(NewsReady.com) – Owning a couple of pets is totally normal. Sometimes people own a whole gaggle of well-cared-for animals and that’s perfectly okay, too. However, when a person collects so many pets that it leads to dangerous conditions in a home, it’s a problem. That’s what New Hampshire police ran into recently while investigating an accidental shooting.
In early December, Kensington police responded to a call at a hospital about an accidental shooting. When they arrived, they spoke to a man who had a mishap with his gun while he was cleaning it. He said he set the rifle down on a bench when it fell onto the floor and a bullet discharged from it, hitting the man in the stomach.
Police officers determined the shooting was just an accident, but during their investigation, they traveled to his home. Thirty cats and an overwhelming smell greeted them when they arrived at the door.
An accidental shooting leads police in New Hampshire to a house that is overrun with 72 cats.https://t.co/PT2qhPekNs
— Tampa Bay Times (@TB_Times) December 12, 2021
When officers entered the house, it was reportedly covered in feces and urine. Once police saw what they were dealing with, they called the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Workers with the rescue group removed 67 cats from the home that day and 5 more a few days later. In total, 72 cats were recovered. Kensington Police Chief Scott Cain told reporters authorities tested the ammonia levels and they were above safe levels. Health authorities quickly condemned the house, leaving the man without a place to live.
Authorities charged the man for unlawfully discharging a firearm. As for the cats, he might face animal cruelty charges, but officials are waiting for a vet to see the animals and provide a medical assessment. Lisa Dennison, the executive director of the SPCA, said preliminary evaluations of the cats look good.
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