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50+ Cats and Kittens Rescued from Mitchell County Home

Posted on Jun. 25, 2020Oct. 3, 2025

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa’s Mobile Response Team spent hours removing dozens of sick cats and kittens from a small home 2.5 hours away in Mitchell County yesterday, after being asked by local law enforcement to assist in a hoarding case.

When our team arrived, the smell of urine hit them immediately. Cats and kittens were everywhere and the house was dirty with urine and feces. After securing the cats and kittens, our team made the long drive back to the ARL, where our Emergency Care Team was ready and waiting to assess them to determine their treatment plans.

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Nearly all of the 58 cats rescued from adults to week-old kittens were suffering from severe upper respiratory infections. Some of the kittens’ eyes were matted shut, and they were so congested we could hear them struggling to breathe. All had fleas and ear mites, and one kitten was so thin and dehydrated we gave her critical care immediately. Sadly, she did not survive.

Duke

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On top of all that, several of the cats and kittens had lesions consistent with ringworm, a highly transmissible fungal infection that takes weeks to treat, requiring all of the cats and kittens from this rescue to be quarantined for several weeks as our staff takes extra precautions to prevent the spread.

These cats and kittens are now safe and have a second chance, but they need your help.

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Duke

This did not happen to them overnight, and returning them to health will be a long process, too. Your one-time donation to our Miracle Medical Fund today will help these cats and kittens and others in desperate need of care right now, and your monthly donation will help them and so many others like them who will arrive at our doors in need of a miracle.

With so many sick and injured cats and kittens arriving in our care in the past few weeks, your donation is needed now more than ever. Please give now to help them heal. To give them hope. To be their miracle.

P.S., When you donate today to help these cats and kittens or enroll in our Loyal Friends Club, you’ll be automatically enrolled to receive exclusive updates on their progress.


We would like to thank the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with this rescue as well as Boone County Humane Society, Animal Rescue of Carroll, Cedar Bend Humane Society, Ames Animal Shelter, and Iowa City Animal Shelter for transferring cats into their own shelters to make room for and assist with this rescue.

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The Animal Rescue League of Iowa, Inc. is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law, tax identification number 42-0680427.

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