The Hawaiian Humane Society collected 45 cats from a Mililani apartment yesterday and began an investigation that could lead to animal cruelty charges for the woman who brought them into her home.

The rental tenant of the second-floor apartment at 95-273 Waikalani Drive was evicted Thursday, leaving the animals behind, according to the Humane Society. The agency was called in by the Waikalani Woodlands condominium management company.

  45 cats hoarded in Mililani apartment

 

Investigators from the Hawaiian Humane Society were called to aid in a cat hoarding case in Mililani.

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“;A couple were in cages, but for the most part they were roaming free in the apartment,”; said Keoni Vaughn, Humane Services field services manager. “;Most are in fair shape.”;

Vaughn said the animals were being examined by veterinarians at the society's Moiliili animal shelter. “;We appreciate the call for a rescue.”;

“;We are opening an investigation into animal cruelty. That's standard procedure,”; Vaughn said. He declined to say whether any dead animals were found or to describe conditions in the apartment because of the investigation.

Neighbors said they had complained about the smell. They told news media that the female tenant had fed cats in the parklike grounds surrounding four buildings of the complex, and the animals followed her, congregating in a stairwell.

A security officer at the Waikalani Woodlands office declined to identify the management company or the evicted tenant.