More than 20 cats, dogs being rescued from Crest Hill home

Animals apparently left on their own may have caused a gas leak on March 27 at a home in the 1800 block of Nicholson in Crest Hill.

John O’Connor, fire chief at the Lockport Township Fire Protection District, which responded to the gas leak, said the incident “was caused from gas leaking from burners on the stove that were left in the ‘on’ position without the flames igniting.”

“We believe the stove knobs may have been turned on by the 20 to 30 cats or dogs living in the residence,” O’Connor said and later added, “No residents were there at the time our crews got to the scene.”

O’Connor said the gas supply was shut off at the meter, and ComEd remotely disconnected the electricity at the district’s request.

The Crest Hill building department deemed the residence uninhabitable, O’Connor said.

“In the meantime, I have submitted a Premise Hazard form to Wescom [Western Will County Communication Center], advising them to mark the property as ‘Do not enter. Biohazard,” O’Connor said.

​Don Seeman, city of Crest Hill building commissioner, said the city is still working with Joliet Township Animal Control to remove all animals from the home.

“Once all animals have been removed, we will assess the condition of this residence to determine next steps,” Seeman said.

In the meantime, all appropriate utility representatives have shut off the utilities at the home, Seeman said.

“Some are going to barn cat programs because they’re not very friendly. They’ve been living on their own for so long, they’re really not comfortable around people, which is fine.”

—  Whitney McGill, director of Joliet Township Animal Control,

What happened to the animals?

Whitney McGill, director of Joliet Township Animal Control, said animal control rescued two dogs – a pit bull mix and a Teddy Bear (“it’s like a shih tzu,” McGill said) and more than 20 cats – so far.

“We don’t have an exact number,” McGill said. “We’re still trapping them.”

The cats were actually “in pretty good shape” with most of them already spayed or neutered, McGill said.

“I know that a lot of the cats were adopted from different rescues,” McGill said. “So, they’re trickling in and picking them up. So, we don’t have them all here.”

Only some of the cats remaining at Joliet Township Animal Control will be adopted, McGill said.

“Some are going to barn cat programs because they’re not very friendly,” McGill said. “They’ve been living on their own for so long, they’re really not comfortable around people, which is fine.”

McGill said cats slated for barn cat programs will first receive their rabies vaccine and be spayed and neutered – if needed – and then move to a barn home “where they can have a second job of catching mice for the barn owners.”

Finally, McGill warned of the hazards of keeping too many pets in the home in terms of health and giving animals proper care.

People living with a large amount of cats are exposed to increased levels of ammonia, dander, hair and dust, McGill said.

Many times, cats in hoarder situations are not spayed or neutered, leaving them at risk for having multiple litters where few kittens survive, McGill said.

Outside, cats that “use flower beds for litter boxes” may spread parasites, as well as annoying the neighbors, she said.

Cats with feline immunodeficiency virus can spread it to other cats, McGill said. And both cats and dogs can carry fleas, which can cause skin issues in humans, she said

Finally, large amounts of cats in one area can harm local bird populations by eating birds in large volume, despite the “circle of life” and the fact cats “need to eat, too,” McGill said.

“But if you have 30 cats living in one concentrated area and catch the different birds coming around to look for food sources, that can cause some issues, too,” McGill said.

So how many animals are too many?

“If you’re not able to give them medical care and that full attention – that they’re still feeling special and needed and loved – and provide for them the same as if you had one, that means you have too many," McGill said.