More than 60 cats found in Myakka City hoarding house given second chance at life

MYAKKA CITY, Fla. - More than 60 cats found in a Myakka City hoarding house will soon get a second chance at life. 

Manatee County Animal Welfare officers were called to the home in early October by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. Animal welfare officers took in 31 cats that were living in filth. 

"A really extremely sad situation," said Hans Wohlgefahrt, MCAW's outreach and events specialist. "Hoarding is a mental health disorder. We really wanted to come in and help this situation to try to get back some control." 

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Officers will soon return to the property for another 30 that are believed to be somewhere at the home. 

"Because of the environment, with all the debris throughout the house, they are extremely sick," he said. "A lot of them had upper respiratory infections and eye infections." 

Many of the cats rescued were taken in for treatment. MCAW offers spay, neuter, release services for some outdoor-acclimated cat intakes. 

"Some cats can’t go back to where they came from. And this case is an example of that," he said. 

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Situations like this are why Manatee Animal Welfare launched its Working Cat program in 2019. 

"Working cats, they love being outdoors, and I think giving them a job…what are they going to do when they’re outdoors? They’re going to hunt," he said.

Through the program, cats are adopted out in pairs at no charge. 

"They’re great for rodent control and that type of thing. So, we’re really hoping to encourage businesses that have warehouses, boatyards, community centers, churches," he said. "Anywhere where these cats can still roam freely but come back and get fed every day and someone to keep an eye on them." 

Since its inception, the program has taken in 100 cats – 20 of which are from the Myakka City hoarding case, that are ready for adoption now. 

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"We just want to make sure that these cats are happy, healthy, and with a caretaker," he said.

For more information on Manatee County Animal Welfare's Working Cat program, click here.