33 cats were rescued from their South Philly home with their dead owner. Now they need homes.
After the cats' owner died, ACCT rescuers were trying to catch the felines that were swarming throughout the dilapidated home.
The Mifflin Muffin Crew needs to come home with you.
That’s what the folks at ACCT Philly are calling the over 30 cats they rescued from a home in South Philadelphia where their owner was found dead.
Firefighters who had been called to the Mifflin Street home last week on a report of a deceased person “encountered an unexpected and overwhelming situation” when they entered the home, according to ACCT. A man had died. But the dilapidated home was also swarming with felines. At the time, they thought there could be as many as 50. Now it seems the number is 33.
In case you’re wondering, you’re not supposed have that many cats. The legal limit is 12 pets.
Last Thursday, ACCT animal protection officers went to the home to remove the cats.
“When I was there, and there was only two of us in the home, they all walked up to us and were super friendly,” said Mikayla Allen, ACCT information officer.
But everyone knows the saying about herding cats. Catching all those felines ended up being no small feat.
“On Thursday, it took us five hours to get 27 of them, and then we had to set up traps because we were worried there might be more,” Allen said.
They did get six more. Traps are still at the house just in case, but no other cats have turned up.
“I think we’re pretty sure we have everybody,” said Allen.
Since then, all the cats have received medical evaluations and care and have been cleared for adoption.
ACCT’s priority is getting the kitties new homes. Right now, the cats are definitely feeling pretty overwhelmed.
“They’re definitely confused,” the spokeswoman said. “One of them actually got adopted and two have confirmed rescue placements, which is good. But the rest of them are still here and very scared. We’ve covered their kennels with blankets to help get them to relax. They’ve been with the same person for who knows how long.”
The Mifflin Muffin Crew cats range in age from seven months to 8 years, but most are about 1 or 2 years old. The majority are domestic shorthairs of various colors, including tabbies and lots of whites with colored markings.
Their arrival has had an impact on the shelter as well. ACCT is the city’s only open-access animal shelter, which means they can’t turn away any animals. Their capacity gets stretched beyond its limit.
On the average day, ACCT gets 20 to 30 cats, Allen said. The Mifflin Muffin Crew doubled that.
“So our kennels are pretty full now,” Allen said. “At least the good thing with cats is they get adopted faster.”
The Mifflin Muffin Crew cats are all vaccinated and new home ready.
Given how friendly they were on that first meeting, Allen said she believes they will be good pets once they find that new person or family who understands what they’ve been through.
“I think it should be somebody who can be patient with them. That’s basically it,” Allen said. “Somebody who’s patient will let them come up and show their true personality once they’re in a home.”