CUTLER BAY, FLA. (WSVN) - Dozens of cats were rescued after being found in distress and living in deplorable conditions in Cutler Bay.
According to Miami-Dade County officials, a warrant was served at a home located at 20536 SW 93rd Ave., Thursday morning.
The warrant was issued in connection to an animal cruelty investigation.
“We saw tents, and then I realized that it was Animal Services coming out,” said neighbor Monica Lore.
Neighbors noticed the commotion, but they had no clue what was going on inside the house.
“When they opened that door, the smell coming out of there was horrible,” said Lore.
Miami-Dade Animal Services officials said they worked closely with Cutler Bay Police to serve the warrant.
“It was very scary, because we didn’t know what was going on at first,” said Lore.
Upon entering the home, officials located the 93 cats and removed them from the property.
Investigations called the conditions inside the house deplorable, and they described the cats as being in distress.
“We used to see some of them sitting on the windowsill just looking out,” said Lore. “We thought they had three, four, five of them at most. When I heard this morning that they had 93 cats in there, it was kind of surprising.”
Miami-Dade Animal Services will examine each cat to assess their health and provide medical care as needed.
“Every time we drove out of here, my daughter would look in the window because they were so pretty, and they looked so taken care of. Little did we know that they were really not well taken care of,” said Lore.
A 7News crew knocked on the door of the home, but no one answered. It remains unclear whether or not anyone was home.
Once legal custody has been awarded to Animal Services and the cats are medically cleared, they will be put up for adoption.
“How can you tell me that you’re taking care of those 93 cats?” said Lore. “I don’t see how it’s possible.”
No arrests have been made. The case remains under investigation.
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