The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals removed more than 100 cats from three New York City homes in a single day this week, the latest in a series of large scale operations this summer.
All together, the group has rescued 300 at-risk animals in the city since June.
The cats were given up voluntarily by their owners in the Bronx and Queens. The organization described the owners as overwhelmed and said they could no longer care for the animals.
The cats will now make their way to an ASPCA facility in Ohio, where they’ll receive treatment before becoming available for adoption.
“The ASPCA has seen an uptick in requests to assist with largescale [sic] animal hoarding and neglect situations across New York in recent months, and our teams are working tirelessly to provide critical sheltering, medical care, behavioral treatment and enrichment, legal and investigative support, and safety net services to help animals and pet owners in need,” said Elizabeth Brandler, the organization’s vice president of cruelty response, in a statement.
Since June, the organization said, it has launched a number of large-scale rescue operations, some of which have resulted in criminal charges.
It said that it worked with the NYPD this summer to seize 12 dogs and a cat from a Queens home after they were found in waste and without access to food and water. It said nine of the dogs were outside in kennels in temperatures near 100 degrees, and others were locked in crates inside. One deceased dog was removed from the home as well, according to the ASPCA. The owner in that case was charged with overdriving, torturing and injuring animals, among other offenses.
In another case, 40 cats were rescued following an eviction in Queens, while another nine cats were found deceased in that home. Ninety cats were recovered from two different homes in Brooklyn and Queens. And 30 animals, including a pigeon, were removed from a Brooklyn home where the ASPCA said almost all of the animals were confined to crates. In the latter case, the owner was indicted on an animal cruelty charge and other related offenses, according to the group.
So far this year, the group said, it has taken in an average of 100 animals per month in partnership with the NYPD.
The group said many of the cases had characteristics of animal hoarding, with overwhelmed owners unable to properly care for animals.