Dead Cats Found in Herndon Home

Fairfax County animal control officers found between 20-30 dead cats in an empty home in the 1300 block of Summerfield Drive in Herndon late Wednesday.

Fairfax County police spokesperson Lucy Caldwell said the animal control officers were called out to Herndon for a report of two large dogs running through the neighborhood. She said an officer saw the dogs run into the back yard of the home to try to catch them when the officer saw what she thought were the carcasses of dead cats in the home.

Caldwell said the officer was concerned that someone in the home could be injured or sick and they contacted Town of Herndon police officers, who obtained a search warrant and went into the home to check on the welfare of anyone who might be inside.

While officers did not find any people, they did find the skeletal remains of between 20-30 deceased cats by about 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday. No living cats were found in the home, Caldwell said. She said there may be more dead cats in the home.

“Apparently no one had been living in the house for some time,” Caldwell said, though the property is owned by a 50-year-old woman. She said police are not categorizing this incident as hoarding at this point, because there are many unknown factors about the situation. She said the owner could be ill or out of the area.

“It’s not illegal to have numerous cats but you must treat them with care,” Caldwell said. She said police and animal control are still in the early stages of determining what the situation is behind the dead cats. She said Town of Herndon zoning also responded to the scene and declared the house uninhabitable.

Police and animal control are continuing to investigate the situation. Animal control did not find the two dogs they were originally looking for, Caldwell said. The pit bull mix and great dane mix are still loose in the neighborhood.