A report of a poorly lit sailboat anchored off Owen Beach in Tacoma, Washington, led police to an unusual discovery: more than 40 cats and kittens living aboard the vessel with no people in sight.
KOMO News reporter Tyler Cunnington said Tacoma Police initially responded because the boat did not have proper lighting, but when officers boarded, they found the vessel filled with cats. Police later returned with the Marine Services Unit and worked with Animal Control and forensic technicians to begin removing the animals from what authorities described as unsafe conditions.
By Friday afternoon, 31 cats had been taken to the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County, while roughly 10 to 14 others remained aboard because they were hiding or too frightened to be captured.
Officers Expected A Boat Problem, Not Dozens Of Cats
Cunnington reported that the sailboat was anchored just offshore from Owen Beach in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park when police were called to investigate its lighting.
Once officers stepped aboard, however, the concern quickly changed from a boating issue to an animal welfare case.
“Just a lot of cats, actually,” one responder said in the report. “We stepped down and just like in the picture that was posted, they had all repositioned into the kitchen and they were all looking at us.”
The animals included both males and females and ranged in age, with kittens among the group. Despite the cramped setting and the number of cats aboard, Tacoma Animal Control said many appeared to be in reasonably good physical condition.
Cheri Page with Tacoma Animal Control said the cats had clearly been given food and water, although they had fleas and appeared to have been living aboard the sailboat for a considerable period.
“They have been clearly fed and watered, but they’ve been on that boat for some time,” Page said.
Officials believed that could mean months or possibly longer.
Rescue Crews Faced Tight Quarters And Frightened Animals
Removing the cats was more complicated than simply carrying them off the boat, because crews first had to reach the vessel and then work through the confined interior of a sailboat filled with places where frightened animals could hide.
“Unlike a normal case, we do need assistance with getting out there by boat, and then there’s the challenge of the boat itself, pretty close quarters,” Page told Cunnington.
She added that sailboats contain numerous small spaces, ledges and compartments that make it particularly easy for cats to disappear from view.
Animal Control spent hours working through the vessel, eventually removing dozens of cats and transporting them to the Humane Society, where they could receive food, water, air conditioning and further attention.
Cunnington noted that some of the remaining cats could still be seen moving around the deck and lying along different parts of the boat as evening approached.
The slow pace of the rescue makes sense under those circumstances. Trying to rush frightened animals inside a confined boat could easily create another problem, especially if a cat panicked and jumped into the water or became injured while trying to escape.
Investigators Are Trying To Determine How The Cats Got There
Authorities said they had contacted a possible owner but had not yet established communication with that person at the time of the report.
That left several basic questions unanswered, including how so many animals came to be living on the sailboat and why they had apparently remained there for such a long time.
Jesse Molloy, who was walking along Owen Beach with his family when he learned about the situation, expressed the same surprise many people likely had after hearing about it.
“That’s incredible, just such a surprise,” Molloy said. “How did they get on there?”
He suggested the situation appeared to be some kind of domestic animal situation that had grown beyond what someone could reasonably manage.
Officials had not announced criminal charges or fees, and Cunnington emphasized that the investigation was still ongoing.
That is an important point, because while the number of cats and the conditions aboard the vessel immediately raise concerns, investigators had not yet publicly established exactly who was responsible or how the situation developed.
Animal Control Says Overpopulation Can Escalate Quickly
Page said cases involving large numbers of cats can sometimes begin with only a few animals that have not been spayed or neutered.
“People start with just a few cats, and they’re not spayed or neutered, and unfortunately they do what cats do, and make more cats,” she said.
She used the case to repeat Tacoma Animal Control’s recommendation that owners have their cats and dogs spayed or neutered, particularly when multiple animals are living together.
Within Tacoma city limits, Cunnington reported, households are generally allowed to have up to six licensed cats and dogs combined, although it was not immediately clear how those rules would apply to animals living aboard a boat rather than inside a conventional residence.
The situation shows how quickly animal numbers can become difficult to manage if breeding is uncontrolled. Even when animals are still being fed and watered, dozens of cats living inside a small vessel can create sanitation, health and welfare concerns that may become harder to address as the population grows.
Most Of The Cats Were Taken To The Humane Society
By Friday night, around 31 cats had been successfully removed and taken to the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County.
There, the animals were being given basic care after spending what officials believed was a long period aboard the sailboat.
Page said many were in better condition than rescuers might have expected, although fleas were present.
The remaining cats were not being abandoned by crews; rather, they were proving more difficult to catch because they were hiding or too frightened to cooperate with Animal Control.
Police praised the work of Marine Services officers, Animal Control personnel and forensic technicians who helped carry out the operation.
Cunnington described the call as highly unusual, and the image of dozens of cats apparently serving as the only occupants of a sailboat just offshore made it easy to see why.
The Investigation Is Still Ongoing
For now, police are still trying to understand how more than 40 cats ended up on the vessel and who was responsible for their care.
Officials had not announced any charges, and Animal Control said the legal and ownership questions would have to be resolved before longer-term decisions could be made about the animals.
There may eventually be an opportunity for some of the cats to be adopted, although officials were not making promises while the investigation remained active.
The case began with a report about an improperly lit boat, but it quickly turned into a lengthy animal rescue that required police boats, Animal Control officers and hours of careful work inside a cramped sailboat.
For the cats already removed, the immediate change was straightforward: they went from living aboard an unattended vessel to receiving food, water, cooling and care on land, while investigators continued trying to determine how the unusual situation developed in the first place.
Ed spent his childhood in the backwoods of Maine, where harsh winters taught him the value of survival skills. With a background in bushcraft and off-grid living, Ed has honed his expertise in fire-making, hunting, and wild foraging. He writes from personal experience, sharing practical tips and hands-on techniques to thrive in any outdoor environment. Whether it’s primitive camping or full-scale survival, Ed’s advice is grounded in real-life challenges.
