A local animal sanctuary is trying to turn around a sad situation. Four volunteers recently rescued 67 animals linked to a hoarding case out of New Mexico.

To say the volunteers’ hands are full at Black Forest Animal Sanctuary is a bit of an understatement.

"Our hands, our feet, the house," laughed Melissa Cox.

The staff of the sanctuary set up a temporary home for 62 cats and five dogs on their property. The modular building has heat and electricity and is much better than where they were: largely fending for themselves in an unoccupied house in Taos, New Mexico.

The owner of the New Mexico home is incapacitated, and she hired help to take care of the animals. Cox said the job wasn’t getting done.

"They were so inundated with the amount of cats that it was impossible for them to take care of them," she said.

Cox was and three other volunteers traveled to New Mexico and found the cats hiding in the house. One was even shoved into a drawer and abandoned.

"We named him Drawers," she said.

The challenge of making dozens of lives better has been met. The next big step finding 62 cats a permanent home. The folks at Black Forest Animal Sanctuary say the original owner is in poor health, and likely won't face criminal charges in New Mexico for the way the animals were treated. The cats are spayed and neutered and have had a vet check up.

To learn more about adopting one of the cats a link to Black Forest Animal Sanctuary can be found by clicking the “Find It” tab on the KKTV home page.