67 cats have been found dead in a freezer in a home in France, reports Sky News. Additionally, another 50 were found buried in the garden next to the house. AEPA, an animal protection group that discovered the bodies, described it as a “house of horror.”
Man arrested after police find more than 100 cats dead
Police went on to arrest an unnamed 66-year-old man who was located in the home. He was later taken for a psychiatric assessment and was released on Wednesday. According to AEPA, the home has previously been cited with a history of similar incidents occurring in 2019 and 2021.
The organization has suspected something wrong has been going on in the house since December of last year and has been investigating it for over two months. However, the group did not have sufficient information to complain to the police.
“We investigated, we noticed strong odors, a lot of meowing,” the organization told French broadcaster BFM. “So we called the police, who came to observe the same odors.”
Organizational leaders added they managed to obtain the search after two months. “The man reportedly kept a register of his cats, which he called ‘his loves,'” they shared.
The group also noted that 38 cats were found alive, which included 12 kittens and a pregnant adult. As per one of the volunteers who works for the organization, 15 cats were found to be “in a bad shape” and “eaten away by illness.”
“When we took the cats out of the freezer, he didn’t understand the problem, he said that he had given them eternal life,” AEPA members said. “They lived in the dirt at this… house for several years, deprived of care,” the organization added.
As per Daily Mail, the suspect showed no signs of remorse and believes he just “put the cats to sleep.” He said he was a cat lover.
AEPA said the surviving cats will be sterilized and taken care of until they recover. They will later be put up for adoption.
