Scores of cats removed from Corner Brook house

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and other officials removed dozens of cats from a Corner Brook house Thursday night after receiving complaints that well over a hundred animals had been crowded into the small bungalow.

The move came a night after police and others — animal control officers, the SPCA, a local cat rescue group and the city's fire department — were called to the home, following a complaint about the scene.

The city received the owner's permission Thursday to enter the home, and began removing animals to be inspected by a vet.

"An authority said to me [Wednesday] night, there is probably a biohazard with all the animal waste that has been accumulating on that property," said neighbour Keith Cormier, who filed complaints about the house and a cat colony that had gotten out of control.

Cormier, who is allergic to cats, had been complaining about the house for years, but was frustrated by what he saw as a lack of action.

Earlier this week, he posted a video to YouTube that shows the exterior grounds of the home being overrun with dozens of cats. The video is posted above.

"[There were] Probably 50 or 60 cats in the driveway, not counting the ones that were in doorway of the house. My guess is that there is somewhere between 100 and 200 cats in that house," he said.

Corner Brook officials, though, say they responded to all of Cormier's complaints.

After the animals are examined, the city will determine what to do with them.