Las Vegas Now400 Cats Found Trapped in Pahrump Compound

400 Cats Found Trapped in Pahrump Compound

Nearly 400 cats are getting veterinary care Wednesday night after being discovered at what the owners are calling a pet sanctuary in Pahrump. Others say it's nothing more than a compound where the animals have been neglected.

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Those 400 cats are hiding under the trees throughout flock sanctuary. But when the sun starts going down and volunteers put out food, that's when all the cats come out wanting to eat and looking for some much needed attention.

You'll find them in every nook, every cranny looking for any relief from the desert sun.

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Russ Meade with animal welfare group Best Friends Network says this two and half acres of fenced-in land is a far cry from the sanctuary the owners called it. "We're not sure they were fed everyday," he said. 

"When we first got here, we power-washed everything, bleached everything. The stench was so bad we couldn't work in it," he shared. 

Close to 400 cats have been living in it and paying the consequences.

"This cat right here, it's starving, totally dehydrated. We have to give it nourishment and force feed it," said Meade. 

Seventy-five percent of them are sick, suffering from eye and respiratory infection to starvation.

"There's just no way to control disease. Any one cat who would get any kind of disease could spread it," said Meade. 

Nye County Animal Control officer Tim McCarty found the animals last week. The animals owner signed over possession of the cats, but it was too much for Nye County to handle.

"There's no way our animal shelter could have accommodated 300 plus sick cats. It's just absolutely overwhelming," said McCarty.

Best Friends Network came in to help and plan on being here for months nursing these cats back to health and getting them adopted so they can finally get permanent relief from the desert sun.

Volunteers believe the cats were actually caught in Clark County and brought over to Pahrump. Eyewitness News tried calling the number to the Flock Animal Group, but the number has been disconnected.

Animal Control is investigating and says the owners could face charges of animal neglect.