Cops investigating an apparently abandoned boat were stunned when they climbed aboard and discovered it was home to dozens of cats and kittens.
More than 30 felines were found living inside the sailboat, with many hiding in boxes and cramped spaces around the vessel.
Police had initially been alerted to the apparently abandoned boat after it was spotted with improper lighting.
READ MORE: Rescuers find bodies of five mountaineers missing for nine months after avalanche
But when officers investigated, they discovered it was packed with cats, sparking a huge rescue operation involving police and Animal Control at Commencement Bay near Owen Beach, Tacoma, Washington, US, as reported by Need To Know.
Rounding up the frightened felines proved far from easy, with rescuers spending two days trying to coax them out of the boat’s many hiding places.
Cheri Page, of Tacoma Animal Control, said: “There’s the challenge of the boat itself. It’s pretty close quarters and, because it is a sailboat, there’s lots of nooks and crannies that cats can hide into.”
Officials said some of the animals appeared malnourished and had fleas, although many were found to be in relatively good condition.
They believe the cats had been living aboard the vessel for months, and potentially even longer.
However, the animals appeared to have been receiving food and water.
During the first rescue operation, 31 cats were removed and taken to the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County.
But officials believed another 10 to 14 cats could still be hiding aboard the vessel.
Animal Control then had to obtain a search warrant before officers could fully board the privately owned boat and remove the remaining animals.
Officials have since identified a possible owner through the vessel’s registration details but had not yet been able to make contact.
No arrests had been made as the investigation continued.
Animal Control believes the extraordinary number of cats may have started with just a handful of animals which had not been neutered.
Page said: “Unfortunately they do what cats do, and make more cats.”
READ MORE: TV star faces death penalty after alleged drug factory bust
