60 cats rescued from abandoned boat anchored off Washington state

Sixty cats and kittens have now been rescued from an abandoned sailboat that was found anchored off a beach in Washington state, police said. 

The 40-foot boat, initially spotted earlier this month in waters near Tacoma’s Owen Beach, remains the focal point of an active criminal investigation as well as an ongoing search for additional felines that may have evaded law enforcement so far. 

“While we believe we have safely removed all of the cats from the boat, as any cat owner knows, cats are exceptionally good at hiding,” the Tacoma Police Department wrote in a social media post shared Wednesday. “Because there is always a possibility that a cat may remain [on board], our work isn’t quite finished.”

After nearly a week spent locating and carefully collecting each cat from the vessel, the police department reported Tuesday that officers and Tacoma Animal Control crews had finally removed the last one.

“The final cat is off the boat,” the department wrote in a social media post shared Tuesday. “Fur real this time!”

Officers first responded to reports of the abandoned sailboat off Owen Beach on Aug. 6. Once there, they encountered what the police department originally described as an “unexpected” scene, with dozens of cats and kittens “living in unsafe conditions.” 

An image posted by the department showed well over a dozen cats crowded together in one corner of the boat, including at least three gazing upward from what appears to be a plastic bucket on the floor. 

“Many of the cats were frightened and malnourished, requiring patience, care, and a tremendous amount of teamwork from our members,” police said at the time. Additional images showed rescue crews searching the boat in protective gear and carrying cats off the vessel in crates.

Police have asked community members for help as they continue to search for any cats potentially left behind. If people visiting Owen Beach happen to see one on the sailboat, which authorities are planning to eventually move unless its owner returns, they should send a picture of the cat, along with the date, time and location of the sighting, to Tacoma Animal Control. They shouldn’t board the boat themselves, police warned.

In Tacoma, residents must acquire pet licenses that limit the number of dogs and cats a person can own to six per household, according to the city. Although police haven’t provided details about the exact nature of this criminal case, CBS affiliate KIRO reported that it could be considered a hoarding case under Washington’s animal cruelty ban, which prohibits a wide range of mistreatments and acts of neglect.