Tiverton Police investigating home where 21 cats were rescued

TIVERTON, R.I. (WLNE) — The Tiverton Police Department said it is investigating a home where 21 cats were being kept in a hoarding situation.

The department said five litters of kittens and several adult cats were rescued from the home on Adams Street on July 9 by animal control officers from Tiverton and Portsmouth as well as by members of the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Animal control said it believed that several other adult cats had run from the home prior to police arriving.

Police added that a Tiverton Code Enforcement Officer determined that the home was uninhabitable due to unsanitary and unsafe conditions, and residents would need to vacate the home until violations were corrected.

RISPCA said it will seek foster homes for the cats, but said they will need six weeks of treatment for ringworm before they can be adopted.