Police find 108 cats locked up in small trailer in Groningen

The police found 108 cats locked up inside a 2- by 4-meter trailer in the Groningen municipality of Bierum on Tuesday evening. The trailer was said to have been moved from The Hague and placed in the Groningen village a few days ago, a spokesperson for the National Animal Welfare Inspection Service (LID) confirmed after reporting from RTV Noord.

“A fairly insane situation,” said the LID spokesperson on Wednesday. The owner of the trailer has admitted to moving the animals across the country, but it is not yet clear why she did this.

During an earlier inspection in The Hague, the service found 15 to 20 cats, but otherwise “nothing strange,” the spokesperson said. “So it is a big mystery to us where this large amount comes from.”

After the discovery, the LID was called in by the police to investigate and concluded that it involved “serious animal torment.” The cats “were undoubtedly completely agitated, and had no space to move.” Some are infected with the Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) virus, also known as feline AIDS, “a fatal disease if left untreated and contagious to healthy animals.”

A large number of cats are “obviously” related. There were “very elderly cats of more than 18 years old, to kittens of a few days old.” Moreover, they were not spayed or neutered, so there may also be pregnant cats among them.

The animals have been taken into custody at a secret location. The owner has the option to reclaim the cats, but this is subject to “strict conditions,” according to the LID. The shelter must be completely in order, something the spokesperson considers “difficult” with these numbers. The animals must also be in good condition. This does not apply to sick cats.

The woman will also have to reimburse all costs for transport, accommodation and care and medical treatment. This bill “quickly rose to many tens of thousands of euros,” so unless she digs deep into her own pockets, the spokesperson believes there is little chance that the owner will get the animals back.

For the time being, the agency has no evidence that the woman previously made a mistake by keeping animals. It is still being investigated whether she will face criminal charges.