The Pima Animal Care Center took in 72 cats Thursday from a hoarding case on Tucson’s northwest side.
PACC got a phone call from someone asking them to investigate the home. Animal control had also been to the home before for similar reports, said Nikki Reck, spokeswoman for PACC, without giving details.
PACC and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department are working together to investigate the home near West Oracle Jaynes Station Road and North San Joaquin Avenue.
The number of cats is expected to rise as officials are still working to capture more cats that ran and hid, Reck said. The cats range in age from young kittens to adults.
The house where the cats were found, near North La Cholla Boulevard and West River Road, was littered with trash, said a news release from PACC.
The cats and kittens are not ready for adoption yet as the clinic is examining them, Reck said. Most appear to be in good health, PACC said.
PACC has more than 1,100 other animals in need of homes. The shelter is more full than usual and took in 79 pets on Wednesday, PACC said.
“We aren’t usually this full so early in the year,” Kristen Hassen, director of animal services, said in the news release. “It’s a combination of things like this hoarding case, the start of kitten season, and an outbreak of pet illnesses in the community.”
In an impromptu sale to help make room at the shelter, PACC is offering free adoptions until Sunday for pets ages 4 months and up. There is a $20 licensing fee per dog.
Anyone interested in adopting an animal can visit PACC, 4000 N. Silverbell Road, from 12 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Fostering pets is also an option.
All pets come spayed or neutered with vaccinations, a microchip and a free vet visit.
