Elderly Woman Lives Happily with 117 Cats in One Room

There are precedents in the Moscow region when people were evicted from residential high rises because of the extreme number of pets they had in their apartments. Last year, a 57-year old woman was evicted from her apartment in Jubileyny city of the Moscow region where she lived with her 20 dogs.

Photo: Elderly Woman Lives Happily with 117 Cats in One Room

The Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper wrote about an incident where for over 10 years the residents of building 45 at Shpilevskaya Street in Moscow have been trying to evict their neighbor and her 117 cats.

Svetlana, a single retired woman residing in a studio on the 13^th floor began bringing stray animals to her apartment 12 years ago.

A few years ago, the residents of the building wrote a group complaint. When the woman opened the door, her neighbors counted 60 cats and dogs. The court ruled that all animals were to be sent to shelters. The residents won the first battle, but that was not the end of the story.

Within a short period of time, the retiree collected a new army of stray animals and now shares her apartment with 117 cats. This is a record number.

According to a correspondent of Komsomolskaya Pravda, the stench in the building hallway was unbearable. The woman does not let anyone into her apartment. However, she agreed to talk to the journalist. She is convinced that she is doing a good thing.

There is no place to step in the studio and the ammonia smell hurts your eyes. The woman herself does not seem to be uncomfortable. However, the journalist said that the animals did not look well taken care of. Many of them had mats in their hair, their eyes had puss in them, they looked exhausted and some did not get up. The woman does not let them go outside as she believes that she has “no moral right to throw them out.”

The same situation is unfolding in building 8 on Laso Street in Perovo, the Moscow region. There are 17 animals living in a studio apartment that cause the neighbors much trouble. The owners of the apartment, a mother and her son, are registered with a psychiatric institution. The apartment has no power because the owners do not pay energy bills, and the windows are covered with plywood instead of glass.

The neighbors are collecting signatures for complaint letters to the police department, city government and psychiatric institution, but to no avail. Now, when the building has its own managing company, there is hope that the family will be evicted. However, it takes time to solve the problem. Before the officials can gain access to the apartment, the owner must receive three warnings. This takes almost two months. Then a special committee accompanied by a policeman will compile an act of inappropriate condition of the apartment. Only then can they file a claim with the court.

Animal protectors are also against such unauthorized shelters. They are usually organized by single, unhealthy, and poor people. They do it to keep themselves busy, but animals suffer.

There were incidents when neighbors were able to evict the residents who have shelters in their apartment through court orders. However, these cases are rare. Most of the time high risers’ residents have to put up with their degenerated neighbors.