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Elderly Swedish man stripped of his 35 cats

The County Administrative Board of Skåne has decided to confiscate the 35 cats of an 81-year-old man who was forbidden from having more than nine of the furry felines.

"The smell of excrement and cat urine was so strong it made my eyes burn," animal welfare inspector Linnéa Stålhandske told newspaper Helsingborgs Dagbladet

Over 20 of the cats were found in the 81-year-old's home, near Helsingborg in southern Sweden. Another dozen or so were found nearby. Several of the cats had eye problems, and Stålhandske said they may have been inbred. 

Four years ago the city was already aware of the man's problematic affinity for felines. In 2010 the city forbade him from having more than nine cats, but in 2011 it was discovered that he had 15, not including kittens. All of the cats were taken.

"When it comes down to it he is a true animal lover," Stålhandske said. "He wanted to take care of them, and it went awry when they started propagating uncontrollably."

Once again the board has decided to confiscate the cats, and is also considering banning the man from owning any animals at all. 

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CATS

Kitten journeys from Norway to Denmark on underside of truck

A kitten became a reluctant stowaway on 450-kilometre-long journey from Norway to Denmark after hopping on to the undercarriage of a truck.

Kitten journeys from Norway to Denmark on underside of truck
Illustration photo: LeniKovaleva/Depositphotos

After being driven and making a ferry crossing from Egersund in Rogaland, southwestern Norway to Bronderslev in North Jutland, the truck was handed over to a mechanic in the Danish town.

The mechanic found the kitty on the vehicle’s chassis, Norway’s national broadcaster NRK reports.

The little cat is thought to have been on board the lorry throughout its international journey.

“That’s a long journey for a little kitten,” Gritt Mathiesen Hanghøj, head of animal welfare at nearby cat shelter Nordjyllands Hittekilling, told NRK.

Hanghøj was contacted by the workshop who discovered the travelling feline.

The cat most likely climbed onto the truck’s undercarriage seeking warmth before being taken on an unexpected long haul.

Although a large part of the journey was a ferry crossing, the cat stayed under the vehicle for a long road trip, Hanghøj told NRK.

“The lorry drove from Egersund to Stavanger before taking the ferry from Stavanger to Frederikshavn in Denmark. The driver then drove to the workshop in Bronderslev,” she said.

The trailer was delivered to the workshop directly after its arrival in Denmark, making it unlikely the cat hopped on board after the crossing.

The female kitten is currently being looked after following her ordeal.

“She is dehydrated, lethargic and in shock, but is being given fluids, food and love. She made it through the night and there’s a good chance she’ll survive,” Hanghøj said.

“I think she’s used up a couple of her nine lives,” the cat shelter leader told NRK.

Search is now underway for the kitten’s owner, who is yet to be identified.

A social media post on Wednesday by Nordjyllands Hittekilling has been shared over 1,700 times, but a further update on Thursday said that no owner had been found so far. Neither has any further information become available on identity of the truck or its driver.

READ ALSO: Danish kitten takes solo train trip to neighbouring town