47 Cats Found Crammed Together And Living In Homeless Man's Car In Sweltering Heat

Harris, Minnesota -- A large group of cats was found crammed together and living inside a homeless man’s car in Minnesota. The vehicle was parked in the blistering heat at a rest stop near Harris.

The man who owned the car had recently become homeless but did not want to abandon the cats, Animal Humane Society investigator Ashley Pudas said.

A total of 47 cats were found inside the vehicle Tuesday, a day that saw temperatures at the rest stop on Interstate 35 crossing 90 degrees, according to the New York Post.

Chisago County Sheriff's Office and Minnesota State Patrol worked with the Animal Humane Society in removing the 47 cats from the vehicle.

"The gentleman had been living out of his vehicle and obviously utilizing different public areas, and a passerby or [sic] must have seen him and contacted the local authorities. Then once they got on scene, realized kind of what the situation was," Pudas told WDIO.

Tuesday’s sweltering heat led the owner to allow the Animal Humane Society to take the animals and send them on their path to new homes.

The homeless man had a total of 61 cats but had earlier released 14 of them to another local rescue organization before the remaining 47 cats were found.

Despite having lived in unsanitary conditions, the cats — ranging in ages from less than a year to more than 12 years — did not have any serious health issues.

"While I was out on scene, I was kind of watching everybody as they were coming out one by one," Pudas told the outlet. "And a majority of their problems were kind of common things found with high population of animals."

“Some hair loss going on, some thinning of the hair. As well as some injuries like lacerations, maybe puncture wounds, just from cats fighting each other, getting too close to each other,” she added.

All the cats will soon be vaccinated, sterilized, and put up for adoption.

“47 animals’ lives were irrevocably changed. Today, 47 cats are finally experiencing what it’s like to have their own space in which to sleep, play, and eat,” the Animal Humane Society wrote on Facebook. “This is just the beginning of their second chance but it's 47 second chances we can promise…”

Pudas urged the public to contact them if they are feeling overwhelmed or just need a helping hand with their pets.

"This is something that as agents we deal with typically weekly as far as high populations of animal," Pudas told WDIO. "We have a great group of staff that will get them set up with appointments to start bringing in animals if they're looking to just reduce their numbers.”