MONTVILLE, Conn. (AP) – Offers of help poured in Monday after a Sunday house fire that killed at least 23 cats at a home where a couple ran a rescue league.
Five cats were unaccounted for and 12 others were rescued from the blaze, Montville Animal Control officer Jane Greenwood said.
“It was an awful thing to happen,” Greenwood said. “We found cats upstairs and downstairs. They took in cats that nobody else wanted.”
She says it appeared the cats died from smoke inhalation. The rescued cats were taken to Ledyard, where animal control officer Kimlyn Marshall said they smelled like smoke and she was looking for volunteers to help give them a bath.
Local clinics, rescue groups and grooming facilities have all offered to help the surviving cats.
Paulette Hepworth and Vincent Gugliuzza run the rescue league Strays Unlimited, which takes in sick cats that cannot be adopted.
Fire officials said the blaze damaged three-quarters of their home. They said the fire appeared to be electrical but they won’t know the exact cause for at least a week.
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