More than 20 cats removed from Columbia home

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “This is not just a health hazard for him and his cats, but it’s a health hazard for the entire community,” says Jane Brundage, Co-Founder of PETSinc. The homeowner of the home in Northeast Columbia contacted PETSinc after Richland County told him to clean up or lose his pets. “They said they were coming out to take his cats, they were going to take all of them and he had to clean up this health hazard of a house,” says Brundage. So PETSinc stepped in to help. Pictures from PETSinc show the conditions inside the home, bags full of used cat litter, debris scattered everywhere. “I think the initial reaction is, wow. You know, you feel lots of different emotions when you step into something like this,” says Dana Heflin, Volunteer Coordinator for PETSinc. But there was something about the home that volunteers found shocking. “We were stunned when we first came in and saw this because we were anticipating sickly, dying even dead cats, we thought we would come in and find carcases through this horrendous mess, but what we found instead was that all the cats looked to be perfectly healthy,” says Brundage. Brundage says the homeowner had put his cats as priority. “These cats are in better shape than most of the cats that come to PETSinc to be adopted,”says Brundage. And his home on the backburner. “He’s conscious in taking care of his cats, but he just doesn’t put a value on tidiness,” says Brundage. Again, those working on this project say this is something that cannot be completed in just one day and they need a lot of help. For more on how you can help, just contact the adoption center at PETSinc at 1-803-739-9333, ask for Dana Heflin, Volunteer Coordinator. You can also visit their website at www.petsinc.org. If you would like to mail a donation you can mail it to PETSinc. P.O. Box 6394, West Columbia, SC 29171. Items needed for the clean up processs include: Shovels, gloves, masks and empty totes with lids.