Animal control officers on Tuesday removed 54 cats from a Pasadena house after the animals were found to be living in unsanitary conditions.

The Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA — which is contracted through the City of Pasadena — came to the house after receiving a call from a concerned neighbor who called the organization’s tip line.

Officers made repeated attempts to enter the home and were “finally granted access” on Tuesday, the organization said in a statement. The owner surrendered the felines on her own volition.

“I can’t imagine the horrors these 54 cats have seen,” Julie Bank, president and chief executive of the Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA, said in the statement. The cats likely “will need further medical treatment based on their living conditions,” she said.


Bank told KTLA that the house was “in really bad shape.”

The woman who surrendered the animals told the news station that cats kept showing up at her home.

“I can’t move around now, so I can’t care for the cats, you know, like I should,” said the woman, who asked to not be identified. “I hope they find good homes for them.”

The cats were taken to the Humane Society, where they are undergoing medical and behavioral evaluations before being made available for adoption. The Humane Society has set up a donation page for the cats’ care and is accepting donations of cat food, towels and cat litter.


hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson