SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Dozens of cats were rescued from a studio apartment in downtown San Diego during a month-long operation by the San Diego Humane Society.
By the time it was finished, 40 cats and kittens were taken from a small studio apartment in downtown San Diego and turned over to the San Diego Humane Society.
40 cats rescued from studio apartment in San Diego
“We had a concerned neighbor reach out complaining about a terrible smell coming from the apartment. When we got there, 40 cats and kittens were living inside. Some of them, not doing well,” said Nina Thompson of the San Diego Humane Society.
As it turns out, one of the people living inside the studio apartment was recently hospitalized, leaving the cats and another person behind.
According to the humane society, both people were elderly and became overwhelmed when their cats kept on breeding inside the tiny apartment.
None of the cats rescued had been spayed or neutered.
San Diego Humane Society sponsored bills signed into law
“I’m not sure if that person is still in the hospital, but when we did make contact we were notified one of the owners was in the hospital. The other owner was well aware of the situation and maybe realized they are not able to care for these 40 cats and especially in that small of an apartment,” said Sgt. Sinai Esperiu of the San Diego Humane Society Law Enforcement.
The rescue of all these cats comes just a couple weeks after a separate operation in Vista in northern San Diego County where the humane society rescued 11 dogs and two cats from a small apartment that was stacked high with garbage.
Humane Society rescues 13 pets from abandoned, hoarder-like Vista apartment
These large rescues are coming at a tough time — a time when the humane society animal shelters are already chronically overcrowded.
“This is an issue that’s been going on for three years, and that’s hard to explain. We do think it has a lot to do with pets being adopted during the pandemic who were not spayed or neutered, and we are seeing the results of that now,” said Thompson of the San Diego Humane Society. “If people are having trouble we can help. We can offer these services for free if people are having financial problems.”
As of today, 16 of the 40 cats have already been adopted into forever homes, while eight of the cats are getting medical treatment and should be available for adoption in a couple of weeks. That leaves about a dozen cats that are currently available to adopt.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.