John Coffelt, Editor

Coffee County Animal Control Officer Craig Boyd, as part of his monthly report during the Dec. 18 Health, Welfare and Recreation Commission meeting, detailed a recent call-in which officers rescued five cats from a hoarding situation.

Boyd said that the cats were housed in terrible conditions.

“The house was condemned,” he explained. “It was bad. You couldn’t step anywhere without stepping in cat feces. It was strewn with furniture and we’re having to search for these cats.”

Boyd said that he and his officers’ searches were limited to a few minutes in the residence because of the amount of ammonia in the air.

“We had to rotate. We had to go out get some fresh air,” Boyd said.

The unspecified residence has been abandoned since around Thanksgiving when the elderly person was moved to a nursing facility.

Boyd said the conditions in the home predate its abandonment.

The department was able to catch two cats during the initial call and had to trap the remainder.

Fosters for the cats were secured prior to the call.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.