Cat sanctuary catches on fire

CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio - A Northeast Ohio cat sanctuary, under investigation by the Geauga County Humane Society, caught on fire on Tuesday

One cat died in the blaze, but almost all of the other 160 cats on the property are kept in other buildings that did not catch fire.

The Geauga County Humane Society was investigating several complaints about conditions at the Happy Tails Cat Sanctuary in Chester Township. They were working with the owner to take some of the animals weeks before the fire broke out.

Workers took 30 cats from the property Wednesday afternoon.

"Put simply, you have a situation where for many years, Happy Tails saved so many cats that wouldn't have had a chance. But, even the most love in the world can't deal with the fact that when you get too many animals in one place it is impossible to give them the clean conditions they need," said Hope Brustein of Rescue Village, Geauga County’s Humane Society.

Humane society officials said they could be going back to get the rest of the cats on the property.