Pasadena Humane Takes in 12 Sick Cats From Home After Owner Dies From COVID-19

Pasadena Humane is seeking help from the community after taking in 12 sick cats that were found inside a Pasadena home on Wednesday after their owner died, according to the organization.

The animals were “alone and hungry,” as well as “in desperate need of immediate help” when they were discovered.

“A property management company made the shocking discovery after one of their tenants passed away,” Pasadena Humane said in a written statement. “The property management company contacted Pasadena Humane, and we quickly took the cats into our care.”

In addition to being confused and scared, many of the cats had respiratory infections, and some had medical problems that appeared to require surgery to correct.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have a ton of information about the circumstances that the cats were living in, because the property manager was the one who got in touch with us after they discovered that there were a lot of cats living in the home of a individual who unfortunately passed away from COVID,” said Pasadena Humane spokesman Jack Hagerman.

“I believe that the cats were there for quite some time before they were discovered. All of them have pretty severe upper respiratory infections, which is not uncommon in hoarding situations,” Hagerman said.

Veterinarians were in the process of fully examining the animals and beginning treatment, according to the organization.

“Most of them are friendly, which is good news,” Hagerman added.

The sudden surge of cats in need, and especially those needing surgery, has left Pasadena Humane short on resources to care for them.

“Those surgical procedures can be anywhere from $1,200 to $2,500 [each],” Hagerman said. “There’s a few of them that are going to need that. We do know that at least a couple of them are pregnant, so we’ll be having some babies at some point.”

With time, treatment and affection the cats will be placed into permanent homes, according to the Pasadena Humane statement.

“With your help, we can make sure these cats only know love from now on,” it said. “Your support will make it possible for us to treat any illnesses or injuries, find wonderful temporary foster homes for every cat, and find forever homes once they’re ready to be adopted.”

Donations can be made online at give.pasadenahumane.org/give/264243/#!/donation/checkout.