2 dozen cats found at fire site

Salt Lake City firefighters got a little more than they bargained for this week when they responded to a house fire.

The fire in an old two-story house, near 300 East and 1300 South, caused about $50,000 damage Monday. It started on the main floor. The cause of the fire was still unknown Tuesday but not considered suspicious, Salt Lake City Fire administrative assistant Dennis McKone said.

The lone occupant, a woman in her 60s, was able to get out safely.

Later, however, crews discovered that the house's second floor is where the woman kept her cats — 39 of them.

Salt Lake County Animal Services took possession of 25 of the cats Monday night. The homeowner kept two cats, and 12 were still missing Tuesday afternoon.

Animal Services spokeswoman Temma Martin said fire investigators did not believe the missing cats perished in the fire.

While examining the cats, employees at the shelter discovered some had identification microchips. One chip showed the cat belonged to a man who had lost his cat six months ago.

"He was ecstatic to get his cat back," Martin said.

The man had adopted the feline from the shelter three years ago when it was a kitten.

The homeowner had allegedly been trapping cats in her yard and keeping them, Martin said. She was charged with one count of malicious impound for the cat that belonged to the other man, one count of having too many cats and one count of nuisance. All the charges are class B misdemeanors.

The cats are all well fed and seem to be in relatively good shape, with the exception of some minor respiratory and eye infections, Martin said. The shelter wants to know if there are any cat owners in the neighborhood who are missing their pets, she said.

All of the cats are adults, and all of the males have been neutered.

Some of the microchips in the other cats were traced to a rescue group, Martin said.

Anyone who is missing a cat from that neighborhood should go to the animal shelter today, she said. Some of the cats will be given to an animal rescue Thursday.

Because all of the cats are older, Martin said, shelter personnel don't want to keep them too long.

The Salt Lake County Animal Shelter is located at 3900 S. 511 West.

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