34 cats abandoned outside Novato animal shelter

Nearly three dozen cats stuffed in cardboard boxes were abandoned outside the Marin Humane Society in the middle of the night, and authorities at the shelter suspect they came from the same mystery hoarder who has been dumping felines on their doorstep for four years.

With paws and claws crowded inside boxes, 34 cats and kittens were left outside the shelter on Bel Marin Keys Boulevard in Novato early Sunday, said Lisa Bloch, a spokeswoman for the Marin Humane Society.

Surveillance video at the shelter shows a vehicle pulling up, before three people grab and stack the meowing boxes outside the door. A note slapped on one of the boxes asked shelter workers to find homes for the cats they could no longer care for. Most of the animals are black-and-white tuxedo cats, similar to those previously dropped off.

One of the 34 “tuxedo” cats abandoned outside the Marin Humane Society recently. One of the 34 “tuxedo” cats abandoned outside the Marin Humane Society recently. Photo: Marin Humane Society / Marin Humane Society Photo: Marin Humane Society / Marin Humane Society Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close 34 cats abandoned outside Novato animal shelter 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Bloch said that over the past four years, at least 130 cats have been deserted at the shelter, possibly by the same people. The last drop-off occurred about two years ago, when 24 cats were left at the shelter’s door.

Humane society workers have not been able to track down the people dumping the cats, but they suspect it’s a local hoarder who has allowed the breeding of cats to get “out of control fast.”

“The main issue is trying to find out who these people are so we can help them,” Bloch said. “All in all, we’re grateful that the cats are here and that they’re safe rather than something much worse, but again, we really just want to find out more.”

Before the latest cat drop, the Novato shelter was already filled to near capacity with 135 cats and kittens, Bloch said.

Pre-adoption expenses, including spaying and neutering, run the nonprofit shelter about $500 per animal, and none of the dropped-off felines appear to have been spayed or neutered, Bloch said.

The shelter is waiving its adoption fee of $100 for adult cats until the end of September in hopes it will speed up the process of finding the cats homes.

Those interested in adoption, or with information about the abandoned cats, can contact the Marin Humane Society at (415) 506-6225.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley