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Immokalee homeowner claims Housing Authority threatened to take away her 16 cats

The homeowner says she allowed to have them
Posted at 10:24 PM, Aug 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-08 22:24:46-04

IMMOKALEE, Fla -- Too many cats near one Immokalee home is rubbing Collier County Housing Authority the wrong way, but according to the homeowner she says she’s allowed to have them. The homeowner, Chung Yi, has 16 cats living with her and says she's rescued cats for years now.

Yi tells Fox 4, the cats are more than animals to her because she's a survivor herself, a human trafficking survivor, and cats got her through her tough time.

"That’s how the whole thing started, they saved me first," Yi said.

Now she’s afraid the 16 cats she’s saved, will be taken away, after a neighbor complained about the number of cats outside her home. Yi claims the housing authority, just a few doors down threatened to take the cats and dispose of them.

"What’s really causing the problem is what we call in English term, haters 07:00>

Yi says she’s apart of a countywide program known as the “Community Cat Program,” that's run by the Domestic Animal Services, of Collier County, which allows her to get the cats fixed, feed them and take care of them as long as they stay outside.

It turns out the Vice President of "For the Love of Cats," a no-kill shelter in Marco Island confirmed, this is an actual program. Jim Rich, who's also on the Domestic Animal Services advisory board, he says this program is in place to help to stop euthanizing cats, he says as long as the felines aren't being a nuisance it's fine.

"The problem is domestic services is overrun and if they start taking in all these cats, and then they return them to the street, then they’ll have to euthanize them again," Rich said.

Fox 4 did reach out to the Housing Authority in Immokalee, they tell us they did not have a comment on this matter.