Twenty-five cats were found crammed into cages and crates outside a Penn Street home in Franklin Township, left there through a storm from Sept. 2 through Sept. 4, according to police. Now, with a felony animal cruelty case pending against the home's resident, rescue groups are working to find the surviving cats permanent homes.
Franklin Township police responded to the home on Sept. 4 after a report of cats left outside in cages during a storm, as reported by 2822news.com. Officers found cats on a screened-in porch and in cages and crates outside the home, with 25 cats gathered in all. Many of the cats appeared malnourished.
One cat found inside a covered crate was barely moving, according to police. The animal, found with flies and eggs on it, had to be euthanized because of its condition. Dunning told officers she had no money to take the ill cat to a veterinarian.
Flea Infestation Blamed for Cats' Outdoor Confinement
A family member of Dunning's said the cats had been kept outside because of a flea infestation inside the house, adding that the cats had been outside for three days. According to the criminal affidavit cited by the same report, the cats were found malnourished, and their cages smelled of urine and feces.
Starting Over Animal Rescue and Palmerton Cat Project helped with the rescue effort after the situation came to light. The two groups rescued cats from the property.
Palmerton Cat Project offers cats for adoption. The rescued cats are now available for adoption through the two organizations.
Cats Available for Adoption
Starting Over Animal Rescue makes cats available for adoption at Coal Cats Café in Tamaqua, which says on its website that it works with the rescue to foster a variety of cats and kittens, per Coal Cats Café. Separately, Starting Over Animal Rescue's online adoption page lists an approximately 10-year-old tabby also named Bonnie, described as affectionate, along with an unrelated 4-month-old tabby kitten who shares the same name, according to Starting Over Animal Rescue.
Palmerton Cat Project's own adoption page cautions that its listings may not always reflect which cats have already found homes, noting that it's always possible one of the animals pictured is in the process of being adopted, or that the group simply hasn't gotten around to removing the listing yet, per Palmerton Cat Project.
Charges and Court Timeline
Lila Ann Dunning, 62, of Franklin Township, was charged with animal cruelty and neglect. She was arraigned and free on $5,000 unsecured bail. Her preliminary hearing was scheduled for Oct. 14.
Palmerton Cat Project has a long track record in Carbon County animal welfare, having reported in December 2024 that it had improved the quality of life of more than 1,800 cats and kittens since 2014, according to Times News Online. The group has also taken part in other large-scale rescues in the area; in a separate case in Bowmanstown, volunteers from Palmerton Cat Project, Carbon County Friends of Animals, Fireline Furr-Ever Friends and Crazy Cat Chicks combined efforts to pull 38 cats out alive, with 20 others reported dead as of March 12, according to fox56.com. In that case, the surviving adult cats required spay or neuter surgery, vaccines, testing, flea treatment, deworming and microchips before they could be adopted out. There is no indication the Bowmanstown case is connected to the Franklin Township cats now looking for homes.
