On August 6, 2026, Tacoma police responded to a welfare check on a sailboat anchored off Point Defiance Park — and found no people onboard, but dozens of cats crammed inside.

On the first visit, officers could only leave food and water, since a welfare check doesn't allow removing anything. It took two search warrants before animal control could get every cat off the boat.

The numbers kept climbing: 30 cats on the first sweep, then 23 more. Officers eventually cut into parts of the boat to reach cats still hiding deep inside. By the end, animal control had removed 60 cats total. Several had skin and fur problems, and most wore flea collars — a sign someone had tried, and failed, to care for far more animals than one boat could hold.

This sailboat has an owner on record, and police already know who it is. Now it's up to the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office to decide whether that person faces real consequences. Leaving 60 animals to fend for themselves is not a paperwork problem — it's neglect on a scale that deserves accountability, not a quiet plea deal.

This petition calls on the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office to pursue animal cruelty charges against the boat's owner, and on the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County to give all 60 cats full medical care and a real shot at a new home. Sign the petition to demand justice for the Tacoma boat cats — before this owner gets the chance to do it again.