More cats recovered from Des Moines home, bringing total to 32 alive, 17 dead

Animal control officers removed more cats from a Des Moines home Monday, bringing the total to 32 alive and 17 dead, officials said.

Officials with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa removed an additional five living and eight dead cats from the east side house, where they removed 27 living and nine dead cats and kittens last week. The rescue league is still trying to capture two more cats at the home at 819 Morton Ave., in the city's Union Park neighborhood.

Police said officers found about 6 inches of cat feces and garbage in the home when they responded to an odor complaint Wednesday. Charges are pending against the owner, said Sgt. Paul Parizek, a police spokesman.

Des Moines allows six cats and dogs per household.

The Rescue League said last week that it may be hard to quantify how many cats were in the home because several were "decomposed to the extent that they weren't readily identifiable as cats."

At least 10 other cats were found hiding in air ducts and in the home's walls. Officials set humane live traps to try rescue them.

In a news release Friday evening, the Rescue League said the house was condemned and closed for the weekend, and that enough food and water was left for the remaining cats until they could enter again Monday.

"Animal hoarding is a serious animal welfare concern because the animals — and the people involved — often suffer greatly," ARL Executive Director Tom Colvin said in a statement.

Coverage of previous cases:

Most of hundreds of animals seized from Iowa home may be adopted, judge rules

Follow the Des Moines Register on Facebook and Twitter. Luke Nozicka can be reached at 515-284-8069, lnozicka@dmreg.com or on Twitter @lukenozicka.