A West Virginia man’s body was found on Monday in a property containing more than 60 cats after police were called for a welfare check, according to WSAZ.
Family members called the Nitro Police Department in West Virginia to request a welfare check on a relative whose home had started to fall into disrepair, WSAZ reported. The grass outside the property was overgrown, tree branches scattered the roof, and packages lay outside, causing the family members to worry.
The owner of the property hadn’t been heard from in several weeks, so police went over to check on him. The visit ended with first responders discovering the man’s body, along with upwards of 60 cats inside the home, some of which were dead, the outlet continued.
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“You could tell though something was going on because of the smell,” neighbor Chris Snodgrass told the outlet. “This whole mountain is normally quiet as can be. We’ve lived up here 14 years here now. Here about 13 years up the mountain and you don’t have anybody’s petty problems up here, no noise no nothing really, it’s one of the best places we’ve ever lived actually.”
Snodgrass noted that he had only ever seen one cat outside of the home, and that the owner usually kept to himself. (RELATED: Martha Stewart’s Cat Was Murdered By Her Four Dogs)
Foul play is not suspected in the incident, but a medical examiner is investigating the body for any additional indications, WSAZ continued. The cats were rescued by team members at Putnam County Animal Shelter, who are currently looking for people to foster and adopt them.
The man is far from the first to be found dead surrounded by his feline friends. In February, a couple were found dead inside their home with more than 150 cats, according to the Daily Mail. In a horrendous story from 2021, an elderly woman was found decomposing, having been partly eaten by her cats, Newsweek reported.