Dozens of cats in Iowa rescued from van amid heat wave after living in 'heartbreaking' conditions
Over two dozen cats were left in a sweltering van in Iowa for hours before being rescued by police and animal rescue services.
The Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL) came to the aid of 29 cats that were allegedly left in a vehicle owned by 64-year-old Andres Enrique Guilartes Martinez.
The ARL said in a release it was called to give a hand to the Mason City Police Department after they discovered the assembly of feline friends that were fending for themselves inside a van.
They said that the 29 cats had no access to food or water.
The ARL said that when it arrived at the "heartbreaking" scene, temperatures were already in the 90s, making temps inside the enclosed van life-threatening.
"The situation was urgent … and as we opened the van doors, we quickly discovered it was even worse than we had expected," they said.
A quick test of the ammonia levels showed that they were dangerously high, the group noted.
"Sadly, the cats were not the only ones who were suffering in these toxic, soon-to-be deadly conditions, their owner was in the van as well," the ARL said. "It was a heartbreaking sight."
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The team with the rescue mission said that they transferred the innocent cats to an air-conditioned vehicles, and back to the ARL facility.
The cats were given food and water and were evaluated by staff members.
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Some of the cats had serious injuries and illnesses, the organization said. Two of the cats had deep neck wounds because something had been wrapped tightly around their necks.
Martinez was arrested by Mason City police and charged with three counts of animal neglect for his alleged connection with this case.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Mason City police for comment.