Montgomery animal control officers are still trapping cats in and around a filthy, abandoned home in Orange County.
Local animal advocates said this is one example that illustrates a growing local problem.
Diane Donahue, director of Animal Manor in Huegenot, introduced News 12 to some of the cats she helped rescue from the cluttered home.
"They came from absolute filth," Donahue said. "It was a terrible hoarding situation."
Donahue told News 12 the rescue turned up at least 15 cats, some with parasites, infected teeth and dehydration.
Animal Manor had room for just three of them.
Donahue said she and other shelter directors she partners with are seeing an influx in cats being surrendered by their owners.
The cats may come from hoarding situations or just from renters who cannot find pet-friendly apartments.
"We get calls from people who are just at their wit's end," Donahue said. "They'll end up living in their cars or tents to stay with their pets."
Their three cats from the Montgomery home are recovering, and staff is soliciting name ideas on social media.
The staff says it it is especially helpful that the cats seem to like humans, which will make it easier to adopt them out.
Others who are older and less sociable end up spending the remainder of their lives there.
Donahue said another contributor to the problem is a lack of cheap, fast, nearby spay-and-neuter options. One of the three rescued cats has already probably had several litters, she said.
"They just breed, and they will breed over and over and over again," she said. "And it's just an impossible situation to control."
Donahue said the Montgomery cat rescues happened at the home of one person who died and another person who police are looking for.
News 12 is awaiting responses from Montgomery police to multiple requests for information about the cat rescues.
Spay-and-neuter options in Orange County: