A North Carolina widow whose dilapidated home is slated to be condemned in early October has several dozen cats for adoption.
St. Pauls, N.C., resident Lessie Smith and members of the Robeson County Humane Society must find homes for more than 50 cats before it’s demolished.
Smith, 65, said she started about two years ago with one stray that ran off and came back pregnant, but things quickly got out of hand. She said that when she tried to get the cats spayed or neutered, she ran out of money because she’s on a $600-a-month fixed income.
Shelly Carey, Robeson County Humane Society’s coordinator of adoptions and foster programs, said her agency became involved after it received an email from the town’s code enforcement officer about Smith.
When Carey visited the deteriorating home, she found a partially collapsed roof, boarded up doors and cats everywhere, she said. If the cats for adoption aren’t placed in homes within the next two weeks, Robeson County Animal Control will take them and many could be euthanized.
St. Pauls does not have an ordinance limiting the number of cats a person can have in a home. Town officials are updating town codes that would address the issue, according to Town Administrator Larry Di Re.
For more information on the case or how to adopt one or more of the cats, contact the Robeson County Humane Society’s website.