The search is on to locate the owner of six cats found abandoned last weekend in a vacant Gray home.

On Saturday, Gray Animal Control Officer Heather Phinney was contacted by a homeowner who discovered six cats in her house.

Phinney said the woman appeared to be renting the home to her sister, who moved to Augusta a last month, leaving the house vacant, with no heat, food, or water for the cats.

Citing an ongoing investigation, Phinney declined to identify the owner of the house, but said she is working on locating the renter and owner of the cats.

If found, Phinney said she will bring charges against the owner that include animal abandonment and possibly animal cruelty.

Upon arrival at the house, which Phinney said was littered with feces, urine, dirt, and garbage, one cat had already died, and two others appeared sick.

“The condition of the house was a disaster,” said Phinney.

Phinney took the healthy cats to the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook, and the other two went to an emergency animal hospital in Portland.

The hospitalized cats suffered seizures while under the veterinarian’s care. To help find out what was wrong, Phinney called the homeowner and asked if there were any medications or other chemical the cats could have gotten into.

The homeowner told Phinney she put antifreeze in the toilet, which was the only source of water for the cats. The two cats, one male and one young female, were then put to sleep, to avoid what Phinney said would be a “slow death.”

Andrew Ferreira, Executive Director of the Westbrook Animal Refuge League, said the three other cats are doing well.

“They’re fine. They’re just being treated like any other cat that comes in,” said Ferreira.

Ferreira offered no further information, citing the pending investigation.

The search is on to locate the owner of six cats found abandoned last weekend in a vacant Gray home.

On Saturday, Gray Animal Control Officer Heather Phinney was contacted by a homeowner who discovered six cats in her house.

Phinney said the woman appeared to be renting the home to her sister, who moved to Augusta a last month, leaving the house vacant, with no heat, food, or water for the cats.

Citing an ongoing investigation, Phinney declined to identify the owner of the house, but said she is working on locating the renter and owner of the cats.

If found, Phinney said she will bring charges against the owner that include animal abandonment and possibly animal cruelty.

Upon arrival at the house, which Phinney said was littered with feces, urine, dirt, and garbage, one cat had already died, and two others appeared sick.

“The condition of the house was a disaster,” said Phinney.

Phinney took the healthy cats to the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook, and the other two went to an emergency animal hospital in Portland.

The hospitalized cats suffered seizures while under the veterinarian’s care. To help find out what was wrong, Phinney called the homeowner and asked if there were any medications or other chemical the cats could have gotten into.

The homeowner told Phinney she put antifreeze in the toilet, which was the only source of water for the cats. The two cats, one male and one young female, were then put to sleep, to avoid what Phinney said would be a “slow death.”

Andrew Ferreira, Executive Director of the Westbrook Animal Refuge League, said the three other cats are doing well.

“They’re fine. They’re just being treated like any other cat that comes in,” said Ferreira.

Ferreira offered no further information, citing the pending investigation.