"Reported 'Bad Smell in Apartment'... Found 500 Cat Corpses Inside"

7.5 Tons of Household Trash... 27 Cats Rescued
Landlady in Her 60s Suffering from Mental Illness and More

In an apartment in Cheonan, Chungnam, the bodies of over 500 cats were found in a large pile. Authorities believe this occurred because a landlord in her 60s, who suffers from a mental illness, brought in stray cats and neglected their uncontrolled breeding.

On the 17th, according to Cheonan City and the animal rescue organization 'Beautiful Story with Animals,' a resident reported to the Bongmyeong-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Dongnam-gu the previous day, saying, "There is an apartment with a severe foul odor. The landlord is suspected of having animal hoarding disorder."

Dead cat signed on newspaper
[Photo by Beautiful Stories with Animals, Yonhap News]

When the city and the animal rescue organization inspected the site, they found the bodies of over 500 cats inside the house, along with 25 adult cats and 2 kittens still alive. Throughout the house, cat bodies were wrapped in newspapers and left to rot, and the refrigerator and bags were also filled with cat corpses. The waste removed from the house amounted to a staggering 7.5 tons.

The landlord, a woman in her 60s identified as Ms. A, is known to have been rescuing and raising stray cats at home for the past four years. After the death of her husband, Ms. A raised an even larger number of cats alone. It is presumed that these cats bred in large numbers inside the house without being neutered, and animal protection officials believe the kittens were born and left to die in poor conditions.

Ms. A has suffered from mental illness and geriatric diseases and is currently hospitalized receiving treatment for a cerebral infarction.

A Cheonan city official stated, "Ms. A has not been able to properly function cognitively for the past year," adding, "We had recommended treatment before, but she firmly refused and did not go to the hospital." The official also said, "There were frequent complaints about the foul odor, but even when staff visited, Ms. A refused to open the door or engage in conversation, making it very difficult."

After persistent visits and persuasion by city officials, Ms. A reluctantly cooperated. Officials believe she refused outsiders entry into her home out of fear of being reported for animal abuse. Currently, Cheonan City has completed waste removal and special cleaning of Ms. A’s residence.

The rescued cats are currently receiving treatment at an animal protection center, but there are difficulties in processing because a written relinquishment of ownership from Ms. A has not been obtained.

Lee Kyung-mi, the representative of Beautiful Story with Animals, said, "Once the cats are stabilized, neutering surgery is the most urgent task," adding, "If the city takes custody of the cats, there is a high possibility they will be euthanized. Please help them live a new life through adoption."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.