Woman, rescue groups work to remove 12 cats from home

Published 1:30 am Saturday, March 7, 2026

A dozen young cats were rescued from an Oak Harbor home and taken to Whidbey pet rescue centers over the last two weeks.

Last month, Dianne Nootenboom, a good Samaritan and Oak Harbor resident, was called to rescue around 20 cats from an Oak Harbor home, although only 12 have been found. The house is owned by a 49-year-old man, but the cats were in the possession of his mother, who was living with him at the time. When the mother had to leave to get medical treatment, she gave permission to surrender the cats to Nootenboom.

Not a stranger to rescuing animals, Nootenboom was called by a friend of a friend to take the cats to Whidbey Animals Improvement Foundation Animal Shelter in Coupeville and Critters and Co. Pet Center & Rescue in Clinton, two pets rescue centers on the island.

Upon entering the home, Nootenboom was met with a thick smell that hurt her eyes and nose, she said. The inside of the house was soiled with dry and wet cat feces and urine all over, she described. Besides the cat waste, there was clutter throughout the house, which Nootenboom could only categorize as part of a hoarding situation. The clutter made it even more difficult to catch the cats, Nootenboom recalled. She struggled to get just two feet into the rooms, and the cats would hide whenever she got near.

Over the course of a week and a half, and approximately 20 hours of labor, the woman’s son and Nootenboom set traps on the inside and outside of the house and began the tedious task of catching the cats and bringing them to the shelters. This was a particularly hard mission, she noted.

“I do this because I love the cats and want them fed, warm and not having babies that get sick,” she said.

There were no sores on the cats, Nootenboom confirmed, otherwise she would have gotten Oak Harbor animal control involved, as she frequently does. Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation Communications and Event Coordinator Karina Andrew emphasized that the shelter doesn’t see it as an animal cruelty case as the animals do not appear mistreated.

Of the eight cats that WAIF has received so far, they are all about a year old, except for the two 14-week old felines. Three of them are male and the rest are female. Upon arrival at WAIF, all the cats received vaccines, deworming and flea treatments, Andrew said, a standard care procedure given to all animals they take in. The kitties are currently being observed to ensure they are free of illness before being put up for adoption.

This situation isn’t uncommon, she explained.

“Often in surrender cases, pet owners or their family members make the decision to bring their animals to WAIF when they face extenuating personal circumstances that make it difficult for them to care for their pets any longer,” Andrew said. “Though we strive to help keep pets in homes whenever possible, WAIF is happy to be here to support owners who need to make this decision and provide care for pets who need to be re-homed.

Critters & Co. Pet Center & Rescue in Clinton also took in some of the cats. So far, it has received two female cats and two male cats from the home, each 4 months old, according to Elizabeth Justus, the manager of the rescue organization.

Justus explained that when cats aren’t fixed and are living together, situations like this can happen fast.

“You end up with a lot of cats in a quick amount of time,” she said.

One of the females that has now been fixed and is up to date on shots is ready for adoption. The other three will be available at the end of next week, Justus said.

Nootenboom credited WAIF, Critters & Co. Pet Center & Rescue and Best Friend’s Veterinary Center in Oak Harbor for helping the animals get back on their feet. She was also thankful for the community members who donated cat food after she posted about the situation on Facebook.

Nootenboom said her dedication to helping rescue the felines is a testament to her soft spot for animals. Over the years she has spent $10,000 in WAIF “care coupons,” as well as money out of her own pocket to help feral animals and strays get fixed or healed.

“I don’t keep track of how many I have helped because there’s always another,” she said.

Check waifanimals.org/adopt-a-pet and whidbeycritters.com/critter-adoption to learn more about adopting the kittens.

WAIF offers low income and free animal spay or neuter options. Oasis For Animals in Langley also offers low-cost spay and neuters for cats: call 360-321-4142.