KRGV.com

EDINBURG - A Rio Grande Valley woman wants help dealing with more than a dozen cats.

Kimberly Underwood said the cats belonged to her father. He passed away two months ago.

"I can't take care of the cats. My family can't take care of the cats. There are a number of them. It's extremely costly," Underwood said.

She called Edinburg animal control, but didn't get the help she wanted.

Underwood said she spends about $50 a week to care for the cats.

"We just can't care for them and this house is no environment to keep them in," she said.

Underwood said the cats kept her father company.

"He was older ... he loved animals and he could never say no to a hungry stray animal," she said.

Underwood said she called Edinburg's animal control line to ask for help with the cats after her father's death.

"I've called them so many times. ... I said nobody lives in this house. The owner, my father, has passed away," she said.

She decided to call 5 On Your Side.

"I have no other options. I contacted the shelters, police, animal control ... no body helps with the problem," Underwood said.

The Edinburg Police Department is in charge of animal control. Officials confirmed they had been contacted about the cats. They said the reason nothing had been done was that the animals were inside a private property.

Animal control officers said their hands were tied. They can't enter a property without the owner's permission. In this case, however, the owner died.

Officials said the family would have to be present so they could enter the house.

Animal control officers showed about an hour after CHANNEL 5 NEWS called.

Workers began to round up the cats and carry them out of the house.