Over 90 cats were discovered confined in a house and outside enclosures on a Muldersdrift property last week. This was after the Roodepoort/ Krugersdorp SPCA obtained a warrant to confiscate the animals.

Mandy Cattanach, manager at the SPCA, says when inspectors arrived they found that all the building’s windows were tightly shut. Cat faeces was overflowing from litter trays and both urine and faeces were visible in the rooms. Nasal mucus was splattered against the walls and counters from the cats’ sneezing.

“When the SPCA inspectors entered the house, they were horrified to find several cats confined in each of the rooms,” says Cattanach.

She says that at times, the ammonia stench in the house was so overpowering, it forced inspectors to dash outside for a breath of fresh air.

“We discovered cats hiding in and under kitchen cabinets, couches, bed bases, and drawers. There were TV cabinet drawers full of cat faeces, [it was] behind an old fridge, and even on top of kitchen cabinets,” Cattanach says.

‘Fluff bunnies’ made up of cat fur, dog fur, dirt, and other rubbish were in every corner and under every piece of furniture.

“If only the stench of the house could be captured. A whiff of the pungent smell would tell a tale of suffering and pain. The house was only the beginning of the shock and disgust,” Cattanach says.

Wire enclosures were discovered at the bottom of the plot. In these enclosures, inspectors found cats living in their waste.

According to the SPCA, the enclosures were closed in with thick plastic sheeting which turned them into saunas. The temperature inside one enclosure was 33°C.

Blankets and bedding were covered in cat fur, vomit, faeces, and urine. Domestic cats were housed with feral cats, resulting in bullying and fights.

Two feral cats were kept in small cages with no litter trays and filthy bedding. Cattanach says that when they were taken out of their boxes, they urinated nonstop for at least half a minute. It is suspected that because there were no litter trays available, they held their urine in.

Bags of cat litter were piled next to the enclosure.

“Cats that died were burned in a fire pit.

“There were three flea-infested dogs on the property too. One very ‘old man’ was so infested with fleas that he had lost clumps of fur from scratching all the time,” she says.

According to the SPCA, the cats have been examined by a veterinarian and are being treated. The veterinarian confirmed highly contagious feline diseases such as feline Aids, leukaemia, snuffles, gum diseases, ear mites, and skin problems.

The sanctuary owner will face charges under the Animal Protection Act.

Cattanach says the confiscated cats and the dog will be cared for by the SPCA until the case is heard in court, which could take two or four years.