Twenty cats and a dog were taken into protective custody from a Great Falls residence by Animal Control Officers (ACO) this week.
The Great Falls Police Department said in a news release that ACOs received an anonymous report from a community member concerned about the possibility of 40 cats living in very poor conditions in the basement of a residence on 12th Street North.
The ACOs tried to conduct a welfare check but were unable to obtain permission to enter the home. Further investigation, with the assistance of Montana Probation & Parole Officers and GFPD detectives, resulted in the Cascade County Attorney’s Office issuing a search warrant for Aggravated Animal Cruelty.
The ACOs, accompanied by patrol officers and detectives, removed 18 cats from the residence on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, and retrieved two more cats from the home on Wednesday. One dog was also impounded.
Once the 20 cats were captured, including a mother and her four three-week-old kittens, they were remanded to staff of the Great Falls Animal Shelter at their temporary housing facility.
ACO Alisa Ethridge said in the news release, “The cats are friendly and seem to be in relatively good health, considering the conditions they were living in.”
None of the animals are available for adoption at this time.
At this point, we do not know if anyone has been formally charged.
Aggravated Animal Cruelty (MCA 45-8-217) is a felony and occurs when a person purposely or knowingly kills or inflicts cruelty to an animal with the purpose of terrifying, torturing, or mutilating the animal, or inflicts cruelty to animals on a collection, kennel, or herd of 10 or more animals. In this case, it was determined the cats lacked sufficient water and the sanitation of the home was not acceptable for inhabitation.
The news release notes that City of Great Falls ordinance 6.1.060 limits the number of cats and dogs per residence to two cats and two dogs, unless approved for a Multiple Animal Permit or Hobby Breeder Permit.
We will update you if we get more information.
