REDFORD TWP., Mich. (WXYZ) — A multi-agency animal rescue effort is underway on Gaylord Street near 8 Mile Rd. in Redford Township, where dozens of cats are trapped inside a home described by officials as uninhabitable.
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Animal control workers from multiple agencies were only able to capture one cat Monday after spotting roughly 20 others inside. Officials say the rescue will take multiple days.
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Redford Township Police Chief Jennifer Mansfield says she has been following guidance from the Wayne County Health Department on how to conduct the rescue without endangering officers or anyone else.
"From what I'm hearing from all these people, this is the worst house they've seen probably ever," Chief Mansfield said.
The effort began after an animal complaint call to the police department last week. When officers arrived, they described the house as deplorable.
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"Urine, feces, garbage. You name it, it's there. The house is by far uninhabitable. We'll be going through different varieties of legal stages in order to get what we need to do to make it safe for everybody," Chief Mansfield said.
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Neighbors recorded firefighters breaking windows and using a fan to air out the home last Thursday. Contractors then placed screens over the windows to keep the cats inside. Rescuers took the weekend to allow the house to air out before returning Monday.
One major obstacle to the rescue was that the home's basement was flooded. Redford Township brought in a tanker to remove the standing water.
Mansfield also says there are reports of people breaking into the home in an attempt to rescue or feed the cats — and she is urging anyone who may have entered to seek medical attention.
"We have heard rumors, though I hope that none of them are true, that people have entered that home without the proper equipment, and if that is the case, it is the suggestion of the health department that they go see a doctor," Chief Mansfield said.
Redford Township Supervisor Pat McCrae addressed concerns from people on social media questioning why rescuers did not immediately enter the home to retrieve the cats.
"I feel bad for a lot of people on social media that say, 'Why didn't you just go in there and get the cats?' My concern is if somebody goes in there and they don't come out," McCrae said.
McCrae said the fumes from animal waste inside the home do not pose a threat to the surrounding neighborhood. He said the cleanup will take time, but the township is committing resources from several departments.
"Cause we want to get them out as soon as possible so we can move to the next stage of taking care of the house so the neighbors don't have to put up with the smell and everything else that goes along with it," McCrae said.
Officers ended their effort Monday by placing live traps inside the home and plan to return Tuesday to rescue as many cats as possible.
"We've got live traps. We will be back. This is an ongoing effort. You are going to see us lock down this house completely because I need to make sure that I don't have other people who may think they're doing good come out here and get sick," Mansfield said.
The man who lived at the home voluntarily went with police last Thursday for a medical evaluation. Neighbors say he had been sleeping in his car for months while the cats were inside the house.
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