Northern California couple charged after more than 150 cats recovered from home, dozens dead

A Northern California couple has been charged in connection to hoarding more than 100 cats while operating a “feral” cat rescue that led to investigators recovering 46 dead felines, authorities said.

A husband and wife face felony charges of cruelty to animals and willful harm or injury to children, according to Yuba Superior Court records. They are scheduled to be arraigned July 23 after a warrant was issued June 10 for their arrest.

Numerous residents alerted authorities about many cats roaming through the couple’s property on Sundance Drive in Plumas Lake, an unincorporated community 20 miles north of Sacramento, authorities said.

Sheriff’s deputies who responded to the scene came across 160 animals scared of humans and running away, the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office said previously. The couple lived with their child at the home, prosecutors said.

The couple are no longer in custody.