Approximately 22 cats were discovered abandoned and living in dire conditions in a Carter Lake mobile home in Iowa. Authorities believe the felines were left to fend for themselves without food and water for over a month after the owner deserted the premises.
Cats abandoned for weeks in Iowa mobile home, several found dead
Isaiah Langworthy, affiliated with Muddy Paws animal rescue, recently took in May, a cat roughly aged between two and three years. Despite the ordeal, May is one of the fortunate survivors. In total, rescue operations uncovered 18 cats still alive, alongside the grim discovery of four dead ones. Langworthy raised concerns that more deceased cats might still be inside the property.
The conditions inside the mobile home were described as horrific — per 6 News WOWT. The state of the place was beyond deplorable, to the point of being a biohazard, Langworthy detailed. He painted a bleak picture of the environment, where the bathtub was filled to the brim with feces, litter boxes were overflowing, and layers of waste covered the floor. Tragically, evidence of the cats’ extreme desperation was seen, with one cat found deceased in a box and others showing signs of having resorted to cannibalism in their hunger.
A local resident noted that the home had been unoccupied for weeks. Muddy Paws volunteers, experienced in animal rescue, spent close to three hours in the hazardous conditions of the home. They said that this was a situation none had encountered in their cumulative 60 years of experience.
The surviving cats, though rescued, were found in poor health — emaciated, dehydrated, and unclean, indicating severe neglect. Langworthy further pointed out, “How you can tell a cat is dehydrated is it quits bathing itself. And all of these cats look like they are gray.”
These survivors are now being treated at local animal hospitals. May, in particular, seems to have found a potentially happy ending with the possibility of a new home. As for legal proceedings, Carter Lake Police, Fire, and Animal Control have confirmed that an investigation into the abandonment and neglect is actively underway.
