City Shuts Down Neighborhood Cat House

From the KCBD website:

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - A house in the 3200 block of 20th Street was deemed "Unlawful to Occupy" by the city this week after the smell of cats became too much for neighbors to handle.

Crews have been cleaning the house for the past two days, but the smell is still very strong.

It got so bad, neighbors called and complained to City Councilman Todd Klein, who brought in city inspectors.

Crews dressed in haz-mat suits are on scene trying to clean up the animal waste that is responsible for the smell.

Councilman Klein went personally to visit the house and speak with neighbors.

"I'd gotten a letter on it," Klein said. "We've since met with some very concerned citizens that live on the block. I actually went that Friday after learning about it and met with some people across the street."

"As soon as I got out of my vehicle, I immediately got belted by that smell," Klein said. "It's an unfortunate circumstance for all parties involved."

Klein said neighbors feared for their health and had actually stopped going outside their homes because of the smell.

It's not clear if any humans were living in the house, but city officials have removed two dogs from the property.

Neighbors believe the cats, as many as 30 cats, were moved to another location before city representatives got there. The cats may have already been fostered or euthanized. We'll let you know more once we receive confirmation from the Humane Society.

The owner has been cited for an odor issue and having unsanitary conditions in the house.

Klein says the city is doing everything they can to make sure neighbors don't get sick. He says this is the first time anything like this has happened in his memory and he hopes the problem can be resolved quickly.

"We've got a serious situation that we're doing everything we can to get addressed as quickly as possible," Klein said.