35 Cats & a Dog

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Irregular News for 11.09.05 This weeks ton-o-cat's story.

 

New Kensington, PA -- When neighbors complained about a strong ammonia-like smell coming from a house, officials expected to find a methamphetamine lab. Instead, a code enforcement officer found 35 cats and a dog.

 

"Everywhere you looked, you saw cats," New Kensington code enforcement officer Rick Jacobus said.

 

The animals were found in the home's rafters and air ducts; the carpets and floors had been soaked with animal urine, he said.

 

"Your eyes began to tear," Jacobus said. "It was like someone opened a can of ammonia."

 

Jacobus took police with him last week to inspect the rental house, about 20 miles up the Allegheny River from Pittsburgh, because officers told him the odor could signal a methamphetamine lab.

 

The three adult tenants were evicted and the Westmoreland County Children's Bureau was contacted to check on the young boy who lived there.

 

The tenants were not cited and landlord Dean Rodriguez might not be either.

 

"If he acts in a responsible manner to clean it up, that's all I care about," Jacobus said.

 

An answering machine at a number listed in Rodriguez's name was full.

 

The animals were taken to a local shelter that was struggling to find new homes for them.

 

A city ordinance allows up to four cats and two dogs per residence.

 

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