Family asking for help after Desert Hot Springs home overrun with squatters, animals

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) -- The owners of a Desert Hot Springs home are asking the community for help in finding homes for dozens of pets abandoned in the home by squatters.

Betty Kerr, the real estate agent representing the home, says the property owners recently won an eviction case against a family member squatting in the home. When they finally gained access to the home, they found a mess they never expected.

"I've been selling real estate here in Coachella Valley in the High Desert for over 26 years. I can honestly say this is the worst eviction and the condition of the property that I've ever seen in 26 years," Kerr said.

She says they found about 46 cats in need of a home, as well as several dogs, but she says shelters across the Coachella Valley were too full to accept any animals.

"I've called every shelter around here. They're all full. I've called shelters in Yucca Valley where I live. They're all to capacity," Kerr said.

Even Desert Hot Springs Animal Control, who responded to the home with several officers, said they can't rescue cats unless they are deemed to be "irredeemably suffering."

Now, they're asking local rescues for help to rehabilitate the cats and assist in finding them homes.

"It's just hard. They're starving. When I put the food down, there were like 15 cats just devouring the food so quickly I thought they were going to eat each other. Help me find a home for these animals. I don’t want to leave them here."

It's why they reached out to News Channel 3 in hopes of connecting with more rescues.

On Thursday, Christina Sanchez with Kitty Corralers in Joshua Tree, arrived to set up traps for some of the pregnant cats. She says she already took in two that were sick from heat exhaustion and a respiratory infection.

"I've been to several hoarding situations, this is the worst that I've been to. In the sense that, the person was living in a home that had no electricity, no running water, and their cats and dogs wereforced to live in those conditions and there was no food," Sanchez said.

Sanchez says she's already overwhelmed with cats from another hoarding case in Yucca Valley, and she's not the only one. Several local rescues are reporting over-capacity with little relief.

So, the call to action continues as the animals survive on borrowed time.

News Channel 3 will continue following this story as rescues respond. Tune for continuing coverage.