kittens from an overwhelmed elderly lady who lived alone in a three-story house in Paterson, New Jersey, Cat Time reported.

The mass rescue began after the overwhelmed owner, an elderly woman called in, asking to surrender the pets. 

Paterson Animal Control is collaborating with animal control officers from Homeless Tails, FOWA Rescue, and Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge (RBARI) to remove the cats from the residence.

Commenting on the large-scale rescue, John DeCando, the chief animal control officer in Paterson said, "It’s not like a place where you go inside and you find dead cats. This is not the situation here," DeCando explained. 

"It is an elderly lady that got very overwhelmed, and with the help from these organisations, everything should be OK."

A local news source claims that the animal control personnel prioritised saving the weaker animals first. These consist of ill cats, pregnant cats, and kittens. Regretfully, a few of the cats have neurological conditions, blindness, and ocular scarring.

"The house is in deplorable condition. It’s one of the worst I’ve seen," DeCando shared. "She fell in love with them all and did not have the heart to get rid of them. That is why it is so important to have these animals spayed and neutered."

RBARI has announced that they need adopters, fosters, and donations for the rescued felines, whom they describe as "sweet and friendly." However, each cat requires medical care before they find a forever home.