Rescue in desperate need of donations, foster families after dozens of cats pulled from Plum home

PLUM, Pa. — The floors of a Plum Borough home are covered with cat feces, scattered throughout the home are bowls of food, and running about are cats.

“The problem is, is that the cats are now up in the walls, they are in the ductwork, they are places where we can’t see them so I’m going to say there are probably over 30 cats,” said coordinator Toni Soxman.

PHOTOS: Dozens of cats rescued from hoarding situation in Plum

Volunteers with Shelters Helpers of Pittsburgh said they got a call from a man in need of help. His elderly parents were hoarding cats, but when the crew came to assist, they had never seen anything like this incident.

“It was overwhelming, the smell. There was furniture and just cats everywhere,” said Rachel Scholze, president of Shelter Helpers of Pittsburgh

The cats were sick with some missing eyes, others with open wounds, and limp legs. So, one by one, volunteers began removing the cats. The first step to getting the cats into a new home is getting them medical care.

“These are cats that are going to need antibiotics, some of them need eye surgeries,” explained Scholze.

But that could cost volunteers upwards of $6,000 for all the cats, and without help from larger shelters, they said they are in desperate need of donations and foster families.

“There was no one way we were going to close the door and walk away,” said Soxman.

While Scholze added, “We definitely need more people to step up and foster.”

To learn more about how you can donate or foster one of the cats, click here.

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