FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Body camera video captures the shocking scenes behind closed doors in Federal Way.
A vacant apartment with inches of excrement on the floor and piles of trash. It also contained nearly 100 cats, until Animal Control intervened.
“Around every corner you turned there was more cats. And just when you thought you saw all of them, even more would pop up,” says Lauren Green with the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County.
The impact of the hoarding situation is felt not just in Federal Way, but perhaps even more so in Tacoma, where the Humane Society is stretched thin.
“Even before this case came in, we were caring for more than 700 animals,” says Green, describing the unpredictable and continuous toll that Animal Control calls have on local shelters.
“Even in the middle of this [case], we received another call from another animal control partner, who said ‘Hey I’m on my way with 10 dogs,’ says Green. “We’re making space for this and anything else that’s coming our way”
King County is facing similar shelter conditions.
“We do have our own shelter in Kent,” says Barbara Ramey, with King County’s Department of Executive Services. “We’re pretty over, in terms of capacity for cats and dogs.”
While she wouldn’t comment on this particular hoarding case, Ramey tells KIRO 7 that partnerships between Animal Control services and local shelters are important for keeping animals safe.
For many shelters, it’s not just a matter of space, but also stretching limited resources on things like medical supplies and food.
The rescued Federal Way cats were found malnourished and covered in fleas. The Humane Society has been working since Thursday to treat each cat that came in.
“We never know what we’ll walk into or what’s showing up on our doorstep,” says Green. She tells KIRO 7 that calls from Animal Control sometimes come with less than an hour’s notice.
The Humane Society is currently looking for more families to adopt or foster.
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