POTTSVILLE (AP) There were so many cats taken from a Mahanoy City home that a code enforcement officer and Hillside SPCA representatives were even surprised.

“This is one of the biggest cases I’ve seen. It’s quite a shock,” Bill Killian, code enforcement officer for Mahanoy City, said of the more than 100 cats found Tuesday in a home on East Mahanoy Street.Complaints from neighbors about odor prompted the visit. The two people living there also told Killian prior to the visit they had only 30 cats instead of the more than 100 found at the house.Some of the kittens were as young as a few weeks old.“You walk in the front door and it was a wave of cats,” Killian said, adding they all looked well taken care of and didn’t have any fleas.The couple agreed to relinquish all cats to the Hillside SPCA. A notice of violation was sent to the property owner who did not know about the cats. The violations included having more than three animals and odor inside and outside the property. No fines have been assessed yet.Both the homeowner and the renters are complying, Killian said. He has been out to the property before regarding cats and the renters were in compliance. “They loved cats,” he said.Becky Moyer, feline manager at the Hillside SPCA, said she was shocked by the sheer number of cats.“When I opened the door, I was speechless,” Moyer said.The man had called her previously telling them they had 30 cats and needed help with them because they were moving. She went to the property and found a lot more.“There was cats everywhere,” she said. The cats were in very good health.“They were not neglecting the cats,” Moyer said. She did say the house smelled because of all the cats.“They told me they did without food so (the cats) could eat,” she said.Hillside has helped the renters in the past with spaying or neutering some of the cats. Janine Choplick, humane officer for the Hillside SPCA, agreed the cats have been well cared for.“The cats are healthy. They are clean. They are really in good shape. They are socialized,” she said. Asked why the tenants had so many cats, Choplick reasoned they were trying to be nice and do the right thing for the cats.“They are not mean people. They just got in over their head,” she said.The names of the tenants were not provided by Hillside SPCA or Killian.Moyer said the couple will not be charged by the SPCA because the animals were not neglected and they are complying with the code officer.The tenants have since left the property, Moyer said.Out of the 100 cats, 24 of them were kittens. Seven of the kittens have gone to another shelter in Schuylkill County. One kitten was adopted. More cats from the home are on their way to the SPCA this week. Moyer said the shelter will find room for them, but it will be difficult in the already cramped cat quarters. “It strains the space because we are already overcrowded,” Moyer said.The shelter is in need of wet cat food and dry kitten food. Monetary donations are also accepted. Volunteers are always needed.