The Humane Society Waterville Area (HSWA) is looking for forever homes for seven cats which were found in appalling conditions in a locked storage area last month.

According to a press release, on Oct. 5, the society got a call from an animal control officer in an unidentified town served by the Humane Society Waterville Area.

The release said: "twelve cats, four in each of three plastic dog crates, were found in a locked storage unit and had been abandoned for nearly 3 weeks without food, water or litter." The cats were taken to the shelter, the release said.

Not all of the cats survived. "Due to the inhumane circumstances of their living conditions, three of the cats were deceased upon arrival, one passed away shortly after arriving because medical intervention could not help her deteriorating health condition, and one was humanely euthanized two days later due to fluid in his lungs," the release said.

Acccording to HSWA, the remaining cats were treated for any potential illnesses and severe malnourishment. In the weeks following, their health and well-being steadily improved, the release said.

According to HSWA, the cats will be available for adoption beginning on Nov. 16, but there will be a different and extensive adoption procedure for these cats

"​We plan to have a special adoption process for these cats," HSWA Executive Director Lisa Oakes said. "We will be accepting adoption applications for Felicity & Boone as a bonded pair, Felix & Emmeline as a bonded pair and Flick on his own."

"We will require applicants to provide a letter explaining why they would like to adopt them along with 3 personal references that we will be contacting.” Oakes continued. “We want to make sure they continue to receive the exceptional care and attention we have shown them. There will be an adoption fee for each of the bonded pairs and an adoption fee for Flick. One stipulation of adopting these cats is that we receive updates from their new families every six months for the next 2 years. We plan to choose adoptive families by November 28th.”

In addition , the HSWA will hold a special fundraising campaign devoted to raising money for the incurred medical costs of the cats and to benefit the shelter. Currently, there are several sponsors looking to contribute to a dollar-for-dollar matching sponsorship, the HWSA release said.

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