As workers prepare to finish cleaning up a “hoarder’s house” discovered last week in the 7900 block of Harding Street, the City of Taylor is putting out a plea for local rescue groups and animal shelters to help in the efforts of aiding and relocating the dozens and dozens of cats that were located inside the dwelling.
“The cleaning crew should finish their work tomorrow,” Mayor Rick Sollars said. “We have pulled out an estimated 75 cats, both alive and dead, to this point. One rescue agency has recently stepped up and accepted 25, but we still have a lot and our animal shelter has only so much capacity.”
Organizations willing to assist in this effort should call Administrative Assistant Kimber Dorton at (734) 374-1450.
Neighbors near the location had contacted the City of Taylor last week, complaining of a strong odor in the area. City workers and other agencies found a handicapped woman and her mentally challenged son living in filth. At first, workers found only eight cats – all but one dead – but as they worked through the debris inside the house, many of the felines had created tunnels, digging deep into the trash inside the home.
“It’s a sad situation,” Mayor Sollars said last week. “It appears that after her husband passed away passed away over a year ago, the two couldn’t take care of themselves.”
With permission to clean up the dwelling, at one point last week, debris from just a single room of the house filled an entire dumpster.
The residents were hospitalized. It is unlikely they will ever return home. Since they cannot care for themselves, they will likely be placed in an assisted living facility.