40 cats rescued from neglectful situation at Monroe County home

MONROE COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Monroe County animal rescue organization said it has rescued dozens of cats and kittens from a neglectful situation after the family fell on hard times.

Friends of Companion Animals (FOCA) announced on Tuesday that it rescued 40 cats and kittens from a home in the Temperance area in Monroe County. FOCA is the county's only all-cat rescue and this rescue was the largest the organization has done since March 2021.

According to the rescue group, ten of the semi-feral cats are still looking for barn homes. The organization re-homes cats like these through its free barn cat program.

They also have a friendly cat, Tiny Tot, who is still available for adoption.

According to the organization, the single-family home had 20 adults, 17 kittens, and 3 nursing mother cats at the home. The resident said they were struggling financially and were unable to care for the animals.

FOCA worked with the resident to voluntarily surrender the cats and shelter director Penny Bly said they simply want to get the cats into safe homes. She said the resident originally wanted to provide a safe space for the cats but it turned into a hoarding situation after a few litters that were not spayed or neutered. 

FOCA is trying to create a low-cost clinic for feral cats but is seeking financial support to make that happen.

"We could have this clinic up and running next month if we had local sponsorship. We have veterinarians ready to go – we just need funding. Our rummage sale in March generated about half of the $20,000 we need to get started but we require financial support to see it come to fruition. We’ll be hosting the rummage sale again August 17th to 20th (Wednesday to Saturday) from noon to 5 pm in the hope of raising more capital. By having a clinic like this, it would cut down on events such as these. Many people don’t realize cats reproduce quickly and they can mate with siblings as young as 4-6 months old," explains Bly.

For information on FOCA or help them reach their goal, check out their website.