Around 100 dead cats were discovered at a retired man’s home in southern France, animal protection associations said Monday.
The volunteers were alerted by the niece of the 81-year-old man. On Sunday, she entered his house after he was taken to hospital and discovered the lifeless cats.
Most of the dead cats were stored in sealed plastic or wooden containers, the regional daily Nice-Matin reported. There were also remains of squirrels and rats, and a dog’s jaw. The remains of one cat were found on the living room sofa, partly eaten by other cats.
“Judging from their positions, most of the cats were already dead when they were put in these boxes,” Philippe Desjacques, president of animal welfare organization La Tribu du Fourmilier association, told news agency AFP. “But we think that at least two were locked in alive.”
More than twenty severely undernourished cats were rescued from the house alive and brought to veterinarians or placed in foster homes.
Desjacques said the man was probably suffering from Noah syndrome, where people hoard a large number of animals, often out of loneliness, without being able to look after their needs.
Desjacques said criminal charges would be filed against the man for mistreatment of animals and negligence.
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