210 cats — 49 dead — found at ‘unsanitary’ pet rescue, Ohio humane society says

An Ohio pet rescue where employees were previously convicted of treating hundreds of cats inhumanely is again under investigation.

The Lake Humane Society in northeast Ohio says it rescued 161 cats from Caroline’s Kids Pet Rescue & Sanctuary in Concord Township on Sept. 25. Forty-nine cats were found dead at the pet rescue, the humane society said.

A complaint about conditions of the cats and the facility led the humane society to the pet rescue, it wrote in a Sept 28 Facebook post. The humane society found the cats in “unsanitary conditions,” it said on Facebook.

A picture the humane society posted shows feces and a syringe in a dirty sink at the facility.

The cats were surrendered to the humane society Monday and some are being treated for various ailments, including upper respiratory infection and “infestation of fleas and ringworm,” according to Lake Humane Society.

In 2016, four employees at the cat sanctuary — including its two owners — were convicted of 24 counts of animal cruelty, according to Cleveland.com. The Lake Humane Society found 260 cats living in the facility including 157 needing medical care, the news outlet reported.

The sanctuary’s new director, Jackie Childers, told the News-Herald in January she hoped to ensure the facility would provide “a safe, comfortable and compassionate environment” for the cats.

“Those of us in this ‘next generation’ of Caroline’s Kids are dedicated to the good care and happiness of the cats in our facility,” said Childers. “Many of the cats will reside (at Caroline’s Kids) for the rest of their lives and we will also seek to find individual homes for cats who are adoptable.”

Following an investigation into the pet sanctuary, prosecutors will review possible criminal charges, the humane society wrote.

The pet rescue’s Facebook page appeared to be taken down as of Wednesday afternoon.