SPCA: 70 neglected pets rescued from filthy home in Greenfield

Seventy neglected pets were rescued from a house in Greenfield Wednesday, the SPCA for Monterey County said.

SPCA Humane Officers responded to a residence on the 300 block of Apple Avenue in Greenfield after receiving a call from police about a suspected hoarding situation.

Humane officers say the small house was filled with feces, urine and thousands of cockroaches. The smell of ammonia from the urine was overwhelming, creating a health hazard.

Adult Protective Services, Child Protective Services and Monterey County Department of Health are now involved in the investigation. The house has been declared uninhabitable.

Officers rescued seven dogs and 63 cats and kittens. The animals were dirty, their fur matted, severely infested with fleas and they were underweight. They were suffering from ear parasites and upper respiratory infections, and many were confined to small cages.

One cat was found locked in a cage without food, so emaciated and weak the animal was unable to move.

Twenty-six of the animals had to be humanely euthanized because of the severity of their illnesses and conditions, SPCA spokeswoman Beth Brookhouser said.

The surviving animals are being treated by veterinarians.

This is the seventh large-scale rescue performed by the SPCA this year and the seventeenth since April 2013, Brookhouser said.

The SPCA is continuing to investigate and will submit the case to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for consideration of criminal animal abuse charges.